The most important ingredient in successful teaching of undergraduate students is the desire of the instructor to want to be a teacher. Assuming the teacher is thoroughly excited about their assignment, one can then start to look at tools to help bring the body of knowledge in question to life.
Dairy foods courses offer a fertile ground for the use of both traditional and innovative teaching methods. Unlike many of the general education and background courses taken in early years, these courses offer opportunities to move beyond teaching theoretical concepts through standard lecture/laboratory format. At Michigan State University, the new Dairy Foods Complex has added a few new twists including projection and sound equipment for computer slideshows, internet access and even process control. Lecture notes:
http://www.msu.edu/course/fsc/432/index.htm and supplemental material:
http://www.egr.msu.edu/~steffe/dairyplant/dairy.htm may be placed on the instructors' website and downloaded by students prior to coming to class. Utilizing in house video capabilities and a cooperative dairy plant staff, a lecture on pasteurization can include real time operation and observation of the HTST pasteurizer from the classroom.
The lectures provide readiness for the practical learning opportunities available to our students. Laboratory sessions are held in state of the art facilities and are practical, reflective of the industry, coordinated with lecture material and achievable. Fieldtrips have been significantly improved in quality through the use of FM transmitters and receivers, allowing all students to hear guides in even the noisiest environments. Internships are increasingly important to provide students with industry based experience.