Course Description
Philosophy, principles, methods, and materials involved in nutrition education. Application of nutrition knowledge and skills in the development, delivery, and evaluation of nutrition education curriculum and programs in schools and communities is emphasized.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will have tests with additional questions and
will prepare a research paper reviewing successful nutrition
education programs for a specific target audience (e.g., low-
income, families, pregnant women, children, older adults, or
athletes) and present a seminar based on the research paper.
Athena Title
NUTR Education Methods
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in NUTR 4660, NUTR 4660E or NUTR 6660, NUTR 6660E, NUTR 6670E
Prerequisite
(NUTR 2100 or NUTR 2100E or NUTR 2100H) and (NUTR 3600 and NUTR 3600L)
Undergraduate Pre or Corequisite
NUTR 3100 or NUTR 4050/6050 or NUTR 4050E/6050E or NUTR 4510/6510
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall and spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
1. Understand the leadership role of the nutrition educator. 2. Utilize the principles of health promotion and health behavior theory in the selection and design of nutrition education approaches. 3. Apply learning theory in the selection and design of nutrition education programs. 4. Utilize criteria to evaluate teaching resources available from a variety of sources, including government agencies, commercial publishers, the internet, etc., for use in nutrition education programs. 5. Design and develop nutrition education programs for selected populations. 6. Design, select, and adapt nutrition education programs to meet the needs of diverse populations, including culture, age, ethnicity, gender, and social class. 7. Utilize appropriate strategies and technology in delivering nutrition education concepts, including food demonstration. 8. Understand the role of needs assessment, process evaluation, and outcome evaluation in assessing nutrition education programs. 9. Be involved in service-learning experiences in a variety of settings and complete a reflection component analyzing how the experiences contributed to the overall understanding of nutrition education.
Topical Outline
1. The role of leadership in nutrition education. 2. Foundations in theory in health promotion and health behavior. 3. Learning theories and applications. 4. Nutrition education in clinical and community setting. 5. Designing and implementing nutrition education programs using a variety of materials and media. 6. Learning for special audiences. 7. Adapting nutrition education program to meet the needs of diverse populations. 8. Evaluating nutrition programs and materials. 9. Conduct target audience needs assessment. Each student is required to conduct a needs assessment for a chosen target audience. Students submit a focus group/interview report. Including each of the following components: I. Description of focus group/interview participants (3 or more participants) (e.g., gender, age, relevant information for curriculum) II. Results or findings III. Summary of themes (Main points that arise from the answers to focus group/interview questions. Use quotes from participants and show commonalities between answers) Recommendations for Curriculum Design (How will you use this information to create a nutrition curriculum for your target audience?) IV. Appendix-Questions asked of participants Develop and implement a nutrition curriculum in a community setting. Students are required to develop a nutrition curriculum to address the health and nutrition issues of a chosen target audience. Students work on curriculum components throughout the semester and are required to give an individual presentation describing how they have addressed nutrition issues through curriculum development. The components of the project include: I. Philosophy of Teaching II. Literature Review a.Nutrition/Health Issues of Target Audience – this is the rationale for your curriculum b. Review of other programs that have been used with this audience or similar audiences III. Needs Assessment for Your Specific Audience a. Target Audience Description including your observations b. Results from focus groups/interviews IV. Behavioral Theory for Curriculum a. Justify why chosen theory b. Create a theoretical model for your curriculum V. Learning Goals and Objectives for Your Curriculum a. Clearly state educational goals and objectives for curriculum. Goals and objectives are based on needs assessment and theoretical model and should incorporate at least one objective for each level of Fink’s taxonomy. VI. Learning Strategies and Activities Based on Goals and Objectives a. Develop curriculum plan to address each objective. b. For curriculum, fully develop at least four lesson plans. VII. Social Media Component for your curriculum Clearly describe the content and platform for a Social Media Component for curriculum and explain the role of target audience in using the social media component AND how to manage/respond to users. VIII. Evaluation Design Create a Logic Model for your curriculum, including inputs, activities, process measures, as well as initial, intermediate, and longer term outcomes. IX. Develop a project budget. X. Describe how curriculum reflects teaching philosophy. Students will complete a reflection component on their service-learning experience.
Syllabus