The problem

Today, the big question is? Are counties maxing out on the number of people they can reach through in-person nutrition/food preparation/food safety workshops? Is there an audience that is available during lunch or dinner that would attend virtual cooking demonstrations or cook-alongs? 

The educational program response

People who say they don’t like to cook, have various reasons why, but it is usually that they have not been trained to use a knife correctly, or they don’t know the difference that butter, margarine, or olive oil. Helping participants cook with confidence, learn something new, and have fun is important for proper engagement. The overarching goal of the one-time workshop was to explore how to facilitate virtual cooking demonstrations, enabling Extension personnel to connect with the broader community, increasing client food knowledge and culinary competence, and promoting Extension's expertise in teaching healthful eating habits. With the proper virtual training tools and techniques, virtual learning is becoming a great alternative to the traditional face-to-face learning.  

The participants/target audience

CES FCS County Agents who wish to expand their nutrition and food preparation offerings by using a virtual cooking demonstration or cook-along format.

Other partners (if applicable)

Dr. Sandra Bastin who has developed many materials was joined by FCS Agent Kenna Knight who has extensive experience in virtual cooking demonstrations and cook-alongs.

Program impact or participant response.

Equipment, possible cook-along topics, intergenerational relationships, sequential steps, marketing programs, writing a script, practicing, how and when to get in touch with your participants, along with evaluations questions using Bloom's Taxonomy were discussed. 51 online participants defined intergenerational relationships, listed three reasons we choose to eat, and identified the purposes of preparing a script for a virtual cook along correctly. 75% of the participants indicated what virtual cook along they would design first to use the material presented. This indicates that the participants want to use the information presented for a successful virtual learning activity for their clients. The KERS training questions that were answered indicated that the material presented was relevant, well organized and presented, and that they had learned knowledge and skills that would allow them to move to the next level.