Abstract:To promote students’ deep learning and stimulate their higher-order thinking in response to the requirements of emerging engineering education for cultivating interdisciplinary talents, we construct a “3-phase and 4-level” blended teaching model characterized by chained integration for Food Microbiological Examination by introducing the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) taxonomy. This model integrates the four cognitive DOK levels—DOK1 (recall), DOK2 (skill/concept), DOK3 (strategic thinking), and DOK4 (extended thinking)—with the three progressive learning stages: knowledge consolidation, practical transition, and exploratory innovation. This precise integration allows the exact positioning of teaching objectives, systematic organization of teaching contents, scientific design of hierarchical teaching activities, and establishment of a robust, diversified assessment system. Leveraging online course resources and incorporating teaching strategies such as online self-directed learning, project-based learning, collaborative learning, and flipped classrooms, the teaching team effectively implements blended teaching practices. The teaching effectiveness was evaluated through grade comparisons and a questionnaire survey, which indicated that this teaching model improved students’ cognitive levels, enhanced their practical and higher-order thinking skills, and increased the learning satisfaction rate by 45.8%. This model provides a practical reference for the reform of food-related courses in the context of emerging engineering education.
