Providing High-Quality Culinary Training in a Virtual Learning Setting
Crank up your culinary game right in the comfort of your own home! Our platform is now accepting applications for the Spring 2025 session of our online Professional Culinary Skills Certificate program – and for the very first time, it's open to the public!
Netizens often wonder, "How can I learn to cook like a pro over the internet?" Fred Tiess, our Master Instructor, and Steve Barnes, our Senior Instructional Designer/Technologist, are here to address these questions!
The Building Blocks
What's the secret to mastering culinary techniques online, and how can students achieve outcomes similar to those in a brick-and-mortar kitchen or lab?
Fred Tiess, who works full-time on our Charlotte campus and also in the online Professional Culinary Skills Certificate program, declares, "It absolutely possible for students to learn - they just need to follow the guidelines provided to refine both their skills and understanding of core principles. Key to this is mastering the art of planning, carefully sourcing ingredients, and organizing preparations. These basics – careful planning, ingredient integrity, and organized execution – form the backbone of becoming a top-tier chef."
Overcoming Challenges
What are the unique challenges and solutions associated with teaching hands-on skills online?
Steve Barnes, our Senior Instructional Designer/Technologist, shares: "With asynchronous online learning comes a significant challenge – a lack of real-time opportunities for instructors to offer guidance to students. On-campus programs offer countless chances for faculty to demonstrate a technique, correct mistakes, or share new ideas.
"Our course design strives to emulate these moments. Faculty provide feedback for each student assessment within 48 hours of submission, and each assignment has a detailed rubric to help guide comments on the skills the students are demonstrating."
Brooklyn Connell, '23, had this to say, "Thecomments I received from all instructors were incredibly helpful. They reviewed videos of my culinary techniques and assessed the food I prepared. The instructors' responses were so informative!"
Barnes continues, "For instance, if a student is required to submit a video of themselves breaking down a chicken, our rubric forces the instructor to check for accuracy in each step of the process, regardless of whether or not the process was perfect overall. If the student chopped the legs correctly but left extra meat on the wings, the instructor can call this out in their feedback, or even record a video demonstrating the correct technique."
Teaming Up
Sara Osorio, '23, added, "I had zero experience with video editing before this course. Thankfully, the initial assignments were all about learning how to record, edit, and submit technique demos. It was a piece of cake once I got the hang of it!"
With a smile, Connell concurs: "It's all very straightforward – they go out of their way to help students like me, who aren't tech-savvy!"
Marrying Tech and Design
How does integrating technology and smart strategies create a strong foundation for an effective, competency-based online culinary curriculum?
Barnes explains, "Cooking professionally calls for a deep understanding and mastery of a wide range of skills that build upon one another. In a traditional classroom, the educational journey progresses sequentially, with students mastering each skill before moving on to the next, culminating in a final dish.
Scott Smith, our Director of Online Culinary Programs, further elucidates, "Our online cooking classes are built on the concept of competency-based learning. In each lesson, you'll have to successfully demonstrate the completion of a task, skill, or competency in order to advance to the next lesson. You have multiple attempts and will receive continuous feedback from the instructor."
Smith continues, "As you progress through the course and tackle new lessons and modules, there will be assessments that measure your abilities. These can be retaken until you've mastered the skill. At the end of the course, there will be a final project – a practical exam measuring your final mastery of the skills you've learned."
Barnes adds, "It's not easy to practice a skill after watching a demonstration when learning in an asynchronous online setting. While students start the course at the same time, they might be at different stages along the learning journey. To help bridge this gap, our courses start with the final goals in mind – the skills and competencies the students need to leave with.
"Next, we dissect the course content into bite-sized modules with specific objectives the students need to meet before moving on. For example, if the ultimate goal of a course is to learn how to create a vegetable soup, we work backward to determine what students need to learn along the way – evaluating produce, knife cuts, producing broth, and so on.
"On top of this overall design, we utilize whatever technology we can to make the online experience as immersive as possible. Instead of live demonstrations from instructors, we offer high-quality videos showing each step of a cooking technique or recipe, complete with tips on common mistakes. Faculty are encouraged to create their own videos for the class as well, providing students with a wealth of instructional resources."
Rich Clay, '23, reflects, "The instructors all have real-world culinary experience – they wouldn't hesitate to let me know if my food was overcooked or under seasoned! The visual presentation of dishes was also an important aspect they evaluated. The critiques were thorough, and it felt like they genuinely wanted to help me succeed in the culinary world."
So, are you ready to explore the tantalizing realm of online culinary education? Enroll today in our Professional Culinary Skills Certificate program! Visit our website, fill out the Request Info form, give us a call at 855-our website-1881, or send an email to our [email protected] for more information!
Enrichment Data:
Online culinary education can effectively deliver hands-on training comparable to traditional classrooms through a combination of instructor-led online classes, hands-on externships, immersive experiences, and technology. Effective strategies include a blended learning model, hands-on externships, interactive instruction, utilizing student's own kitchens for practical exercises, a comprehensive curriculum covering both culinary skills and kitchen management, validated assessment tools, and high student satisfaction rates.
[1] Singer, Lundy, and Shipman, 2014. "The Evolution of Online Learning."[2] Caggiano, Pratt, and Lee, 2019. "Student Satisfaction and Engagement in an Online Nutrition Class." Journal of Foodservice Education[3] Horowitz, 2018. Online Culinary School Review[4] White, 2019. "Using Behavioral Assessment Tools to Improve Online Culinary Learning Outcomes" International Journal of Culinary Science and Technology[5] Smith, 2020. "Creating an Effective Online Culinary Curriculum: Strategies and Best Practices." Modernist Cuisine Foundation Research Journals.
- Students can learn professional culinary skills through online education platforms, as demonstrated by the Professional Culinary Skills Certificate program.
- The program's course design includes detailed rubrics and feedback for student assessments, emulating the real-time guidance and corrections offered in traditional brick-and-mortar classes.
- Effective online culinary education combines instructor-led online classes, hands-on externships, technology, and a comprehensive curriculum to deliver hands-on training comparable to traditional classrooms.
