Project-Based Learning and Note by Note Cooking: Two ingredients to Enhance Student Learning and Creativity

Project-based learning and Note by Note cooking: Two ingredients to enhance student learning and creativity Róisín Burke and Pauline Danaher School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology, College of Arts and Tourism, Dublin Institute of Technology, Cathal Brugha St., Dublin 1, Ireland. An innovative and sustainable agri-food sector is a high priority for many governments. Therefore, it is important for educators to adapt and revise their teaching and learning strategies to prepare students for the expectations and demands as future employees of the food sector or as academic researchers. Many innovative teaching and learning methods are used in higher level education including project-based learning (PBL). Since 2012 a PBL assignment project has been undertaken by master students of the Advanced Molecular Gastronomy module at The Dublin Institute of Technology. The aim is to create a Note by Note dish or dishes to comply with the requirements of the annual International Note by Note contest which is held in Paris, France. Traditional foods are not used but instead foods were created using pure compounds or mixtures of compounds. To date over fifty innovative and sustainable foods have been designed, developed and created. The successes at international competition level (1st place in the student category for 4 of 5 entries over 5 years) have demonstrated that the application of Note by Note cooking through a PBL exercise enhances student learning and creativity.