Teachers' Sharing | Faculty of Science

My Approach to Teaching Food and Nutrition: Transforming Knowledge into Practice

Teaching food and nutrition at the university level is, to me, both a responsibility and a privilege. I view higher education not merely as the transmission of knowledge, but as a transformative journey in which students learn to translate scientific understanding into real-world practice and, ultimately, into meaningful contributions to individuals and communities. This philosophy underpins my approach to teaching, supervision, and curriculum leadership.

Given the applied nature of food and nutrition, I place strong emphasis on authentic, practice-based learning. In practicum and placement subjects, I collaborate with colleagues and external partners to design meaningful, supervised experiences in community and food-service settings. Rather than treating placements as peripheral components, I structure them as coherent learning journeys: students are carefully prepared, engage in guided practice, and critically reflect on their experiences through journals, tutorials, and online debriefings. This “long-arm” supervision model enables students to develop independence while remaining well supported by the academic team.

Service learning represents another cornerstone of my teaching. In FSN2S02 “Service Learning in Nutrition and Healthy Diet”, students co-design and deliver nutrition initiatives with local NGOs, community centres, and schools. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we successfully transitioned these activities into virtual formats—such as cooking videos, online workshops, and social media resources—while maintaining both educational quality and community impact. More recently, I have expanded service learning into an international context in Cambodia, where students collaborate with partner schools to deliver culturally appropriate nutrition programmes. Across both local and global settings, I regard service learning as a powerful means of connecting academic knowledge with real societal needs, while fostering empathy, adaptability, and intercultural competence.

A second key dimension of my teaching is partnership with students. I do not see the curriculum as a fixed product, but as something that can be co-created with learners. Through staff-student partnership initiatives, I engage students in redesigning learning materials for core nutrition subjects. Together, we have developed flipped learning resources—including short videos on portion size and energy density, as well as accessible nutrition label guides—to support the application of concepts in everyday contexts. The outcomes have been encouraging: students demonstrate increased confidence in interpreting nutrition information and improved performance in applied assessments. For student partners, the process also cultivates valuable skills in communication, digital literacy, and teamwork.

Collaboration with colleagues is equally central to my practice. In my roles as programme leader and subject leader, I work closely with teaching teams to ensure that curricula align with professional standards, such as those of the UK Association for Nutrition, while remaining responsive to student feedback. Through regular meetings, we review assessments, share teaching experiences, and consider how best to scaffold students’ progression from foundational knowledge to advanced practice. I view my role not as directing change, but as fostering a collegial and supportive environment in which innovation is encouraged—whether through new assessment approaches, digital tools, or enhanced supervision practices.

Across all aspects of my work, I draw on evidence and reflection to inform continuous improvement. Student evaluations, assessment data, external examiner reports, and feedback from community partners are not merely procedural requirements; they are valuable sources of insight. When initiatives do not unfold as intended, I treat these moments as opportunities for dialogue and refinement rather than as shortcomings. This reflective approach not only strengthens my own teaching but also models the professional mindset we seek to instil in our students.

Ultimately, my goal is to nurture graduates who are not only knowledgeable, but also reflective and socially responsible practitioners—individuals who can apply nutrition science with competence, compassion, and integrity. By engaging students in authentic practice, meaningful partnership, and critical reflection, I aim to contribute, in a modest yet meaningful way, to advancing nutrition and health within our communities.

我的食品與營養教學理念：將知識轉化為實踐

在大學教授食品與營養學，對我而言既是一份責任，也是一種榮幸。我認為高等教育不只是傳授知識，更重要的是幫助學生將所學應用到現實情境中，並轉化為對個人和社會有意義的貢獻。這個想法一直引領著我的教學、學生指導及課程發展方向。

由於食品與營養學本身具有很強的應用性，我特別重視實踐為本的教學方法。在實習及業界／社區實踐課程中，我一直與同事及對外夥伴合作，以社區及餐飲業應用場景，為學生有系統地設計學習課程並提供支援。我並不將實習視為附加環節，而是作為完整的學習歷程來設計：學生在充分準備後將會進行實地實踐，並透過學習日誌、小組討論及網上討論進行整理與強化學習所得。這種「跨領域指導」模式，讓學生在逐步建立自主學習能力的同時，仍然得到持續而適切的支援。

實習課程亦是我教學的重要一環。在 FSN2S02《營養與健康飲食服務學習》課程中，學生與本地非政府組織、社區中心及學校合作，一同設計及推行營養推廣活動。在疫情期間，我們更迅速將實習課程轉為網上形式，例如製作烹飪影片、網上工作坊及社交媒體教材，確保學習效果及對社區的服務得以延續。近年，我亦將實習課程拓展至海外，帶領學生前往柬埔寨，與當地學校合作推行符合當地文化環境的營養教育項目。無論在本地或海外，我都視實習課程為連結學術知識與社會所需的重要橋樑，同時可以培養出學生的同理心、適應能力及跨文化視野。

另一個重要方向是與學生建立夥伴關係。我不把課程視為固定內容，而是可以與學生一起完善的過程。透過師生合作項目，我與學生一起設計營養課程的重點教材。我們開發了一整套課前學習資源，當中包括介紹有關食物份量與能量密度的短片，以及簡單實用的營養標籤指南，幫助學生把知識應用到日常生活中。實際成效顯示，學生在理解營養資訊方面更有信心，在應用方面的表現亦有所提升。同時，他們在過程中亦培養了溝通能力、善用數碼科技技能及團隊合作能力。

與同事協作同樣不可或缺。作為課程主任及科目負責人，我一直與教學團隊緊密合作，確保課程符合專業標準（例如英國營養學會的要求），同時有效回應學生需求。我們會定期檢視和評估課程內容，分享教學經驗，並討論如何更有效地支援學生，協助他們從基礎邁向更深入的課題。我認為自己的角色並非只是單向地推動改變，而是透過嘗試新的評估方式、運用數碼技術，抑是改善教學模式，營造一個開放、互相幫助的環境，讓新想法萌生並得以實踐。

我的整個教學理念一直強調數據的運用，以及不斷作出評估以改善質素。學生評價、學習數據、外部評核意見及合作夥伴的意見，都是寶貴的參考指標。當教學活動未如預期時，我會視之為進步的良機，而不是問題。這種心態不僅有助提升教學質素，亦能夠讓學生理解專業營養工作者應具備的思考方式。

總括而言，我的目標是培養具備專業知識、能獨立思考並具社會責任感的畢業生，讓他們能以專業能力、同理心及誠信應用營養科學。透過實踐學習、師生合作及不斷反思，我希望能為社區的營養與健康發展帶來實實在在的正面影響。