FOOD SC 1001WT - Nutrition I

Waite Campus - Semester 1 - 2021

This course provides an overview of fundamental knowledge in food and nutrition. Students will learn about dietary guidelines and healthy eating; nutrient reference values; food composition including the six classes of nutrients and non-nutrient components of food; the major roles and functions of the principal nutrients and the metabolism of these nutrients in the human body; nutritional characteristics of the Five Food Groups; functional foods; concepts of energy balance; nutrient calculations; energy density of foods; assessment of diet quality and the impact of diet on nutritional status and health. Students will be introduced to the principles of nutrition research and the translation of nutrition research into nutrient recommendations, dietary guidelines and recommended daily food patterns. Students will also learn about report writing and how to evaluate and synthesize scientific literature and communicating in the context of nutrition. Students will develop a sound knowledge of food composition, an understanding of the fundamental concepts of nutrition and the links between food, nutrition and health. Students will apply knowledge gained during the course to estimate energy requirements and assess diet quality of individuals.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code FOOD SC 1001WT
    Course Nutrition I
    Coordinating Unit School of Agriculture, Food and Wine
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s Waite Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 4 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Assessment Online test, written assignment, practical report, diet diary, final examination
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Jo Zhou

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    1 Understanding the fundamental concepts in food and nutrition.
    2 Understand the roles and functions of principal nutrients and the processes involved in their digestion, absorption and metabolism.
    3 Understand the relationship between diet, lifestyle and health.
    4 Apply the knowledge of Dietary Guidelines, Nutrient Reference Values and nutrient content of primary food sources to estimate energy requirements, assess dietary quality and plan a healthy diet.
    5 Evaluate and synthesise scientific literature, and communicate effectively in the context of food and nutrition.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1-5
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    3, 5
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    2, 4-5
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    3-5
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    3-5
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    4-5
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources

    Access to the on-line resource:

    • NHMRC, Australian Government. Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand
    • Including Recommended Dietary Intakes, Australian Government 2006
    • http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/publications/attachments/n35.pdf
    • Available as a pdf file only

    Access to the on-line resource:

    • NHMRC, Australian Government. Eat for Health – Australian Dietary Guidelines Summary.
      http://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/the_guidelines/n55a_australian_dietary_guidelines_summary_131014.pdf

    Access to the on-line report writing resource Turnitin.

    • www.turnitin.com

    A class site will be set up in Turnitin:A class ID and password will be issued early on in the course.

    Recommended Resources

    Highly Recommended Textbook

    • E Whitney, SR Rolfes, Crowe T, Cameron-Smith D, Walsh A Understanding Nutrition: Australian and New Zealand Edition, 2nd Ed.: Australia: Cengage Learning Australia, 2014
    Copies of this text book can be found in both the Barr Smith and Waite Libraries. This text can be purchased from the UniBook Shop at the North Terrace Campus.

    Recommended Readings

    • J Germov& Williams (eds) A Sociology of Food and Nutrition: The social appetite. Oxford: OxfordUniversity Press, 1999.
    • One Continuous Picnic: A history of eating in Australia. Australia: Penguin, 1982
    Important sources for original research and review articles
    • American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
    • Artherosclerosis
    • British Medical Journal
    • British Journal of Nutrition
    • Journal of Nutrition
    • Circulation
    • European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
    • Journal of the American Dietetic Association
    • Lancet
    • New England Journal of Medicine
    • Nutrition & Dietetics
    Additional references and reading material will be distributed during lectures and tutorials.
    Online Learning
    MyUni: Teaching materials and course documentation will be posted on the MyUni website (http://myuni.adelaide.edu.au/).
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes

    Lectures are used to deliver content relevant to the specified course objectives. Lectures include the opportunity for open discussion, questions and problem solving activities.

    Tutorials aim to develop and support the material covered in the lectures as well as provide a forum for acquiring skills and knowledge necessary to complete the assessment tasks. The tutorials take the form of class discussions, demonstrations and problems-solving activities. 

