Dr. Darwin Dennison

      HEA 207 Nutrition and Behavior

Course Description

HEA 207 Nutrition and Behavior, an online course, is offered Spring, Fall and Summer semesters.

HEA 207 provides a comprehensive analysis of personal food choices, physical activity, and nutrition-related behavior as a basis for learning and understanding nutrition, and improving personal food choice and physical activity behavior.  The basis of the course is to use your own food choices and physical activity as a basis to learn about and understand nutrition. The course includes assignments and activities to establish personalized nutritional guidelines, identify ideal caloric levels, assess energy expenditure, analyze nutrient intake, and examine the psychosocial and motivational components related to nutritional behavior. 

A psychometric diet composite system (DINE Healthy: Diet Improvement Software) is required and used for assignments and projects.  Class experiences are organized to exemplify diet quality, energy balance, and nutrient homeostasis.  The class format is based upon the Activated Health Education Model which includes experiential, awareness and responsibility phases. A “nutritional self-management program” is completed based upon online activity, microcomputer laboratories, and web-based assignments.

Eating and Fitness Excellence, the required text, is available free online. Students are expected to participate in nutrition related activities including, but not limited to, WebBoard discussion, Excel analyses, PowerPoint reports, DINE Healthy Lab assessments and other Internet-based assignments.  Attention is directed to the practical application of nutrition knowledge and the formation of excellent food choice and physical activity behavior for personal and professional use.

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Course Policies and Agreement

During the first two days of class you must respond via Blackboard email to attest that you have read the Course Policies and Agreement. You must send an email in Blackboard, a simple “OK,” that you agree to the following seven (7) mandatory conditions of this class:

1. HARDWARE AND SKILLS. You must have access to a computer, preferably on a day-to-day basis, Pentium 3 or higher with DSL or cable Internet connections. When you logon to Blackboard please check to determine if your browser is ready for online use. If it is not ready, you must make it ready by completing the check list on your screen. If you have difficult please consult with tac@uncw.edu. You must allow pop-ups on your browser to successfully complete the course. If you have difficulty please consult with tac@uncw.edu. You should also have JAVA installed on your computer... go to www.sun.com  to download the free version... you must use version 6. If you have difficulty, please consult tac@uncw.edu. It is helpful if you are comfortable with file management, uploading and downloading files, the Internet, and able to maintain adequate computer security. If you have questions regarding hardware and skills go to  http://www.uncw.edu/online/techreq.html. If you have difficulties during the course contact tac@uncw.edu, phone 962-HELP (962-4357). Please indicate to the TAC consultant that you are taking a Blackboard course... provide the consultant with the course number and instructor. 

2. TESTS. You understand that there will be three (3) online tests... plus a few quizzes.  All tests are timed, that is, you must complete the test in 50-minutes from the time you log on. Each test is scheduled for one day… morning, afternoon, and evening, usually on Wednesdays, no exceptions. You can take the test any time within the scheduled period. The tests are electronic and tests that are past due can not be made up. In general, the tests include data from the text, the labs, outside readings and assignments. Tests must be taken as an individual effort.

3. ASSIGNMENTS. All assignment files must be electronically uploaded into Blackboard for full credit. Assignments sent via email in Blackboard or campus email do not receive credit. Late assignments do not receive credit. You understand that it is your responsibility to learn to download your assignments to your desktop and then upload your completed assignments into Blackboard, on time and complete, for full credit. There are no exceptions. Contact TAC if you have difficultly with file management issues with the assignments.  Posting assignments correctly with complete and accurate information on time is a determinant of your grade. All assignments are due on Tuesdays or Wednesdays as posted. New assignments are posted Thursday or Friday. When the time period is closed... it is done. If you wait until the last hour, over time you will have crashes, the site will be down, and/or other issues may cause you to submit your assignments late and you will lose points. Submitting early is to your advantage.

