Students

ESPS3003 – Optimal Human Nutrition

2024 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Sophie Osborne
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
120cp including (ESPS1001 and ESPS2003)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

An evidence-based approach to the fundamental concepts of food, nutrition and diet, and their relationship to nutritional status and health, is central to practice in nutrition and exercise science fields. In this unit, you will gain foundational knowledge of key nutrients for human health in terms of their function, dietary sources and different nutritional requirements at various life stages. You will explore the factors that influence dietary behaviours and habits and their relationship to chronic diseases. You will develop skills in applying dietary assessment measures for measuring and analysing dietary intake. You will learn on how to apply principals of healthy eating using current Australian guidelines and critically analyse evidence on current nutritional supplements and diets for exercise performance in order to be able to provide evidence-based nutritional advice to your clients.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Identify the key nutrients essential for human health, their role, requirements, and dietary sources and analyse the factors impacting dietary intake and behaviour. (SCIENTIST AND SCHOLAR )
  • ULO2: Apply appropriate dietary assessment measures for measuring and analysing dietary intake, body composition, nutrient content, and calculation of energy balance. (SCIENTIST AND SCHOLAR )
  • ULO3: Identify and apply current Australian guidelines to provide appropriate advice on nutrition, including strategies to improve exercise performance, recovery and body composition. (EXERCISE SCIENCE PRACTITIONER )
  • ULO4: Describe the role of diet to human health and development of diet-related chronic conditions and critically analyse interventions aiming to address them. (PROFESSIONAL)
  • ULO5: Critically evaluate the evidence for the efficacy of common and emerging nutritional supplements and diets for exercise performance. (EXERCISE SCIENCE PRACTITIONER )

General Assessment Information

Grade descriptors and other information concerning grading are contained in the Macquarie University Assessment Policy. 

All final grades are determined by a grading committee, in accordance with the Macquarie University Assessment Policy, and are not the sole responsibility of the Unit Convenor. 

Students will be awarded a final grade and a mark which must correspond to the grade descriptors specified in the Assessment Procedure (clause 128). 

To pass this unit, you must demonstrate sufficient evidence of achievement of the learning outcomes, meet any ungraded requirements, must make a serious attempt at all assessments tasks and achieve a final mark of 50 or better. 

Further details for each assessment task will be available on iLearn. 

Late Submissions 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (OF THE TOTAL POSSIBLE MARK) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.   

 For example: 

Number of days (hours) late 

Total Possible Marks 

Deduction 

Raw mark 

Final mark 

1 day (1-24 hours) 

100 

5 

75 

70 

2 days (24-48 hours) 

100 

10 

75 

65 

3 days (48-72 hours) 

100 

15 

75 

60 

7 days (144-168 hours)  

100 

35 

75 

40 

>7 days (>168 hours) 

100 

- 

75 

0 

 

For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Newsletter Article 30% No Week 4
Dietary Habits and Behaviours Analysis using Food Frequency Questionnaire 30% No Week 8
Nutritional Data Analysis 40% No Week 12

Newsletter Article

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Week 4
Weighting: 30%

 

Write a newsletter article describing current supplements and their pros and cons for exercise performance.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify the key nutrients essential for human health, their role, requirements, and dietary sources and analyse the factors impacting dietary intake and behaviour. (SCIENTIST AND SCHOLAR )
  • Identify and apply current Australian guidelines to provide appropriate advice on nutrition, including strategies to improve exercise performance, recovery and body composition. (EXERCISE SCIENCE PRACTITIONER )
  • Critically evaluate the evidence for the efficacy of common and emerging nutritional supplements and diets for exercise performance. (EXERCISE SCIENCE PRACTITIONER )

Dietary Habits and Behaviours Analysis using Food Frequency Questionnaire

Assessment Type 1: Simulation/role play
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: Week 8
Weighting: 30%

 

Conducting an interview to analyse and provide recommendations on an individuals nutritional needs and habits.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Apply appropriate dietary assessment measures for measuring and analysing dietary intake, body composition, nutrient content, and calculation of energy balance. (SCIENTIST AND SCHOLAR )
  • Identify and apply current Australian guidelines to provide appropriate advice on nutrition, including strategies to improve exercise performance, recovery and body composition. (EXERCISE SCIENCE PRACTITIONER )
  • Describe the role of diet to human health and development of diet-related chronic conditions and critically analyse interventions aiming to address them. (PROFESSIONAL)
  • Critically evaluate the evidence for the efficacy of common and emerging nutritional supplements and diets for exercise performance. (EXERCISE SCIENCE PRACTITIONER )

Nutritional Data Analysis

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 45 hours
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 40%

 

Individual nutritional data analysis.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify the key nutrients essential for human health, their role, requirements, and dietary sources and analyse the factors impacting dietary intake and behaviour. (SCIENTIST AND SCHOLAR )
  • Apply appropriate dietary assessment measures for measuring and analysing dietary intake, body composition, nutrient content, and calculation of energy balance. (SCIENTIST AND SCHOLAR )
  • Identify and apply current Australian guidelines to provide appropriate advice on nutrition, including strategies to improve exercise performance, recovery and body composition. (EXERCISE SCIENCE PRACTITIONER )
  • Describe the role of diet to human health and development of diet-related chronic conditions and critically analyse interventions aiming to address them. (PROFESSIONAL)

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

As a student enrolled in this unit, you will engage in a range of learning activities, including workbooks with lectures and online activities embedded, readings and tutorials. Details can be found on the iLearn site for this unit.

