Sensory Activities
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- No sensory perception work attempted.
- Tasting done in small groups bi-weekly during early part of semester. Focused on basic styles and common brands so that students could purchase at least a few wines if they had to miss the tasting.
- Wine and food pairings done in class. Convenience foods used (e.g., cheese, sliced meat).
- Wine component completed during the first 10 days of class.
- Divided students into three sections. One day of tastings done per group. Held during early part of semester.
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- No sensory perception work attempted.
- Students picked up kits containing small containers of wine prepared by a local winery. Tastings done synchronously.
- Students were told of two wine options for them to purchase for each class. One was at a high and one at a lower price point. Tastings done synchronously.
- Took wine kits to students’ homes and held tastings synchronously.
- Students purchased wine from local stores. Tastings done synchronously.
- Non-alcoholic beverages purchased by students and tasted during class to learn to detect wine structural components. Tastings done asynchronously.
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What Worked
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- Felt like a normal tasting.
- Pre-poured all wines, which minimized close contact with students.
- Students voiced appreciation for the face-to-face experience.
- Students did not get inebriated during the lengthy wine evaluations.
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- Called local company to setup wine list for students to pick up. Students found this process easy.
- Students, instructors, and assistants not put at health risk.
- Students turned on their cameras and verbally engaged during the tastings.
- Students enjoyed and were engaged in the sensory activities more than during similar activities held face-to-face.
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What Did Not Work
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- Increased class setup time. No laboratory assistant allowed in room.
- Took more time due to students handling of masks, gloves, and shields.
- Students did not do the preliminary out-of-class work. Thus, it had to be covered during tastings.
- Too many wines evaluated in each session for adequate learning.
- Difficult logistics getting all samples needed for a semester of tastings in one week.
- Attendance decreased as the semester progressed.
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- Students could not be seen, tastings guided, or questions answered due to asynchronous format.
- Limited number of wine samples able to fit in kits.
- Students with COVID-19 were unable to pick up kits.
- Taking the kits to students’ homes was inefficient.
- Split wine into smaller sizes, but could not ship or distribute per state laws. Gave students a list of wines to buy, but they did not buy the same wines which resulted in chaotic tastings.
- Except during the tasting sessions students engaged very little with the class and left their cameras off.
- Many students did not participate in optional tastings as they couldn’t afford it.
- Three computer screens were not enough to be able to see the class of 60 students during tastings and have a visual teaching aid open at the same time.
- Students moved during the semester and thus were not able to pick up their samples or have samples delivered to them.
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Changes Proposed
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- Students bring supplies to class (For example, water bottle, tasting guide, and hand sanitizer).
- Provide students with health guidelines for all activities related to attending class and participating in tastings during each class.
- Hold students accountable for the tasting component of the class.
- Keep it simple. Focus on basic wine styles and familiar brands so that students are able to purchase at least a few on their own if they had to miss the tasting.
- Be patient with yourself and the students. Cover that which is critical to achieve maximum learning in a limited time. Allow the students to explore more on their own.
- Collect food and beverage safety protocols from government agencies and wineries. Review and create one specific for your establishment. Train assistants and students and stick to the protocol very carefully
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- Create tasting kits with small containers of wine over laid with nitrogen. Have students pick them up from a central location during the first week of class.
- Turn the non-alcoholic tastings into a reflection assignment to ensure they are being completed.
- Teach small tastings sessions outside (maximum of 15 students) and delivery theoretical content online.
- If class must be taught completely online, eliminate the tastings and focus on the theoretical content.
- Mail each student one of the commercially available scratch-and-sniff guides to wine sensory evaluation.
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