4. DINE Healthy software, a psychometric diet composite system is used as the basis for diet and activity analysis in this class.  The DINE Healthy student version ($29.95) is a full featured, electronically delivered version of the software that you must have for convenient access. It may be installed on a single computer only and will remain accessible for 180 days from the date of registration. You will receive an email with instructions for downloading the software once your order has been received and processed (usually within 1 to 2 business days). It is important that you have access to a high speed Internet connection to obtain the software in a timely manner as it is delivered electronically. The text “Eating and Fitness Excellence” is available free online. You may purchase the software at DINE Systems.com.

5. SERVER DOWN/DRIVE CRASHED. You understand that there are information technology issues that you must personally deal with and resolve to successfully complete the course including but not limited to server being down, or viruses / crashes destroying your work before it is uploaded into Blackboard. It is your responsibility to resolve any computer related issues so that your assignments/tests are submitted on time. You are advised not to wait until the deadline to submit your assignments, quizzes, or tests. If you wish to be safe from a technology standpoint, use UNCW microcomputer lab computers. Although Dr. Dennison is knowledgeable in technology, please keep in mind that his expertise is nutrition and that you must use UNCW information technology support (TAC or the Help Desk) to answer navigation, browser, file management, and server related issues.

6. PARTICIPATION. You understand that the course professor can view your participation statistics, that is, how much time you spent online. You understand that if you have an issue that prevents you from being online for more than 3-days, you must provide rationale or risk being dropped from the class. Each week there are assignments due and/or tests. These tasks must be electronically submitted on or before the due date for credit. Electronic assignments that are past due can not be made up.

7. EMAIL. The assignments and procedures in this online class are designed to be clear and precise. Please read all related material before sending your email. If the answer to your question is in an announcement or stated on the weekly learning module or assignment, your question will be advised to re-read these references. Please contact TAC@uncw.edu or 962-4357 if your question is regarding file management or navigating Blackboard. If you need to ask a question, you must use the Blackboard email system. In Blackboard, go to Mail, Create Message, then Browse for Recipients, select Darwin Dennison, enter message and select Send. Please Note: All emails must use complete sentences, correct grammar, and spelling or the emails will not be answered. You understand that replies may come at any time within 24-48 hours.

If you agree with these conditions, simply send me an email in Blackboard with an "OK" within 48 hours of the beginning date of the class OR within 48 hours of registering for the class. You will be dropped from the class if I do not receive your Blackboard email. And, I reserve the right to drop you from the class if you do not agree with or consistently do not follow any of these conditions.

*Based, in part, on Dr. Jennifer B. Summerville course material (UNCW).

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Performance Indictors

1. Learn to accurately complete food choice and physical activity records, diet histories and surveys. 
2.Define energy, nutrient, and physical activity balance.
3.Demonstrate how to monitor food intake and energy output.
4.Establish nutritional and physical activity lifetime goals.
5. Compare diets and physical activities with established goals, guidelines and standards.
6. Idenify foods that are calorie dense and high in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, essential nutrients, and low in fat, sodium, added sugar.
7. Identify physical activities that achieve standards for cardiovascular health, strength, flexibility and energy balance.
8. Enter, track and analyze food and physical activity record data to establish lifetime objectives and goals based upon national dietary standards.
9. Explain the conceptual basis of healthy eating, energy and nutrient balance, and the relationship of nutrition to physical activity, health, and success in life.
10. State why it is important to eat healthy and how nutrition is related to physical, psychological, social health, and a healthy lifestyle.
11. Describe self (and individuals) in terms of their food choices, their food choice and physical activity behaviors, dietary guidelines, and familial, genetic, and nutritional relationships.
12. Establish nutritional goals for personal or professional programs and develop a lifetime nutritional and physical activity self-management programs.
13. Define the relationship between well-balanced nutrition and adequate physical activity to the prevention of nutrition/physical activity related diseases, and lifetime health,
14. Use quantified systems to evaluate how well or how poorly you are eating and whether or not they are receiving sufficient physical activity,
15, Develop strategies to improve nutrition and physical activity behaviors to reduce or prevent the incidence of poor nutrition and lack of activity to live a healthy and productive life.
16. Develop a nutritional and physical activity lifestyle management program to improve and maintain your health and the health of your family for life.

