San Diego State University
NUTR313: Contemporary Nutrition
Course Description
Welcome to NUTR313 ‘Contemporary Nutrition.’ This is a three-unit, online class that provides an introduction to nutrition
and food science disciplines. The purpose of this course is to foster an intellectually curious student that is capable of
continued learning in the nutritional sciences.
Contemporary Nutrition fulfills 3 of your 9 required units for GE Explorations, and builds upon the goals and skills of your
GE Foundation courses. The course will provide students with an awareness and natural science foundation to
understand diet and nutrition issues from individual and global perspectives, and help students learn to accomplish the
following with greater depth:
•
•
•
•
Explain basic concepts and theories of the natural sciences
Use logic and scientific methods to analyze the natural world and solve problems
Argue from multiple perspectives about issues in natural science with personal and global relevance
Use technology in laboratory and field situations to connect concepts and theories with real-world phenomenon.
NUTR 313 is an online course. Lecture material, readings, activities, assignments and exams are submitted via the course
Blackboard Learn site. There are no on campus requirements for this class.
Course Prerequisites
Completion of a General Education requirement in Foundations of Learning II.A, Natural Sciences, and Quantitative
Reasoning and upper division standing.
Instructor Contact
Graduate Assistants (GA)
Kelly Lane
Office Hour: Tuesdays 9-10 a.m.
Office: ENS 318
klane@mail.sdsu.edu
Tricia Benedict*
Office Hour: Thurs. 11-12 p.m.
Office: ENS 359
tmbenedict@hotmail.com
Alison Meagher#
Office Hour: Monday 1-2 p.m.
Office: ENS 359
alisonmeagher@yahoo.com
After you have reviewed the course syllabus and schedule, and the FAQs in Blackboard, if you still have inquiries, please
email the primary GA*. Do not reply to mass emails from Blackboard; instead, compose a new email, include NUTR313 in
the subject line, as well as your first and last name as it appears in Blackboard along with your RED ID.
Required Course Materials
th
Contemporary Nutrition 9 edition by Gordon M. Wardlaw and Anne M. Smith packaged with Nutricalc Plus 3.2 Access
Code. Purchasing details are provided in Blackboard.
Course Objectives
This course will:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Provide a conceptual platform for continued learning.
Systematically explain each nutrient’s dietary source and structure, processing and bodily function.
Translate research-based dietary practices into simple recommendations for performance, health and life stages.
Introduce the technical disciplines that effect food systems.
Course Format
This course consists of 4 distinct parts that are designed to meet the four objectives written above. Lecture videos,
directed readings, and interactive activites are among the instructional modalies that are used to address each topic.
Student learning outcomes are assessed by a non-cummulative exam that will commence each part. See Course
Schedule for scheduled exam dates and times.
Course Schedule
The course scheudle is a pace guide that outlines requirements and deadlines. These are the column headings:
WEEK
TOPIC
READ
KRA
KEA
(Lectures)
(Smart Text)
(Knowledge
Reinforcement Activities)
(Knowledge
Extension Activities)
Delivered at a rate
of one per week.
Smart Text reading
content and adaptive
quiz questions will
appear on exams.
Required activities for
practice and
reinforcement.
Optional activities for
an extended
understanding.
Will not appear on
exams.
Will not appear on
exams.
LEARNING
OUTCOMES
PART I-IV
This course
requires
approximately
5-6 hours/wk
PPT and video
lecture file
materials will be
on exams.
Exam study
guide.
Am I able to…?
Assessments & Grading
GRADE CENTER TITLE
POINTS
PI Exam
100
PII Exam
100
PIII Exam
100
PIV Exam
100
EXAMS
There are 4 non-cumulative exams in this course. Each exam contains 50
multiple-choice and true false questions that will measure your understanding of
lectures and readings. You have one 70-minute attempt to complete each exam.
The exams will be completed via Blackboard. Please see the course schedule for
exam dates/times frames. No late exams will be accepted and no makeup exams
will be given without documentation of extraordinary circumstances.
EXAM SUBTOTAL
KRAs
400
Q: Syllabus**
DB: Supermarket Explosion
IS: Claims on Blast
IS: Trendy Food Packaging
Q: NFP Calculations - CHO
Q: NFP Calculations - FAT
Q: NFP Calculations - PRO
Q: Nutricalc – Energy Balance
Q: Nutricalc – Sports Nutrition
Q: Nutricalc – Pregnancy
IS: Advances in Food Biotech
DB: GRAS Ingredients
Pick and Choose – 100 points MAX
Quizzes (Q) ** all must do the syllabus quiz
Discussion Board Forum (DB)
Interactive Session (IS)
KRAs are available anytime throughout the part in progress.
Interactive sessions are live and scheduled.
Email any questions related to the KRAs to secondary GA#.
KRA SUBTOTAL
WRITTEN PROJECT
10
5
10
10
15
12
9
20
20
20
10
5
100
Diet Analysis
50
Students will perform an investigation on their own dietary intake. Practice
includes using peer-reviewed nutrition literature to discuss health outcomes,
measuring dietary intake using Nutricalc+, and determining dietary changes
necessary. Written work will be submitted and graded via Turnitin in Blackboard.
LATE projects may be submitted up to two days late for a 20% deduction.
TOTAL
550
Letter grades will be determined using a cutoff point scale. NO ROUNDING UP
Academic Integrity
Please review the University’s Student’s Rights and Responsibilities policy statement regarding cheating and plagiarism
available at: http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/cheating-plagiarism.html.
Students with Documented Learning Disabilities
The assignments and exams in this course are given online via Blackboard and are timed. For students who have
documented learning disabilities and who are authorized for additional time on tests and quizzes, please have your
Counselor for Students with Disabilities submit your signed verification letter by email at least one week prior to the
scheduled exam. Students without verification letters will not be granted additional time.
2