Web-based instruction in learning nutrition

Journal of Instructional Psychology, March, 2003 by Lih-Juan ChanLin, Rwei-Fen S. Huang, Kung-Chi Chan

Evaluation of the web-based learning on Vitamins and Health was conducted among college students who enrolled "Nutrition and Health" course. The objective of the course is to help college students (non-nutrition major students) to acquire nutritional concepts and eat healthily. In addition to vitamins, several nutrition topics, such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats and minerals were covered in the course. The web-based learning lesson, "Vitamins and Health" were used as an individual learning resource and a supplement to the course. Students were required to study the materials and complete the assignment on the web. They were also encouraged to learn collaboratively through online discussion. The web-based learning lesson offered students with an after-class activity, a different learning experience, and an option of interaction with knowledge.

To fulfill the course requirement, students had to submit two assignments in electronic form. In the first assignment, students were asked to record their food intake of one day before learning the instructional materials. After learning the instructional content, the second assignment was given, and students were asked to evaluate carefully the amount of vitamins contained in their diets and make adjustment according to their own daily requirements. They were also required to provide the reasons why they made the changes. Through the critical analysis, students would be engaged in evaluating their food intake on a nutrition basis. The assignment counted 10 points.

In this course, the mode of learning is less dependent on the acquisition of information from lectures, but more dependent on the application and use of such information in real-world settings. Students were given the tasks to be accomplished in order to fulfill the class requirement. The task-oriented approach provided students with authentic learning opportunity and optimized students' involvement and engagement with the subject matter. Through the wealth of information and learning resources available on the Internet, students can search for relevant information pertinent to their learning goals. For example, in addition to the resources provided at the website, students could also access to the food bank of Department of Health, Taiwan for obtaining more information on food to accomplish the learning task.

At the end of the course, a take-home test was given. Students were provided with two problem cases. In the first case, students were asked to analyze according to the situation given whether there was vitamin deficiency in a particular case. To tackle the problem, students had to use the nutrition components of each food provided in the website, calculate the nutrition intake of each food, and then check the daily food intake against the suggested requirements. In the second case, students were asked to design a dietary plan for a pregnant woman. They had to choose various food sources and evaluate whether their food plan met the suggested nutrition requirements. If not, they needed to make adjustment. The take-home test also counted 10 points.