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Artificial Intelligence

Development and Implementation of Take-Home Laboratory Kits for Enhanced Food Science and Engineering Education

Laboratory-based courses are a vital part of food engineering, food packaging and related curriculum because they help students connect theories to applications and build both practical skills and conceptual knowledge. Studies show that laboratory activities enhance students’ conceptual understanding and improve cognitive growth. However, many students struggle to gain access to laboratory facilities and physical experiments for a variety of reasons, including shrinking financial resources, scarcity of expensive laboratory equipment, and, recently, the side-effect of the pandemic causing the switch of in-person laboratory activities to virtual or remote offerings. The development of remote laboratories (using low-cost tools and apparatus that replicate laboratory equipment and set-ups) offers a promising solution to support engineering education and provide equal access to all, including students taking online degree programs and students with physical disabilities that prevent them from taking in-person lab classes. We have designed and developed low-cost yet user-friendly take-home laboratory kits for measuring a variety of performance functionalities of food packaging materials, such as water vapor transmission rates of polymeric films and puncture resistance of certain thermoplastics and paper-based packaging materials. The take-home kits included in-house fabricated components and commercially available low-cost sensors. Specific instructions were developed to guide users (students) to perform experiments, collect, and analyze experimental data. The laboratory handouts also included pre- and post-lab quizzes for instructors to conduct formative assessment, and student demographic and motivation surveys to assess the effectiveness of take-home kits on student learning. Two take-home kits were implemented in food processing and packaging courses from the participating institutions. Students’ survey response and the effectiveness of take-home laboratory kits on student learning experience will be discussed during the presentation. Speakers: Yao Olive Li, PhD, Olusola Adesope, PhD

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