On March 7, the Centre for Academic Excellence released its second Spotlight On session highlighting the topic Re-imagining Traditional Assessments. Guest speaker and CFWI chef professor Olaf Mertens reflected on his experiences teaching nearly 240 students each year across three sections.
In his presentation, Mertens shared a number of assignments he uses to assess student learning. Mertens encourages students to use a variety of mediums to demonstrate their learning including video presentations and photo collages to tell a story. For example, Mertens’ ‘A Book with No Words’ assignment asks students to tell a culinary story exclusively with visual tools.
“I am passionate to share creative ideas and I know that presenting some newer ideas, concepts and to show the students work would benefit many,” said Mertens.
He also finishes his courses with reflective journals that require students to research their culinary mentors, reflect on their own culinary journey and develop career goals. While this type of assessment takes Mertens longer to review, the acceptance of different mediums allows students to express what they have learned in a way that is meaningful to them.
Not only has Mertens reimagined traditional assessment styles, but he has also changed how he assesses student projects. True to his craft, Mertens uses a culinary judging method. He begins each assessment assuming perfection at 100 per cent, decreasing the percentage for each component on his rubric that is done poorly. In fact, Mertens has been known to award students 120 per cent for outstanding successes.
“These assessments benefits my students and I have shared these concepts with teachers that teach in many disciplines and age groups/ grades and they too have received amazing results,” said Mertens.
Before joining the Canadian Food and Wine Institute in 2010, Mertens cooked in some of the finest restaurants in Berlin and Budapest, helped to lead Rogues Hotel in Mississauga to be awarded one of Canada’s Top 40 Restaurants, earned his Master Chef designation in Germany and opened three successful restaurants in Canada. Now, Mertens challenges Canada’s young culinary minds to become creative and insightful in and out of the kitchen.
