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Applied Sensory Certificate for Distance Learners UC Davis University Extension |
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Dr. Guinard teaches the second and third courses of UC Davis University Extension's Applied Sensory Certificate for Distance Learners during the Winter and Spring quarters of each academic year. This certificate is intended for professionals working in sensory evaluation and/or consumer testing departments of consumer products companies, government agencies, academic institutions and market research companies. Managers and personnel of sensory evaluation and/or consumer testing programs are the target audience of this class. Oftentimes, these professionals are placed in position of leadership and have little academic training in sensory evaluation methods. The certificate program is designed to enable professionals in these fields, and others, to develop a greater understanding and knowledge of sensory evaluation methods and their business and academic applications. This is done through web-based lectures, slide shows (photo series on the web), reading assignments, laboratory exercises and data analysis assignments. The second course of the Applied Sensory Certificate Program, entitled Sensory Evaluation Methods critically reviews sensory evaluation methods and associated data analysis procedures. It also examines instrumental measurements of sensory properties and how these measurements relate to sensory measurements. After a review of key learnings from the first course, we go over principles of univariate and multivariate statistics, as they apply to the analysis of sensory data. We then study sensory methodology, including discrimination testing (thresholds, difference tests), scaling and descriptive analysis (principles, applications, descriptive analysis methods). The third course entitled Consumer Testing Methods critically
reviews consumer testing methods and associated data analysis procedures.
It also examines ways to relate consumer data to sensory evaluation
data in order to optimize product sensory quality and marketing
opportunities. We first review the terminology and history of consumer
testing and market research methods, a classification of the types
of consumer tests and a description of their applications. We then
examine the principles of sampling, recruiting and screening of
consumers, with a special focus on statistical power issues. The
basic tools of quantitative consumer research such as the 9-point
hedonic scale and other scales are critically examined. We then
study the segmentation of consumer populations through usage, attitudes,
expectations, preferences and hedonic measures, and the many influences
of context on consumer responses and behavior. We contrast the principles
and applications of laboratory tests, central location tests (CLT),
home-use tests (HUT) and other field tests. Qualitative consumer
testing methods, including focus groups and ethnographic techniques
are then covered. After examining market research methods of relevance
to the topic of this certificate, we close with an in-depth look
at innovative ways to optimize product quality and develop new products. For more information, consult the following URL: |
