ADVANCING FOOD INDUSTRY EDUCATION: DEVELOPING NOVEL CURRICULUM ENHANCEMENTS FOR AI AND ROBOTICS

The overarching objective of this project is to create an innovative curriculum to enhance knowledge and understanding of AI and robotics in the food industry. Specifically,Objective #1: Identify the educational needs and skills from students, faculty, and industry professionals in terms of the applications of AI and robotics in the food industry through a comprehensive analysis of AI and robotics applications through the food supply chain and astakeholder needs assessment.Objective #2: Develop an active learning-based educational package, including real-world video material, experiential learner-centered learning activities, and problem-solving tasks to improve students' knowledge and engagement of AI and robotics in food studies courses.Objective #3: Implement, evaluate, and modify the instructional materials for a combined total of six food studies courses at two land-grant universities.Objective #4: Advance faculty readiness and teaching competence through effective, up-to-date interactive educational materials to teach principles, practices, and AI in the food industry, utilizing an approach based on Bloom's taxonomy.Deliverables include: (1) enhanced food studies course curricula with AI and robotics knowledge; (2) practical experiences with operating service robots; and (3) educational resources for food industry educators. An outside project evaluator will assess the effectiveness of the improved curricula. The project will culminate in a free online resource repository