BIOLOGY 1322 BASIC NUTRITION SYLLABUS 86001, 86353
3 hour lecture course / 48 hours per semester/ 16 weeks Fall 2015
Room 306 LHSB, Tuesday/Thursday 8:30 to 9:45 am or 10 to 11:15 am
Instructor Information
Name: Mary G. Puccini, MS, RD
Email: Use your Quickmail account within your Eagle Online (EO) course during semester.
You send me an email through the quickmail tool in EO course, but you will receive emails
only in your firstname.lastname@student.hccs.edu email account. You can reply to my
emails within your hccs.edu account.
After the semester ends use: mary.puccini@hccs.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays 11:30 to 1:30 PM and Thursdays 11:30 to 12:30 PM in room 401 in the
Learning Hub/Science Building. Knock on the door or call me at my Office Phone: 713-7182545. Make sure you let me know you are coming so I will be sure to be here.
Tutoring help: at the Learning Emporium on Central Campus: San Jacinto Building room 384 7
am - 6 pm M—TH and 8 am - 4 pm F Phone: 713-718-6356
I’ve been teaching at HCC since 1995 in face-to-face courses and since 2001 in online courses. I
have also taught at the University of Houston. I have enjoyed the previous traditional and online
classes and look forward to another interesting semester. I am always open to suggestions.
Course Objectives
This is not an online course; it is a web-enhanced course. That means that you will be using the
course website to access files you need to submit for credit and also to open resource files. If you
do not have a trustworthy computer or internet service at home, you can use the computer lab in
LHSB room 415 or any computers on HCC campuses or even the public library. You must log in
to course at: eo2.hccs.edu using your PeopleSoft username and password. If the password does
not work, then go through the steps to create a new one.
Course description: This course is designed to teach the fundamentals of nutrition covering the
sources and functions of the essential nutrients, the nutrient intake standards for healthy
populations, the evaluation of a healthy diet, and dietary applications to various disease
conditions. This course also fulfills the content needed for health sciences programs. Core
curriculum course.
Course Prerequisites: Prerequisites: Must be placed into college-level reading (or take
GUST0342 as a co-requisite) and be placed into college-level writing (or take ENGL 0310/0349
as a co-requisite). Although there is no MATH prerequisite, if you were placed into MATH 0312
and have not finished it, you will be at a disadvantage in this course.
Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Identify the functions of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water and be
able to develop a healthy well-balanced diet, using the principles of myplate.gov.
2. Use the information of food labels to calculate nutrient content and determine the quality of
food.
3.Understand the role of all the essential nutrients in disease prevention and promotion.
4. Identify tools used to determine physical fitness, body weight, and body fat as it relates to
chronic disease.
5.Demonstrate how nutrient needs change for pregnant women, infants, children, adults, and the
elderly.
6. Be able to use the scientific method to evaluate nutrition information.
7. Describe the safe handling, preparation, and storage of food.
Course Goal: Have associate degree candidates and health science majors understand the
interface between nutrition and health.
Core Curriculum Statement: This course fulfills the science requirement (no lab) for associate
degree majors and is also a pre-requisite for many 4-year degree nursing or allied health
degrees.
Policies:
HCC Official Withdrawal Policy:
An Instructor can no longer give a student a grade of W after the official drop date. The Texas
Legislature passed a law limiting first time entering freshmen to no more than SIX total course
withdrawals throughout their educational career in obtaining a certificate and/or degree. Your
grade is your responsibility. If you decide to withdraw from a class upon careful review of other
options, you can withdraw online prior to the deadline through your HCC PeopleSoft account. If
you stop coming to class, but do not withdraw yourself, you will receive the grade you would
have earned. Zeros averaged in for required coursework not submitted will lower your semester
average significantly, most likely resulting in a failing grade of an F. An I or incomplete is
assigned to students who have finished all requirements of the course except for one project or
one exam. An I is given to those who encounter extraordinary circumstances that prevent them
from completing the course. Documentation of this extraordinary circumstance is required and
will be considered by me and also my department chair in deciding whether to allow a student to
make up the missing work. HCCS policy for faculty states that the instructor may
administratively drop any student missing 12.5% of class time. Missing six (6) classes for
sections that meet twice a week is equivalent to 12.5% or more of class time. There is a new
grade of FX for those who attend only a few weeks of class. April 5 is the last day to withdraw
from this course.
