BIOL 1430
NUTRITION
3 Credit Hours

Course Information

Course Description:

A study of nutrients and their relationship to human growth, development, and maintenance.  Special emphasis is given to the role of foods and the nutrients they contain, with regard to the physiological, psychological, and sociological well-being of the individual.  Practical analysis of food records and application of nutritional knowledge will be included.

Course Objectives:

Instruction will focus on information, computations, and planning skills basic to nutrition, as well as the physiological, psychological, and sociological ramifications of nutrition on the well-being of the individual and society.   The student will be able to 

  1. Demonstrate a working knowledge of the scientific basis of human nutrition as it relates to cellular physiology and body system function. 

  2. Demonstrate a knowledge of the twentieth-century nutritional problems humans contend with and the bases for wise food choices. 

  3. Demonstrate knowledge of the six basic nutrients and apply that knowledge to the analysis and planning of adequate and balanced diets.

  4. Demonstrate knowledge of recommended nutrient intakes.   

  5. Demonstrate knowledge of specific maladies and/or symptoms as related to general and specific nutrient deficiencies and excesses.   

  6. Evaluate foods regarding their nutrient contents.   

  7. Demonstrate ability to recognize the impact of nutrition on the total physical, mental, and social development of the individual throughout the life cycle. 

  8. Demonstrate ability to recognize the relationships among cultural, social, and economic conditions as related to the nutritional status of a given individual or population.   

  9. Demonstrate awareness of the information gap that exists between nutritional science and its effective applications to food behavior within the influence of society and culture.   

  10. Demonstrate awareness of reliable and non-reliable sources of information on nutrition. 

  11. Demonstrate awareness of the relationships among fitness, nutrition, and health.   

Prerequisites and Corequisites:

Prerequisite:  DSPW 0800, DSPR 0800 The textbooks and other materials routinely required in this course are written at college level, hence students' reading and writing skills need to be at the college level. 

Corequisite:  DSPM 0800  Students should be comfortable working with decimals, fractions, and percents.  These math concepts are routinely used in this course as students develop their data and make comparisons to standards and/or recommendations.

Course Topics:
Each chapter lays the ground work for the next chapter. Students are encouraged to start with the first chapter's information and activities before proceeding to the next chapter.  Assignments and tests will be arranged in the following sequence.

Listed below is a systematic and orderly list of activities and/or events that will comprise the total allotted time for the course.  Supplemental learning activities will be provided within each of the chapters. 

DATE:     CLASS ACTIVITY: 

Week 1    Syllabus, Introduction to course objectives, procedures, and course materials

                  Ch. 1 – Food Choices & Human Health & Controversy 1: Sorting the Impostors From Real Nutrition Experts 

Week 2     Continuing Ch. 1 – Food Choices & Human Health

                  Ch. 2 – Nutrition Standards and Guidelines & Cont. 2 Phytochemicals & Functional Foods

Week 3    Continuing  Ch. 2 – Nutrition Standards and Guidelines & Cont. 2 Phytochemicals & Functional Foods

                  Ch. 3 – The Remarkable Body & Controversy  3 Alcohol and Nutrition

Week 4    Continuing   Ch. 3 – The Remarkable Body & Controversy  3 Alcohol and Nutrition

Week 5     Test 1 (Chapters 1-3 and their Controversies)

                  Ch. 4 – The Carbohydrates & Controversy  4 Sugar and Alternative Sweeteners

Week 6    Continuing  Ch. 4 – The Carbohydrates & Controversy 4 Sugar and Alternative Sweeteners

Week 7    Test 2 Chapter 4 (Carbohydrates and its controversy)

                  Ch. 5 – The Lipids & Controversy  5 The Mediterranean Diet

Week 8    Continuing  Ch. 5 – The Lipids & Controversy  5 The Mediterranean Diet

Week 9    Ch. 6 – Proteins and Amino Acids & Controversy 6 Vegetarians versus Meat Eaters

Week 10   Continuing  Ch. 6 – Proteins and Amino Acids & Controversy  6 Vegetarians versus Meat Eaters

                  Test 3 (Chapters 5 & 6 – Lipids & Protein and their Controversies)

Week 11   Ch. 7 Vitamins & Controversy  7 Dietary Antioxidants

Week 12   Continuing  Ch. 7 Vitamins & Controversy  7 Dietary Antioxidants

                  Ch. 8 – Water and Minerals & Controversy  8 Osteoporosis and Calcium

Week 13   Continuing  Ch. 8 – Water and Minerals & Controversy  8 Osteoporosis and Calcium

Week 14   Test 4 (Chapters 7 & 8 – Vitamins/Minerals and their Controversies)

