Syllabus for BIO-208-OL
THE SCIENCE OF NUTRITION
Description | Objectives | Materials | Structure | Assessment | Grading | Strategies
The Science of Nutrition is designed for two audiences: (1) majors in health sciences, allied health, and nutrition-dietetics who require an introduction to a nutrition course as part of their degree requirement and (2) nonmajors who want to apply nutritional requirements to their lives and the lives of their families.
The primary goal of this introductory nutrition course is to increase your knowledge and understanding of nutrition and how it plays a crucial role in aspects of your existence. With nutritional knowledge that is accurate and scientifically based, you can become critical thinkers and develop problem-solving skills that can help you live a healthier, successful life.
Through studying the textbook, course guide, and video programs, you should be able to:
You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbooks and software are available from the College's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.
Required Textbook and Course Guide
The Science of Nutrition is a three-credit online course consisting of ten modules and two proctored online examinations: a midterm and a final.
Each module consists of study materials and assignments. Study materials include lessons in the course guide and their associated video programs, together with textbook reading and self-tests. Assignments include discussion forums (Internet activities and online discussions) and written assignments. A unique feature of this nutrition course is the required project incorporated into the last assignment and outlined at the back of the Student Course Guide.
For the course's study materials and assignments, click the associated modules. Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments and a Diet Analysis Project, and take a proctored midterm and a proctored final examination. See below for more details.
Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.
Online Discussion Forums
The Science of Nutrition has five (5) graded Internet activities and online discussions worth 10 percent of your course grade. We start out, however, with an ungraded but required discussion in module 1 titled "Introductions." All class discussions take place on the class Discussion Board.
Communication among fellow students and with the mentor is a critical component of online learning. Participation in online discussions involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a posted question (discussion thread) and subsequent comments on classmates' responses. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Therefore, when you agree or disagree with a classmate, the reading, or your mentor, state and support your agreement or disagreement. You will be evaluated on the quality and quantity of your participation. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.
Deadlines for posting discussion threads on the class Discussion Board are given in the course Calendar.
Click the link below for an evaluation rubric that will aid in the grading of online discussion forums.
For posting guidelines and additional help with discussion board assignments, please see the Student Handbook located within the General Information area of the course Web site.
Written Assignments
The nine (9) written assignments in the course are worth 30 percent of your course grade. They are built around associated lessons in the course guide. Written assignments generally consist of two essay questions; Written Assignment 9 has four essays. The questions come from Practice Test essay questions in the course guide and from chapter study questions in the textbook. They may deal with text material or information from the course guide.
Your answers to assignment questions should be well developed and should show evidence of thought, organization, effective writing, and of course responsiveness to the questions! Please make sure you edit and proofread your work before submitting it. Gross errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation distract from what you are writing and compromise the credibility of your work.
Click the link below for an evaluation rubric that will aid in the grading of written assignments.
Go to the Submit Assignments area of the course Web site to submit all written assignments.
For additional help regarding preparing and submitting assignments, see the Student Handbook located within the General Information area of the course Web site.
Diet Analysis Project
A unique feature of this nutrition course is the required Diet Analysis Project incorporated into the final assignment and due at the end of the semester. You will also submit a brief outline of the project as a required but ungraded preliminary exercise early in the semester. Consult the course Calendar for due dates.
The project, which is worth 10 percent of your course grade, enables you to apply what you have learned in the course while you complete it. It incorporates both the "Diet Analysis Project" section of the course guide and the Diet Analysis Plus software. For an outline of the project, see the back of the course guide.
Go to the Submit Assignments area of the course Web site to submit the Diet Analysis Project.
For additional help regarding preparing and submitting assignments, see the Student Handbook located within the General Information area of the course Web site.
Examinations
You are required to take two (2) proctored examinations, a midterm and a final. Consult the course Calendar for the official dates of your midterm and final exam weeks.
Both exams require that you use the College's Online Proctor Service (OPS). Please refer to the "Examinations and Proctors" section of the Online Student Handbook (see General Information area of the course Web site) for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures. Online exams are administered in the Tests & Quizzes area of the course Web site.
Midterm Examination
The midterm exam is a closed-book exam. It is two hours long and covers lessons 1–13 of the telecourse guide and the associated video programs and textbook reading. The exam consists of multiple-choice questions (part 1) and a choice of essay questions (part 2). To prepare for the exam, review all Practice Test questions and assignment essays.
Final Examination
The final exam is a closed-book exam. It is two hours long and covers lessons 14–26 of the telecourse guide and the associated video programs and textbook reading. The Diet Analysis Project is also covered. The exam consists of multiple-choice questions and a choice of essay questions. To prepare for the exam, review all Practice Test questions and assignment essays.
Statement about Cheating
You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:
- Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find the answer.
- Copying and pasting or in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your online test. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.
- Plagiarizing answers.
- Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take the exam.
- Copying any part of the exam to share with other students.
- Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at the exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.
If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
All assignments will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:
| A | = | 93-100 |
| A- | = | 90-92 |
| B+ | = | 88-89 |
| B | = | 83-87 |
| B- | = | 80-82 |
| C+ | = | 78-79 |
| C | = | 73-77 |
| C- | = | 70-72 |
| D | = | 60-69 |
| F | = | Below 60 |
First Steps to Success
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Study Tips
Consider the following study tips for success: