Exploring the Basics of Human Nutrition

Overview

A person’s body requires the ingestion and utilisation of food components to fulfil its basic functions. This is referred to as Nutrition. Humans obtain most of their nutrients from their daily eating habits. According to age and physical conditions, the needed nutrients vary.

The course 'Exploring the Basics of Human Nutrition' offers a comprehensive introduction to key principles in human nutrition and its importance, together with the main food groups. Through engaging classes, participants will explore into topics including  the evaluation of general concept of nutrition and explore the relevance and the roles of the essential nutrients and their components, dietary guidelines, and gaining a foundational understanding of how food impacts health and lifestyle. This course combines theoretical knowledge with practical applications, empowering learners to make informed dietary choices and adopt healthy eating habits. With interactive activities and examples, students will develop critical thinking skills and enhance their nutritional literacy. Whether pursuing personal wellness goals or considering a career in nutrition, this course provides an essential framework for lifelong learning and healthy living.

Programme details

Courses starts: 15 Jan 2025

First live webinar:  22 Jan 2025, 2:00-3.00pm (UK time)

Week 1:  Nutrition: Overview

Week 2:  Exploring the Mechanism to Ingest Nutrients

Week 3:  Macro-nutrients: The Carbohydrates

Week 4:  The Lipids

Week 5:  Proteins: Complete and Incomplete Sources

Week 6:  Micro-Nutrients: Water-soluble Vitamins

Week 7:  Fat-Soluble Vitamins

Week 8:  Minerals 

Week 9:  Recommended Daily Energy Intake in Diet: Concepts of Energy Balance

Week 10: Planning a Healthy Meal and Hydration 

Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. If you do not register when you enrol, you have up until the course start date to register and pay the £30 fee. 

See more information on CATS point

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework, but only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education, you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee. 

 

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment, whether registered for credit or not, will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. 

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £285.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Mrs Iris Rodriguez

Iris is a registered Nutritionist (AfN), a scholar, and a lecturer in clinical nutrition, diet, and health. She read clinical nutrition among many other degrees in project management and engineering. She is currently working on her doctoral research.

Course aims

This course aims to explore the basics of human nutrition and healthy lifestyles. It considers the different nutrients and offers a broader understanding of both the essential and non-essential ones. It also provides a clear context and comprehension of a healthy diet and evaluates the necessary nutritional values.

Course objectives:

  • To formulate a broad understanding of the key fundamental points of human nutrition to help sustain daily life activities and promote good health and lifestyle.
  • To confidently assess nutritional reading material and read scientific literature with critical thinking focused on understanding and communication.
  • To encourage to put into practice the knowledge acquired by making better food choices.

Teaching methods

Learning takes place on a weekly schedule. At the start of each weekly unit, students are provided with learning materials on our online platform, including one hour of pre-recorded video, often supplemented by guided readings and educational resources. These learning materials prepare students for a one-hour live webinar with an expert tutor at the end of each weekly unit which they attend in small groups. Webinars are held on Microsoft Teams, and provide the opportunity for students to respond to discussion prompts and ask questions. The blend of weekly learning materials that can be worked through flexibly, together with a live meeting with a tutor and their peers, maximise learning and engagement through interaction in a friendly, supportive environment.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be expected to:

1. Acquire an understanding of the nutrients essential to the human body and their main role;  

2. Understand how to analyse the composition and content of a healthy diet, and learn to utilise the components of proven nutrition best practices;

3. Understand relevant research articles and display critical thinking skills.

 

Assessment methods

The formative and summative assessments will measure the student’s ability to identify important and relevant literature and make an informed evaluation of its significance and key arguments.

  • Formative assessments: Students will be assessed throughout the course utilizing multiple-choice quizzes (Week 4 and 7), based on the content of the previous lessons. These assessments will not count towards the final examination. All students are encouraged to participate. Feedback will be provided to help students prepare for the final summative assessed piece(s) of work at the end of the course.
  • Summative assessments

Either

Option A: Write three brief written assignments (each c. 500 words). The students will choose topics from a predetermined list of titles based on key nutrients for a specific age group;  guidelines will be provided during lectures . To ensure alignment with course objectives, students need to submit an outline, abstract, or plan of their proposed written pieces for the tutor's review and approval before Week 7).

Or

Option B: One written assignment (c. 1,500 words essay) on a chosen nutrient with a particular focus on deficiency impact, based on recent relevant research (selected from a list of approved titles), or other suitable topics in agreement with the tutor. To ensure alignment with course objectives, students need to submit an outline, or abstract, or plan of their proposed written pieces for the tutor's review and approval before Week 7).

Through the essay, the student has to demonstrate not only knowledge and understanding of the material, but also offer a critical evaluation of a topic.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes, and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

We will close for enrolments 7 days prior to the first live webinar to allow us to complete the course set up. We will email you at that time (7 days before the first live webinar) with further information and joining instructions. As always, students will want to check spam and junk folders during this period to ensure that these emails are received.

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment Form (Word) or Enrolment Form (Pdf)

 

 

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.