    Practicals aim to apply the knowledge covered in the lectures to address real life issues related to food, nutrition and health. 

    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    A student enrolled in a 3 unit course, such as this, should expect to spend, on average 12 hours per week on the studies required. This includes both the formal contact time required to the course (e.g., lectures and practicals), as well as non-contact time (e.g., reading and revision).

    Learning Activities Summary
    Lecture Topics Include:
    • What is in food 
    • Nutrient Reference Values & Healthy Eating Guidelines 
    • Functions of principal nutrients and functional foods 
    • Introduction to nutrition research 
    Practicals include: 
    • Five food groups and diet quality 
    • Macronutrients 
    • Micronutrients 
    Tutorials include:
    • Report writing, avoiding plagiarism and using Turnitin to improve writing 
    • Assessments, feedback and exam revision 
    • Group activities on What's in Food, micro- & macro-nutrients, nutrient calculation and food labelling.


  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment taskType of assessmentPercentage of total assessment for grading purposesHurdle (Yes/No)Outcome being assessedApproximate Timing of Assessment
    Online Test Summative & Formative 20%
    No
    1-5 Week 3, 8, 10, 12
    Assessment of diet quality Summative & Formative 15% No 1-5 mid-semester break
    Written Assignment Summative & Formative 25% No 3-5 Week 11
    Exam Summative 40% No 1-5 Exam period
    Assessment Related Requirements

    Minimum requirements for passing Nutrition I

    To pass, students must gain an overall mark of at least 50%. Students are required to submit each assessment task.

    Failure to meet the above minimum requirements for the course may result in a student failing the course or being offered an additional assessment task(s).

    Assessment Detail

    ONLINE TESTS (20%)

    The online tests examining students’ knowledge and understanding of fundamental concepts in food and nutrition covered in the lectures and tutorials. The tests will consist of a mixture of multiple choice, matching, True/False and short answer questions and will take approximately 30 –60 minutes to complete.


    ASSESSMENT OF DIET QUALITY (15%)

    Students will be required to keep a record of their dietary intake for three days. Students will be required to complete this part outside of the practical session. Students will be required to assess the nutritional quality of their diet based on the Healthy Eating Guidelines. Students will be required to complete a report on their assessment of the diet and to suggest appropriate modifications to the diet that will lead to improve long term health.  This assessment examines student’s ability to analyse and interpret data, their understanding of the knowledge covered in lectures as well as their ability to apply the knowledge in practice. 

    WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT (25%)

    As a nutrition consultant for a health magazine, students will be required to prepare a summary report ( ~2,000 words) on a topical issue in food and nutrition, which is based on scientific evidence and recommendations from government bodies. This assessment examines students’ knowledge of nutrition, their ability to evaluate and synthesize nutrition information and their skills in effective communication.

    EXAM (40%)

    The final exam will examine all components of the course. It will consist of short and long answer questions. 

    Submission

    Online Test
    This task must be submitted online via the course website on MyUni.  

    Group Tasks
    This must be submitted in hard copy form to the demonstrator at the end of the each practical session.

    Written Assignment
    This must be submitted to TURNITIN via the course website.

    Practical Report
    This must be submitted online via the course website on MyUni.

    Assessment Cover-Sheet

    An assessment cover-sheet must be completed and signed with all hard copies of assignments that are submitted. Assignments will not be accepted without a completed assessment cover sheet.

    The assessment cover sheet is available electronically on MyUni.

    Student Feedback on Assignments/work

    Feedback on assignments/work will be within four weeks of the due date.

    Feedback for each assessment task will be provided in the form of a completed assessment rubric – with the exception of the exam.

    Late submission of assessments

    If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply. A penalty of 10% of the value of the assignment for each calendar day that the assignment is late (i.e. weekends count as 2 days), up to a maximum of 50% of the available marks will be applied. This means that an assignment that is 5 days late or more without an approved extension can only receive a maximum of 50% of the marks available for that assignment. 

    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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