The course that I had decided to carry out and perform was a ‘mastery chef’ online cooking course which I found at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/tv_and_radio/masterchef/modules_index.shtml 

Before the commencement of the online course, there were a few objectives I wanted to accomplish and achieve. These included being able to learn various ways of preparing and cooking food; gaining chef mastery and attributes; and fulfilling my knowledge and skills of what I have learnt so that I can apply it in the real world.

After a gruelling fours hours and the completion of the course, I can say that it was fun but at the same challenging. What made it fun was the fact that the topics that were covered were things that I was interested in and this allowed me to enjoy what I was learning and doing. Another advantage was that it was well structured with two modules with short multiple choice tests at the end of each level making the learning meaningful so I could examine if what I learnt was processed thoroughly into my brain. However, the challenging aspect to this was that it was online. It meant that I had to sit in front of the computer to learn, which I have less experience in. In addition, due to the fact that it was online, it was difficult to pay full attention when the internet was easily accessible. There were at times when I got distracted due to this reason.

So have I really learnt anything from this online course? Can what I have learnt in the virtual world be implemented into the real world? I would have to say yes to both questions. I really enjoyed the course because it interested me and the way it was presented was clear and logical. Some of the things I learnt were food hygiene, checking deliveries, safety, budgeting and presentation. One of the advantages of this course was that it actually provided feedback. This can be seen after undertaking the tests after each level. I needed to get a perfect score of ten multiple choice questions and when I got a question wrong, it would give me feedback as to how my answer could have been better, if it was dangerous or if it was the best answer. I thought this was important because if I did not receive any feedback after the completion of the different tests, then I would not know where I could improve my skills.

On the other hand, one of the disadvantages of this course was that I could not skip any levels. I had to do them in order to advance to the next level. This became frustrating because on one occasion on level two, I found it difficult to answer some of the questions because they sounded too technical. This impelled my desire to move to next level but it was not possible.

If I had to relate this to my learning style from the VARK learning style, I would have to say that I demonstrated the characteristics of what I am, which is the mild Read/Write type. This can be seen that after the conclusion of the various levels, I would critically analyse what I had learnt and things I did not enjoy about it. I would write very descriptive of my thoughts and feelings and find solutions as to why I would feel that way.

However, though online learning brings many benefits such as saves money and the ability to teach many learners at the same time, face to face interaction is invaluable. I think that the virtual and real world should work in unison. This can be achieved by using both the positives and incorporating them together. For example, learners can perform the online course by themselves and after they have completed it, they can come together to discuss their learning and offer each other feedback. I feel that it is vital that people in today’s society embrace the use of technology whilst not forgetting human interaction.

Overall, I am very pleased with myself and the online course. I discovered a few advantages and disadvantages along the way but what I have learnt about this is that it all adds to the learning process and the journey for me to become a mastery chef.

- Eddie /