HCC has instituted an Early Alert process by which I use to “alert” you and HCC counselors if
you failed the first exam or if you have excessive absences.
Discrimination: Students should be aware that discrimination and/or other harassment based on
race, sex, gender identity and gender expression, national origin, religion, age, disability, sexual
orientation, color or veteran status is prohibited by HCC Policy G.1 Discrimination and
Harassment and D.1.1 Equal Educational Opportunities. Any student who feels they have been
discriminated against or harassed on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, gender expression,
national origin, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, color or veteran status including
sexual harassment, has the opportunity to seek informal or formal resolution of the matter.
Students who are pregnant and require accommodations should contact any of the ADA
Counselors for assistance. All complaints/concerns should be directed to the Office of
Institutional Equity, 713 718-8271 or oie@hccs.edu. Additional information may be obtained
online. Visit http://www.hccs.edu/district/departments/institutionalequity/
Complaints involving sexual misconduct to include but not limited to: sexual assault, stalking,
dating violence, sexual harassment or domestic violence should be directed to the HCC Title IX
Coordinator, Renée Mack at 713 718-8272 or renee.mack@hccs.edu.
COURSE REPEATERS: Students who repeat a course for a third time or more will be charged
a tuition/fee increase of $50/credit hour at HCCS and other Texas public colleges and
universities. Please contact your counselor or me before withdrawing or if you are not receiving
passing grades.
STUDENT WORK/ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Students are responsible for conducting
themselves with honor and integrity in fulfilling course requirements. Disciplinary proceedings
may be initiated by the college system against a student accused of scholastic dishonesty.
Penalties can include a grade of “0” or “F” on the assignment, failure in the course, academic
probation or even dismissal from the college. See Student Handbook for further details. All
answers to the project will be original, not copied from the internet. You will find a tutorial on
plagiarism on the course homepage.
SYLLABUS MODIFICATION: I will make every effort to adhere to the requirements in this
syllabus during the semester. I reserve the right to make any necessary changes.
MATERIALS: There is no required text for this course. If you would feel more comfortable
referring to a text, you can use: Nutrition Your Life Science, by Turley and Thompson, 1st or 2nd
edition, Cengage Publisher. HCC has received a special price for this book if purchased in looseleaf format from HCC bookstores. Textbook information and link to bookstore is
hccs.bkstore.com
Simple Calculator: BUY one now and bring it to every class and especially to the exams. You
cannot use your cell phone, iPad, laptop, etc. as a calculator during exams.
Scantrons: buy several packets and keep them in your backpack. You will need them for the inclass pop quizzes and for the exams.
GRADE BREAKDOWN:
Nutrition Evaluation Project: 10%
Team Project: 10 %
In class participation: 5 % I will take into account the following factors: attendance,
punctuality, classroom discussion, time on task and appropriate use of electronic devices, short
presentations and office visit
Pop quizzes: 10 %
3 Unit exams: 50 %
Final Exam during final exam week: 15%
Extra credit: Up to 5% Go to the “Getting started” topic of the course for the link and
instructions about extra credit.
Exams: You will have three unit exams. Exam 1 covers Modules 1 and 2. Exam 2 covers
Module 3; Exam 3 covers Modules 4 and 5. Module 6 and 7 content will appear only on the
comprehensive final. Make sure you come on time for the unit exams and bring your calculator
and a scantron with you. The exams will be multiple-choice and essay. If you miss an exam, that
exam will be your lowest grade and therefore your dropped exam. There will be no make-up
exams.
FINAL EXAM: The most important exam is the final exam. It is comprehensive and closed
book and accounts for 15% of your grade. It will cover all modules 1 through 7. I will give you
advice on how to prepare for it. You will take it during final exam week. Check the course
schedule for date and time.
PROJECTS: There are two projects. The individual project is called The Nutrition Evaluation
Project. We will go through it together in class. You will turn it in using the assignment dropbox.
Video instructions are online. If you do not upload a complete answer sheet file to the dropbox,
you may receive a grade of “0”. You can only upload one file. The second project is a team
project. Instructions are online. I will review the requirements for the project in class and will
help you form your teams and come up with topics. You will present it in class toward the end of
the semester. You will also provide a one page summary of the project and submit it in the team
project assignment drop box. Only the group leader will submit this one page summary. Both
projects have due dates; see syllabus. If you do not want to participate in a team project, you will
forfeit 10% of your grade.
