Unit rationale, description and aim
Special diets are not a new phenomenon yet in recent years the perceived and real need for foods for special diets has increased dramatically. Through a contemporary analysis of the place of special diets within our modern foodscape, this unit builds on NUTR500 Advanced Culinary Nutrition Science in Practice / NUTR506 Advanced Culinary Nutrition Science in Practice - Virtual and facilitates students’ critical examination of popular and evidence-based diets for the maintenance of health and treatment of disease. Students will be expected to develop advanced food/ingredient and menu knowledge, critical understanding of special diet food regulations and food service standards and utilise their highly advanced food planning, preparation, and cooking skills to prepare a range of foods to meet the requirements of specific diets. This unit aims to assist students develop the ability to critically evaluate the synthesis theoretical and practical elements of contemporary diets into meaningful messages and communicate this to audiences in highly engaging and influential formats.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Evaluate, synthesise and practically apply the sci...
Learning Outcome 01
Illustrate expert food and ingredient knowledge, p...
Learning Outcome 02
Demonstrate highly efficient and collaborative wor...
Learning Outcome 03
Present scientific and practical evidence in highl...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
- Nutrition and diets throughout the ages
- Australian bush foods landscape
- Conditions requiring prescriptive diets
- Food standards, including recipe guidelines and nutrient criteria, for special diets in food service
- Modified texture, energy and protein diets and foods
- Modified macronutrient diets and foods, limited examples provided below
- Gluten-free
- Wheat-free
- Modified lactose
- Modified fibre
- Low, no-carbohydrate
- Low, no sugar
- Modified sweetener
- Modified fat
- Low FODMAPs
- Vegetarian and veganism
- Carbohydrate counting
- Portion control
- Ketogenic diet
- Paleo diet
- Modified micronutrient/other bioactive components of diets and foods, limited examples below
- Sodium
- Antioxidants
- Modified other
- Specific food inclusions or exclusions
- Allergens and intolerances
- Elimination Diets
- Menu planning principles for pregnancy and aged care
- Nutrient composition and laboratory analysis of foods for special diets
- Advanced food preparation and cooking techniques
- Workflow planning
- Food and nutrition writing for multimedia
For students enrolled in the Master of Dietetic Practice this unit includes topics related to the development and demonstration of professional dietetic practice and competence according to the Accreditation Standards of Dietitians Australia. These are described under the heading ‘Building professional dietetic practice’ in each unit outline and build on topics delivered synchronously and progressively throughout the degree. Those in bold reflect ‘new’ topics addressed in this unit. Students will have opportunities for collecting evidence of competence in these, and in other areas (italics).
Building professional dietetic practice
- reflection and evaluation of practice
- acknowledges, reflects and understands own values, beliefs, attitudes, biases and assumptions and their influence on practice
- scope of practice and standards of care, codes of conduct
- continuing professional development
- attributes (empathy, flexibility, adaptability, resilience, ethical, respectful, demonstrates integrity, honesty, fairness, critical thinker)
- culturally safe and responsive practice (requiring emotional, spiritual and cultural intelligence).
- peer education, haring new knowledge
- workload and time management
- digital literacy/technological proficiency
- collaboration and communication skills
- critical, proactive problem-solving approach to practice
- resource, team worker, leader
Assessment strategy and rationale
To best enable students to achieve unit learning outcomes and develop graduate capabilities , standards-based assessment is utilised, consistent with University assessment principles and requirements. A range of assessment strategies will be used in ways that support the developmental sequence of the learning and teaching strategy. Thus, the three phases of the strategy are reflected by integration of three appropriate assessment tasks. The first, involves a written assessment task submitted within the first two weeks, and prior to the commencement of the practical component with feedback provided prior to submission of the second written assessment task. This task provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to evaluate the evidence for a specific and current food or diet trend.
The second assessment task is a graded hurdle aimed at extending this theoretical understanding by requiring students to demonstrate practical application of the knowledge and skills required to prepare foods for special diets that meet regulatory requirements (where appropriate). This task provides students with practical-by-practical assessment and feedback on their ability to prepare and cook specific foods/meals. Students are supported during this practical exam and are able to attempt the culinary activities multiple times, if required. Students who are unable to attend the practical examination are provided with an alternative task.
The final assessment task allows students to bring together their theoretical and practical knowledge, understanding and skills of food for special diets and communication for popular media in a written task that requires critical writing skills pitched at diverse audiences. The assessment tasks will allow unit coordinators to assess students’ demonstration of the learning outcomes and attainment of graduate capabilities .
In order to ensure students have achieved each learning outcome, to pass this unit, a student must pass the graded hurdle task and attain a minimum of 50% in each of the assessment tasks.
Overview of assessments
Assessment 1 Written assessment task Enables st...
Assessment 1
Written assessment task
Enables students to demonstrate their ability to source and use scientific evidence to critically evaluate a current food/diet trend.
30%
Assessment 2 Graded Hurdle - Practical assessmen...
Assessment 2
Graded Hurdle - Practical assessment
Enables students to demonstrate their development of advanced culinary skills for special diets and efficient work practice in a commercial kitchen environment.
40%
Assessment 3 Written assessment task Enables st...
Assessment 3
Written assessment task
Enables students to create elements in a media portfolio suitable for publication across popular media formats that uses scientific and practical evidence to refute/support a contemporary diet approach.
30%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
The unit content will be delivered intensively over 4 weeks, with submission of final assessment following. The intensive practical component of this unit will be delivered concurrently with an undergraduate foods for special diets unit in the Bachelor of Nutrition Science. The theory component will be delivered over a 2-week period followed by the practical component. The learning and teaching strategy adopted aligns with the sequencing of the learning outcomes and consists of three phases that are designed to provide students with a developmental learning experience. The unit begins with approaches designed to support acquisition of specialist knowledge related to foods for special diets and then follows with the development of a theoretical understanding of concepts and principles needed to inform the skills development, workflow planning in commercial kitchens and presentation of scientific evidence. The approaches used to facilitate students’ learning include online learning modules and readings and will be delivered in the first two weeks of the unit. The unit builds on this theoretical knowledge and assists students to develop understanding and application of advanced culinary nutrition science specifically related to foods for special diets through practical classes. Overall, the approaches used in this unit have a constructively aligned developmental sequence designed to progressively, and logically, support students learning in ways that maximise the perceived (and actual) relevance and value of each stage. As an overarching strategy, this is expected to engender high levels of engagement, efficiency, and effectiveness in students’ study behaviours, and to maximise their learning achievements.
This strategy and approaches will allow students to meet the aim, learning outcomes and graduate capabilities of the unit. Learning and teaching approaches will reflect respect for the individual as an independent learner. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively in learning activities.