Note: To achieve these objectives, you need to enter information about you, keep food and activity records, and analyze your diet and physical activity and interpret reports from the DINE Healthy software.

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Required Software

Required Text

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Course Outline

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Tentative Timetable

Note: Assignments count for one test grade. If you submit your
assignments accurately and on time, then you will receive full credit.
Incomplete assignments will result in a loss of points. Late assignments receive no points. No exceptions.

Week 1 Assignments:

Submit via Vista email 'OK' regarding Policies/Procedures
Read Preface: Eating and Fitness Excellence Text (c) 2007,
Purchase and Install DINE Healthy (DH) software
Print Food Record and Activity Record from DH software (Keep this with you to record your food choices and activity)
Run the DH tutorial (on the Help Menu)
Download Questions to Desktop, Answer and Upload into Blackboard Assignments.

Week 2 Assignments

Introduce Yourself online via PowerPoint
Chapter 1 Questions
Chapter 1B Questions
DINE Healthy Lab 1 (based on 24-hour food/physical activity analysis)

Week 3 Assignments

Read Chapter 2: Eating and Fitness Excellence
Read Chapter 2: Dietary Goals for Americans (References)
DINE Healthy Lab 2
DINE 2-Day Graph Analysis
Enter New Foods, Recipes and Food Combinations

Week 4 Assignments

Chapter 2 Questions
Read Chapter 3: Dietary Goals for Americans (References)
DINE Healthy Lab 3
DINE Healthy Reports: Sorting

Week 5 Test 1 and Assignments

Total Fat
Physical Activity Analysis
Food Analysis
Review Policies and Guidelines

Week 6 Assignments:

Chapter 3 Eating and Fitness Excellence text
Chapters 4 and 5 Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005
DINE Healthy Food Analysis 2 (3-day analysis)
DH Report Protein (sort on Protein)
DH Lab 4

Week 7 Assignments:

Chapter 4 Eating and Fitness Excellence (Read and answer questions)
Chapter 6 Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005
DINE Healthy Food Analysis 3 (3-day analysis)
DH Report Saturated Fat (sort of Saturated Fat)
DH Lab 5 (use DH Food Analysis 3 to answer questions)

Week 8 Test 2 and Assignments:

DH Lab 6 (use DH Food Analysis to answer questions)
DH Report Graph Analysis
You must complete the assignments before you take the test.

Week 9 Assignments:

Chapter 5 Eating and Fitness Excellence (Read and Answer Questions)
Chapter 7 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
DH Lab 7 (5-day food analysis)
Graph Analysis 2 (5-day)
DH Report: Fiber (sort on Food Record)

Week 10 Assignments:

Chapter 6 Eating and Fitness Excellence (Read and Answer Questions)
Chapter 8 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Lab 8 (Does not require completion/analysis of food records)
Food Explorer (Find the best cracker)
Nutrition Objectives Test (assignment)

Week 11 Assignments:

Chapter 7 Eating and Fitness Excellence (Read and Answer Questions) (2)
Chapter 9 and 10 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
DH Lab 9 (requires a 5-day analysis)

Week 12 Assignments:

Read over Chapters 8 and 9 Eating and Fitness Excellence
Review Chapters 7 to 10 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Play to Win Activities (Complete the 4 Activities)
Contract to Win (Start now)

Week 13 Test 3 and Assignments

Final Reports
Contract to Win
Final: DINE Lab 100

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Students with Disabilities

If you have a diagnosed disability (physical, learning or psychological) which will make it difficult for you to carry out the course work as outlined, please advise me during the first two weeks of the course so we may review possible arrangements for reasonable accommodations. You must also contact and register with the Office of Disability Services in Westside Hall (ext. 3746) and obtain an Accommodation Letter.

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