Coakley Kathryn E, Pribis Peter
Department of Individual, Family and Community Education; University of New Mexico; 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Educ Health (Abingdon). 2021 May-Aug;34(2):73-76. doi: 10.4103/efh.EfH_258_20.
The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics requires that undergraduate dietetics courses utilize a variety of educational approaches to facilitate learning. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate undergraduate nutrition students' perceptions of 16 classroom-based learning activities before and after taking an upper-level nutrition course.
A survey was completed by students before and after taking an upper-level nutrition course, Methods in Nutrition Education, at a single university in the southwest region of the United States in fall 2016 and 2017. The survey included demographic questions and assessed students' perceptions of the helpfulness of 16 traditional and active classroom-based activities to learning. Perceptions were measured via Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) at baseline and postcourse. Wilcoxon signed rank tests assessed changes in students' perceptions of learning activities from baseline to postcourse (significance = P < 0.05).
Ninety-seven completed baseline surveys; 67 (69%) completed postcourse surveys. Observing professionals (median = 5), interviewing professionals (median = 5), and critical thinking (median = 4) were perceived as most helpful to learning postcourse. Students agreed critical thinking, integrating material from other courses, interviewing professionals, case studies, writing short reports and summaries, and group projects and activities were significantly more helpful postcourse compared to baseline (P < 0.05).
Undergraduate nutrition students perceive a variety of classroom-based activities are helpful to learning including traditional (textbook readings, lectures) and active learning strategies (observation, practice). Instructors may consider implementing a variety of traditional and active learning strategies in upper-level nutrition and health-related courses to facilitate learning.
营养与饮食学教育认证委员会要求本科饮食学课程采用多种教育方法来促进学习。这项试点研究的目的是评估本科营养学专业学生在修读高级营养学课程前后对16种课堂学习活动的看法。
2016年秋季和2017年，美国西南部一所大学的学生在修读高级营养学课程“营养教育方法”前后完成了一项调查。该调查包括人口统计学问题，并评估了学生对16种传统及活跃的课堂活动对学习的帮助程度的看法。通过李克特量表（1=强烈不同意至5=强烈同意）在基线和课程结束后测量看法。威尔科克森符号秩检验评估了学生对学习活动的看法从基线到课程结束后的变化（显著性=P<0.05）。
97份完成了基线调查；67份（69%）完成了课程结束后的调查。观察专业人员（中位数=5）、采访专业人员（中位数=5）和批判性思维（中位数=4）被认为对课程结束后的学习最有帮助。学生们一致认为，与基线相比，批判性思维、整合其他课程的材料、采访专业人员、案例研究、撰写简短报告和总结以及小组项目和活动在课程结束后明显更有帮助（P<0.05）。
本科营养学专业学生认为多种课堂活动对学习有帮助，包括传统活动（教科书阅读、讲座）和主动学习策略（观察、实践）。教师在高级营养学和健康相关课程中可考虑实施多种传统和主动学习策略以促进学习。
