LARRY MCCALLA BRIAN WRENN The Main Course “Preparing Healthy Meals at Home”

Executive Summary This projects’ instructional goal is: the participant will be able to create (generate) a healthy meal in their home while following important health and safety guidelines. The executive summary is a brief and comprehensive overview of our project….. This presentation will serve much the same purpose. Shall we begin?

Needs Assessment Many adults in the US do not have the skills to cook a healthy meal at home. America has the highest obesity rate among developed nations. Economic downturn creates a need for an alternative to eating “away from home.” Fighting childhood obesity is a national concern. First Lady Michelle Obama is using letsmove.gov to create national awareness.

Needs Assessment Our survey indicated a wide array of cooking skill levels. Only one respondent felt confident cooking for themselves. All surveyed indicated that they were interested in a healthier diet and learning to cook healthy meals at home. See Appendix A.

Learner Analysis Our learner survey indicated that all respondents had some knowledge of kitchen equipment and sanitation. The survey indicates that most respondents had an average understanding of how to prepare a meal, and were all interested in learning more. Most learners surveyed indicated that the preferred print, video, and online tutorials.

Performance and Learning Context Because this course is designed to be delivered in the learner’s home, the performance and learning context are the same. There is no managerial support or supervision, feedback will come from the learner’s friends and family who enjoy the results of the course. The course is designed for individual learners, but it could easily accommodate groups or teams.

Course and Unit Design The course is divided into three units;  "At the Grocery Store: Selecting Your Ingredients”  "In Your Kitchen: Prepare Before Cooking"  "Turn Up The Heat: Cooking Your Meal“ We selected "In Your Kitchen: Prepare Before Cooking” for further development.

Course and Unit Design Unit II: "In Your Kitchen: Prepare Before Cooking” is divided into three lessons.  Lesson One covers inspecting ingredients for freshness.  Lesson Two covers washing and preparing ingredients.  Lesson Three covers “Time Management Skills in the Kitchen” Lesson Three was selected as the lesson to be prototyped. See Appendices B & C.

Course and Unit Design

Lesson Design “Time Management Skills in the Kitchen”  The objective for this lesson is that the learner categorize recipes according to recipe cooking times, generate an order in which to cook the recipes, and demonstrate ability to have all recipes complete their cooking cycles simultaneously. The lesson instructs learners to:  Read each recipe end to end before beginning  Analyze each recipe for total time  Arrange recipes from the same course chronologically  Analyze the recipes again for “down time”  Use the “down time” to work on other steps from the same or other recipes

Instructional Materials We used a variety of online materials:  A PowerPoint modified with Adobe Presenter.  Planned an instructional video (but made a PDF instead).  A worksheet to increase learner participation.  A quiz made using HotPotatoes software.  We also included a flash puzzle and listening activity. See Appendices D & E

Instructional Materials

Formative Evaluation Plan We planned a four part formative evaluation:  Expert review  One-to-One evaluation  Small Group evaluation  Field Trial However with out time constraints, it was shortened to two steps:  Expert review  Small Group evaluation

Formative Evaluation Expert Review  Original quiz bordered on the impossible  Website layout confusing Revisions before Small Group evaluation:  Switched from short answer to multiple choice quiz  Remodeled the website for clarity  Font size increased for accessibility

Formative Evaluation Small Group evaluation  Completion time varied, but all learners felt it was “just right.”  Most data indicated a positive influence on learner confidence and likelihood to cook in their homes.  There were too few respondents for conclusive results from the quiz, but the majority of the scores appear to indicate the beginnings of an acceptable bell curve.  Learners indicated they would continue the course.

Formative Evaluation Small Group evaluation – comments  Some felt that they needed more instructions for this to be completely independent and flow well.  Many felt the audio portions were not loud enough.  Learners suggested that links open new windows or tabs so it was easier to navigate home.  Some had problems with the presentation freezing or not starting. See Appendix F

Revision Plan Data collected was overall positive, requiring no major changes. We felt the suggestions made by the learners would increase accessibility of the course and the independence of the learners. It was determined that the server caused the presentation problems, and the problem could be solved by switching it off of the testing server.