ADVANTAGES OF PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING IN FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) proposes changes in the way of working for professors and students. For several years, the Universidad Politécnica of Valencia has developed programs of innovation in education to stimulate and recognize the participation of professors in new learning and teaching methodologies. Professors must take part in tasks such as the organization of seminars, cases, lab work, tutoring activities, continuous evaluations, formative and authentic assessments, to foment in the student the acquisition of knowledge, capacities and skills that allow him to adequately answer future professional demands and to progress academically and as a whole person.
Within this line of action, a new methodology known as problem-based learning (PBL) was applied to the subject of Practical Physicochemistry of Food within the Food Science & Technology degree program. This degree can be earned in the School of Agricultural Engineering at the Universidad Politécnica of Valencia.
The traditional and conventional teaching method applied to this subject up to 2005/2006 was based on exposing information to the task and then later having the student solve the task implementing the previously introduced information. The PBL method was first applied to this subject in 2006/2007 and the clear reversal of methodology was evident when noting that PBL solves asks by first proposing questions to the student and having the student resolve the task by working in a group.
Using the PBL method the student works out the task from its origin to its resolution. The problem-solving group environmental helps the student develop and practice new problem solving skills.