Making Healthy Food Decisions at 'Reggie's Subs' 

Many Elementary and Middle school students struggle to understand nutrition concepts and make healthy food choices. They find lesson boring or confusing, which makes it hard for them to understand healthy eating and actually apply it in their daily lives. The main goals for schools are to increase students' interest in nutrition classes, increase their understanding of healthy eating habits, and provide interactive learning opportunities that help students remember and apply these concepts in real life situations.

Therefore, I created the Reggies training course, where students build sandwiches while learning about nutrition, portion sizes, and healthy choices in a fun, interactive way. The idea is that would be the introduction to a complete healthy eating course. With the following lessons diving deeper into different healthy specifics and benefits.

I created an interactive, game-based eLearning experience where students could “build” sandwiches while learning about nutrition and healthy food choices. Each ingredient provides tips and insights, allowing students to make decisions and receive feedback in real time.

Some of the reasons this interactive game is the best solution for this problem are:

• It is engaging and fun, which would encourage students to actively participate.

• It is flexible and can be adapted for in-class use, remote learning, or hybrid environments.

• It encourages critical thinking and students must consider nutrition, substitutions and food balance while building their sandwiches.

In addition to the interactive game, I recommended further steps to support learning and application, such as:

• Encouraging teachers to highlight real-life examples of healthy eating in their school or community to make the learning more relevant.

The Process

The first step for this project was consulting with the SME and the stakeholder to develop an action map and overall goal. We created a 4-week program  where students would be a worker in the Reggie's Sub Shop. Through this experience students will explore nutrition, substitutions, portion sizes and a balanced diet. Below (In blue and yellow) is the first section to build engagement and curiosity. Here, they must make decisions about bread, protein, vegetables, sauces, and sides — receiving immediate feedback and learning how small substitutions can create healthier outcomes.  The follow-up lessons then introduce alternatives — practical adjustments that meet the learner “where they are.” This way, learners see that making healthier choices doesn’t always mean giving things up completely — it’s about balance, moderation, and smart swaps.

After I had completed my action map I began doing a text-based storyboard. This allowed me to organize my ideas and outline each portion of the learners experience for the SME and stakeholders to review. I designed the course as a first-day-on-the-job simulation, capturing the excitement of starting fresh while reinforcing healthy food choices
Learners are quickly introduced to Reggie, the friendly owner of the shop. Reggie introduces the tasks, provides feedback on mistakes, and explains the correct choices as Learners continue their journey. He is also available throughout the course to share optional tips, providing scaffolds for diverse learners.

I created an interactive prototype of the projects first module using Articulate storyline. The protype included a title screen, scenario introduction, mentor (Reggie) introduction, and the first set of questions with both correct and incorrect paths.

I added various smooth fade transitions, subtile animations and facial expressions to reinforce learning feedback. Correct answers were tracked through a Healthscore system, which allows learners to see their progression and increase engagement. Hover features, sounds and clickable buttons enhance interactivity.

After sharing the prototype for feedback, I made some adjustments to incorporate audio cues and more of a gamification feature to create a polished immersive experience. This prototype establishes a strong foundation for a full module development.