HOW TO NAVIGATE THIS COURSE:
The main resource for this course is your EO2 website. Go to the Module assigned and start
from the top of the topic page and work down. The course schedule for January 26 reads:
Module 1.2 Carbohydrates. This means before January 26 you read the online notes of
Module 1.2, watch the videos “Where Trees get their matter” and print out and complete
the POGIL on Carbohydrates. The in-class quiz material will come from these sources.
Once you have finished all the sections within a Module, answer the review questions. You
will not be turning in any review sheets or worksheets, but I will check to see if the POGILs,
Concept maps and Vitamin/Mineral charts are finished in order to give you a completion
grade which I use to determine your class participation grade.
Electronic Devices: Bring them all, but use them wisely. You can use your iPhones and
Androids, laptops (HCC has wireless access), and iPads in class to access the online notes.
BUT, you must use these devices responsibly. If you do not, your class participation grade will
suffer and I will ask you to put away your devices for the class period. There is nothing more
discouraging to your classmates than to see others socializing while they are working. All cell
phones and iPads need to be turned OFF during exams.
Classroom Etiquette
You may not take calls during class. If you exit the room to take a call, I will ask you to leave
class for the day. If you are surfing the internet or answering emails or texts during class time
you have the choice of surrendering your phone or leaving the class for that day. There is no
eating or drinking, except water in a clear water bottle, during class.
FINAL WORDS: Spend some time getting to know the Eagle Online course website. Again,
this is not an online course, but we will be using the website heavily, especially to turn in
assignments and projects. Click this link: de.hccs.edu/technical-support/ and view the videos
and pdf files to understand how to use the various tools with EO. If you do not have a good
computer or reliable internet access at home, use the open computer labs at any HCC campus.
Room 415 in the LHSB is reserved for science students at Central. That’s you! You can also use
the labs in the library or other open labs.
Course Calendar
Below is the list of topics for each day of the term. Go to your EO2 class homepage to open
online module notes, view videos and animations and print out weekly homework assignments.
January 19: Orientation
January 21: Module 1.1
January 26: Module 1.2 Carbohydrates
January 28: Module 1.3 Protein
February 2: Module 1.4 Fats
February 4: Module 1.5 Vitamins, Minerals, Water
February 9: Module 2.1 Food Labels and Module 2.2 Dietary Reference Intakes
February 11: Module 2.3 Myplate
February 16: EXAM I over Modules 1 and 2 in class. Bring your calculator and scantron.
February 18: Team Projects. Prepare by reading the online file
February 23: Module 3.1 The Gastrointestinal System and Module 3.2 Protein
February 25: Module 3.3 Photosynthesis and fiber and Module 3.4 Carbohydrate storage and
disorders
March 1: Module 3.5 Lipid and Heart Disease and cancer
March 3: Module 4.1 Obesity and Module 4.2 Energy
March 8: EXAM 2 over Modules 3.1 to 3.5 in class. Bring your calculator and scantron.
March 10: Module 4.3 Body Composition and weight control and Work on Nutrition Evaluation
Project in class—bring print out
March 13-19: Spring Break
March 22: Module 4.4 Principles of Fitness
March 24: Module 4.5 Exercise Nutrition
March 29: Module 5.1 Fat-soluble Vitamins
March 31: Module 5.2 Water-soluble vitamins
April 5 4:30 pm: Last day to withdraw from course—Go to your PeopleSoft account if you
wish to withdraw
April 5: Module 5.3 Water and electrolytes and Module 5.4 Major Minerals in bone
Nutrition Evaluation Project Due in online dropbox by 11:55 PM
April 7: Module 5.5 Trace minerals
April 12: EXAM 3 over Modules 4 and 5. Bring a calculator to class and scantron.
April 14: Module 6 Food Safety
April 16 (Saturday): Extra Credit due in my office or as a scanned file attached to an email. See
file online for details.
April 19: Team Project Presentations and Summary page due in Assignment Dropbox
April 21: Module 7.1 Module and 7.2 Nutrition During Infancy
April 26: Module 7.3 Childhood
April 28: Module 7.4 Adolescence
May 3: Module 7.5 Seniors
May 5: Review for final exam (Pay to play—bring in the 5 MC questions assigned to you)
Mary 12: Final Exam in person at 8:00 AM for 8:30 class and 10 AM for 10 AM class