A new instructional strategy was developed and tested which relates nutrition concepts to human experience and addresses cost-effectiveness in a university level basic nutrition course. A Multi-Mode Instructional Strategy was compared with lecture/laboratory methods. The new strategy involved lecture, independent study, and interactive study groups in which students experienced practical applications of abstract nutrition concepts. The over-all success of the Multi-Mode Instructional Strategy indicates that it may be an effective, efficient mode of instruction for other nutrition courses at the university level.