Design and Evaluation of an Online Food Safety Module: A Usability Study

Abstract

Food safety knowledge is crucial to careers within the restaurant and foodservice industry. High school Career and Technical Education (CTE) elective courses help students explore their career interests and prepare for future employment. Food safety is an important topic relevant to the industry that students can use in their personal lives and future careers. The researcher utilized various visual design and multimedia learning principles to develop an online food safety module on Google Sites targeted toward high school students. The researcher conducted a usability study to evaluate the format, ease of use, and content included in the online food safety module. The researcher collected data from a total of 15 participants via a virtual usability test, including a think-aloud of the website, completion of four task-based scenarios, and an online survey. Data collected during the study and results from the online survey indicated that participants found the website intuitive. The final product can be incorporated into various CTE classes and used as an up-to-date, easily accessible resource.