Recommended readings:

Whitney, Eleanor Noss et al, Understanding Nutrition (Cengage Learning, 3 Australian and New Zealand edition., 2017

Australian Government Department of Health. (2015). Australian Dietary Guidelines. https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/ 

Australian Government Department of Health. (2015). Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand. https://www.nrv.gov.au/ 

Gibney, M.J, Lanham-New, S.A., Cassidy, A.,& Vorster, H.H. (2009). Introduction to Human Nutrition (2nd Ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. 

Burke, L., & Deakin, V. (2015) Clinical Sports Nutrition. Sydney: McGraw-Hill. 

McArdle, W.D., Katch, F.I., & Katch, V.L. (2011). Sports & Exercise Nutrition (3rd Ed.). Lippincott William & Wilkins. 

Maughan, R.J. (Ed). (2004). Food, Nutrition and Sports Performance II: The International Olympic Committee Consensus on Sports Nutrition. Routledge. 

Jeukendrup, A., & Gleeson, M. (2010). Sport Nutrition. Human Kinetics. 

Kern, M. (2005). CRC Desk Reference on Sports Nutrition. CRC Press. 

Thompson, J., & Manore, M. (2005). Nutrition: An Applied Approach. Pearson Benjamin Cummings. 

Journals

Australian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics, International Journal of Sports Nutrition, Journal of Food and Nutrition, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Medicine & Science in Sport and Exercise, Sport Health, Sports Medicine, The Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport,

 

 

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Changes from Previous Offering

This is a new unit, first delivery in semester 2, 2024

Inclusion and Diversity

Social inclusion at Macquarie University is about giving everyone who has the potential to benefit from higher education the opportunity to study at university, participate in campus life and flourish in their chosen field. The University has made significant moves to promote an equitable, diverse and exciting campus community for the benefit of staff and students. It is your responsibility to contribute towards the development of an inclusive culture and practice in the areas of learning and teaching, research, and service orientation and delivery. As a member of the Macquarie University community, you must not discriminate against or harass others based on their sex, gender, race, marital status, carers' responsibilities, disability, sexual orientation, age, political conviction or religious belief. All staff and students are expected to display appropriate behaviour that is conducive to a healthy learning environment for everyone.

Professionalism

Fitness to Practice (FTP) is the demonstration of professional competence, acceptable professional behaviour, freedom from impairment and compliance with course-specific requirements needed for a student to practice properly and safely throughout their course and to appropriately practice within a professional environment as a future Exercise Scientist. 

Students undertaking the Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science are required to demonstrate they meet requirements of the four attributes of FTP - Conduct, Performance, Health and Compliance throughout their entire program of study so that they can meet the requirements of the exercise science profession. 

Students must also meet the inherent requirements to complete their degree, course, or unit and graduate. To meet the course requirements of the Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science, full participation in practical classes which involve observation, manual handling, undertaking exercise for the purposes of instruction and demonstration is expected.

In the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, professionalism is a key capability embedded in all our courses.  

As part of developing professionalism, students are expected to attend all small group interactive sessions including tutorials, clinical, practical, laboratory, work-integrated learning (e.g., PACE placements), and team-based learning activities. Some learning activities are recorded (e.g., lectures), however you are encouraged to avoid relying upon such material only as they do not recreate the whole learning experience. As an adult learner, we respect your decision to choose how you engage with your learning, but we would remind you that the learning opportunities we create for you have been done so to enable your success, and that by not engaging you may impact your ability to successfully complete this unit. We equally expect that you show respect for the academic staff who have worked hard to develop meaningful activities and prioritise your learning by communicating with them in advance if you are unable to attend a small group interactive session. 

Another dimension of professionalism is having respect for your peers. It is the right of every student to learn in an environment that is free of disruption and distraction. Please arrive to all learning activities on time, and if you are unavoidably detained, please join activity as quietly as possible to minimise disruption. Phones and other electronic devices that produce noise and other distractions must be turned off prior to entering class. Where your own device (e.g., laptop) is being used for class-related activities, you are asked to close down all other applications to avoid distraction to you and others. Please treat your fellow students with the utmost respect. If you are uncomfortable participating in any specific activity, please let the relevant academic know. 


Unit information based on version 2024.04 of the Handbook