Special Topics in Nutrition

Week 15   Continuing  Special Topics in Nutrition

Exam Week   Proctored Comprehensive Final Exam 

**This schedule is subject to change in order to benefit students.
Specific Course Requirements:
General computer skills and ability to use WebCT
Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements
Required Textbooks:
Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course:
http://rodp.bkstr.com
Supplementary Materials:
Students are encouraged to have a non-programmable calculator.
Hardware Requirements:
The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. No other specific hardware requirements are necessary for this course.
Software Requirements:
The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.tn.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm.  No other specific software requirements are necessary for this course. 
Instructor Information
Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours and other communication information.
Assessment and Grading
Testing Procedures:
Semester tests/quizzes will be offered as online tests/quizzes which will be available at specific times throughout the semester.  The student will need to have a site in place for their proctored final exam. 
Grading Procedure:
Semester tests/quizzes = approximately two thirds of the student's grade Assignments, projects and participation = approximately four percent of the student's grade Final comprehensive examination = approximately one third of the student's grade   In order for the student to pass this course, the student must achieve a minimum of 70% of the total number of points included on the final comprehensive examination. If the 70% of total test points on the final comprehensive examination is not achieved, no other course work will contribute toward the student's final course grade.   High achievement in the course is reflected by the student who earns 90% or better of all points possible on the final comprehensive examination as well as 90% of all other point opportunities within this course.     
Grading Scale:
90 - 100+ ----A
80 - 89 --------B
70 - 79 --------C 65 - 69 --------D 64 & below---F
  Note:  In order for the student to pass this course, the student must achieve a minimum of 70% of the total number of points included on the final comprehensive examination. If the 70% of total test points on the final comprehensive examination is not achieved, no other course work will contribute toward the student's final course grade.
Assignments and Participation
Assignments and Projects:
A sequenced list of assignments and projects arranged by course section or module with due dates will be provided with each topic covered.
Class Participation:
Students are expected to participate in all interactive aspects of the course in a timely manner. For example, students are expected to check all e-mails and discussion board postings in a timely manner and must communicate with other students and the instructor by using the discussion board and e-mail.  Students are expected to communicate with the instructor as a learning resource.  Students must check the course bulletin board and their e-mail frequently for course announcements. Students must actively participate in threaded discussion events.
Punctuality:
Deadlines within this nutrition course for assignment submission, quizzes/tests, and the final comprehensive examination are the course milestones which are designed to keep all students on track in this asynchronous environment. Assignments may always be submitted early.  In order to provide students flexibility in the times when they must submit assignments and/or take quizzes, tests, and the final exam, each quiz/semester test will be available online for a minimum time period of seven days and the final exam will be online for six days. The student may always take the quiz, test or exam on the first day it is offered or at any point during the days which the evaluation tool is available. The student must make arrangements at least 24 hours in advance for a proctored test site in order to have access to a nutrition online comprehensive final examination.
Course Ground Rules
As with all courses there are certain rules and course expectations of the teacher and the students.    You are expected to do your own work.  Your participation is required.  You are expected to communicate with other students in team projects/activities as well as with the teacher when you discover interesting ideas/information and/or problems.  I will expect you to learn how to navigate in WebCT and stay abreast of course announcements which will be sent via e-mails and/or posted to the discussion board.  I also expect you to use the assigned college WebCT e-mail address as opposed to any personal e-mail addresses.  Having enrolled into an online course, it is especially important for you to address any technical problems you are having with your hardware and/or software immediately.  Please observe course netiquette at all times.    Monday through Friday, you can expect to receive replies from me within twenty-four hours.   I will attempt to explain terms, concepts, tools, etc. used within the course as clearly as I can to assist you with this material.  I will strive to make this course applicable to everyday life activities so that you can make good nutritional choices for yourself, your family, and possibly others that you may care for.  A number of the activities used with the nutrition concepts within this course will help you develop critical thinking skills.  I will give you fair and reasonable feedback on your submitted work.  I will make every effort to grade and post scores and  grades in a timely manner. 
Guidelines for Communications
Email:
  • Always include a subject line.
  • Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.
  • Use standard fonts.
  • Do not send large attachments without permission.
  • Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.
  • Respect the privacy of other class members
Discussion Groups:
  • Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a 'lurker' first then a 'discussant'.
  • Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.
  • Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other’s ideas.
  • Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.
  • Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.
  • Be positive and constructive in group discussions.
  • Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.
Chat:
  • Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.
  • Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.
  • Be concise in responding to others in the chat session.
  • Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.
  • Be constructive in your comments and suggestion
Web Resources:

Library

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses. 

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes

Although this WebCT version of the course syllabus is considered the official course syllabus, the instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course discussion board.

Technical Support

Telephone Support:
  If you are having problems logging into your course, timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other technical problems, please contact the AskRODP Help Desk by calling

1-866-550-7637 (toll free)

or go to the AskRODP website at:

http://help.rodp.org