CLASS GRADING
Course Title and Number:
Text:
Number of Credit Hours:
Semester:
Class Time:
Room:
Instructor:
Office Hours:
HU Nutrition -- 160-01
CRN # 84002 (Fall) -- 14249 (Spring)
Understanding Nutrition (Whitney and Rolfes; any edition is suitable)
Class notes from text for exams: http://www.DLEngeljohn.com/index.html
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Spring 2015
MW 6:10–7:30 pm
Room 143 to the right upon entrance to Annex 1, Allied Health Science Building
Professor Daniel Engeljohn, PhD
By appointment if other than class time:
E-mail – daniel.engeljohn@howard.edu (please put “HU Nutrition” in subject line);
Preferred mode of contacting Dr. Engeljohn and for communicating needs/concerns
Text message to cell – (202) 355-4648
EXAMS, REPORTS, AND GRADING SYSTEM
 Exams and Extra Points
o Multiple choice with only one best answer
o For exams 1 through 4, at least 70% of the questions come from the practice exams. For the final exam, all the
questions come from the practice exams except for 4 questions, which come from the 2 reports (1 question from
each of the assigned articles)
o Exams are not given back to students but graded exams can be made available for review by students during class
if prior arrangements are made
o Students pre-scheduling and taking an exam prior to the assigned day will earn 7 extra points
o Exams completed after the assigned day will have 7 late points deducted; students with a conflict for the assigned
exam day must pre-notify and provide adequate evidence to support the conflict in order to not receive late points
o For the final, students will earn 12 extra points if completed prior midnight of the last day of regular class; also,
students can earn 7 extra points if completed after the last day of regular class but prior to the assigned day
o Any exam not completed by midnight of the assigned day of the final will be scored as a “0”
 Reports and Extra Points
o Reports must be submitted via email in Word or Rich Text format
o Topics are pre-assigned; students will receive a deduction of 20 points if a different topic is selected
o Students submitting a report prior to the assigned day (i.e., by midnight the day before) will earn 7 extra points
o Reports submitted after the assigned day (i.e., after midnight) will have 7 late points deducted; students with a
conflict and unable to timely submit the report must pre-notify and provide adequate evidence to support the
conflict in order to not receive late points
o Any report not submitted by midnight of the assigned day of the final will be scored as a “0”
o Reports will be scored as follows for length, grammar, references, and construction:

Length – Up to 30 points
 Text length of more than 3 but fewer than 5 full pages
 Proper format includes double spacing, a font size no larger than 12 point, margins no greater
than 1 inch, and an absence of pictures/graphs/tables
 The title and reference information do not count towards text length
 Grammar – Up to 20 points
 Use complete sentences
 Use proper grammar
 Check for correct punctuation and spelling
 References – Up to 20 points
 Although you must use at least 3 sources of scientific information, 2 of the sources must be the
pre-assigned scientific articles designated for each report (and available on the class webpage
and on Blackboard); the third source must derive from the American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, hard copies of which are available at the Health Science Library and on-line through
the library’s online resources
o Report 1A – Eating Disorders
 “Dieting and the development of eating disorders in obese women: Results of
a randomized controlled trial;” Thomas A Wadden, Gary D Foster, David B
Sarwer, Drew A Anderson, Madeline Gladis, Rebecca S Sanderson, RV
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

Letchak, Robert I Berkowitz, and Suzanne Phelan; Am J Clin Nutr 2004; 80:
560–568
o Report 1B – Eating Disorders
 “Body composition, eating disorder psychopathology, and psychological
distress in anorexia nervosa: A longitudinal study;” Marwan El Ghoch,
Chiara Milanese, Simona Calugi, Massimo Pellegrini, Nino Carlo Battistini,
and Riccardo Dalle Grave; Am J Clin Nutr 2014; 99: 771–778
o Report 2A – Genetics and International Nutrition
 “Genetic Hemoglobin Disorders Rather Than Iron Deficiency Are a Major
Predictor of Hemoglobin Concentration in Women of Reproductive Age in
Rural Prey Veng, Cambodia,” Crystal D Karakochuk, Kyly C Whitfield,
Susan I Barr, Yvonne Lamers, Angela M Devlin, Suzanne M Vercauteren,
Hou Kroeun, Aminuzzaman Talukder, Judy McLean, and Timothy J Green; J
Nutr 2015; 145: 134–142
o Report 2B – Genetics and International Nutrition
 “Genetic Variations in Magnesium-Related Ion Channels May Affect
Diabetes Risk among African American and Hispanic American Women;”
Kei Hang K Chan, Sara A Chacko, Yiqing Song, Michele Cho, Charles B
Eaton, Wen-Chih H Wu, and Simin Liu; J Nutr, March 2015 jn.114.203489;
first published online January 7, 2015.doi:10.3945/jn.114.203489
 Within the body of the report, when using a citation, cite only significant findings/statements
and include the first author’s last name and year of publication – e.g., “(Elder 2007)”
 In a reference section, include the title of the article, authors, and journal information
Construction – Up to 30 points
 In the text narrative, focus on describing at least one specific table/figure from each of the 2
pre-assigned articles
 Explicitly identify which table/figure is being described in your report
 Provide an overview of the selected table/figure
 Describe how the table/figure is relevant to the results of the research findings
 Include a comparison of the common themes and similarities/differences associated with the 2
pre-assigned articles
 Identify why the selected additional American Journal of Clinical Nutrition article is relevant to
the report
 Provide a summary conclusion of your understanding about what you learned from all the
source information
Grading System
o Generally, A = 89.5 and above; B = 79.5 – 89.4; C = 69.5 – 79.4; D = 49.5 – 69.4; F = 49.4 and below; I =
incomplete
o The final grade is calculated by adding your earned score (with any extra/late points already included), and
dividing the total by 7 (NOTE: There are 4 regular exams, 2 reports, and a final exam totaling 7 scored items)
o If caught cheating, your score may be reduced by up to 50% for the first event; a score of “0” will result if caught
cheating again
o Electronic devices are not to be used or displayed during exams
o All papers, purses, bags, accessories, and hand-held devices must be placed on the floor
o There will be no additional points or extra credit given beyond what already is explicitly described above (i.e., at
the end of the semester, if your final total score is close to what is needed for a higher grade, do not ask for or
expect to be given an opportunity to elevate your earned grade; hence, take advantage of the extra points already
provided)
CALCULATION FOR THE ATTAINING THE TOTAL SCORE AND FINAL GRADE
Exam 1
up to 100 regular points plus/minus 7 extra/late points
Exam 2
up to 100 regular points plus/minus 7 extra/late points
Exam 3
up to 100 regular points plus/minus 7 extra/late points
Exam 4
up to 100 regular points plus/minus 7 extra/late points
Report 1
up to 100 regular points plus/minus 7 extra/late points
Report 2
up to 100 regular points plus/minus 7 extra/late points
Final Exam
up to 104 regular points plus up to 12 extra points
Total: Up to 704 regular points and up to 54 extra points available, with a maximum of 758 points
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