Course Description

I am excited to welcome you to this asynchronous, online nutrition course! We will learn about nutrition fundamentals as well as recent discoveries in this young and evolving field of science. I hope you will find the readings, activities, and discussions interesting and relevant. I also hope you will feel empowered to eat well with your knowledge of nutrition, will appreciate the connections between nutrition and health, and will consider creative ways to support good nutrition at home and in your communities. We will explore these topics and more through readings, reflections, group activities, and discussions.

This course places emphasis on the practical application of nutrition to everyday life such as planning a healthy diet, assessing one's nutritional food intake, understanding nutritional labels and useful sources for nutrition information. It also emphasizes the scientific principles behind the development of Dietary Reference Intakes (DRls) and guidelines such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are updated every 5 years.

My course communication policy 

Feel free to contact me anytime with questions that pertain only to you. The Canvas Inbox is the best way to reach me. You can also email me — jsiekmann@ccsf.edu — or leave a voice message for me — +1 415 452 5056. I respond to all messages within 24 hours, Mon–Fri, excluding holidays.

If you have a question about something related to the course or an assignment, please utilize the course Q&A Forum (in Canvas) to post your question to the class. If a classmate or I do not respond within 48 hours, feel free to contact me directly using Canvas Inbox.

Drop-in Office Hours via Zoom: Wednesdays 1-2 pm.   You can also visit my in-person office hours on Tuesdays from 2-3 pm at the Chinatown North Beach Center.  If neither of these options work for you, feel free to reach out and make an appointment to speak with me by Zoom. We can talk about assignments and anything that is coming up for you related to the course and your studies.

Additionally:

• You will be expected to contribute to learning forums and class activities sincerely and substantively. Discussion forums and class activities will prompt you to interact with your fellow classmates in meaningful and substantive ways.

• I will be an active participant in the discussions, reading all your posts and responding to several students each week to further discussion and clarify comments.

Should you have any trouble logging into your course or if you don't understand how to log in please contact the CCSF Online Course Support Center

My drop policy

No-shows

You will be asked to complete and submit a syllabus survey & student contract  by Day 3 of the first week of the course.  Students who do not submit this by 23:59 on Wednesday 31 January 2024  will be considered  “no-shows” and will be dropped.

Additionally,

Students who stop engaging with the course for at least two modules can be dropped.

If at any time during the course before the drop deadline you stop submitting assignments or do not participate in required discussion forums and do not reach out to me to let me know what is going on for a period of two modules or more, I have the right to drop you from the course. However, if you stop participating in the class, do not assume I will automatically drop you.  You are ultimately responsible for dropping yourself from the class on MyRAM (formerly Web4). If you do not remove yourself from the course, you will receive an FW at the end of the term. All enrolled students must complete the final exam components to avoid an FW grade.

My late work policy

Submitting assignments on-time helps keep you engaged with the material being covered at the right time, and it allows you and your classmates to have a timely exchange of thoughts and ideas that are relevant to the specific topics that are being covered in the module that week.

For this reason, I expect you to submit your assignments on-time. Don't worry too much about having perfectly formed thoughts or ideas when you submit your work.  I ask that you engage thoughtfully with materials and assignments and do your best to submit something, even if it isn't as developed as you would like.  Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

All assignments are due by 23:59 PST/PDT on the due date. A late submission will receive a 10% penalty per day late.  Weekly assessments cannot be submitted late — you will receive a zero (0) for missed assessments.

Class Culture and the Learning Process

This class is based on the belief that everyone has the capability to learn nutrition. How we act as individuals and as a class will be the key to accomplishing our goals successfully. With this in mind, the class has the following norms:

• Treat our time with respect. We have a short amount of time together — only one week per module —  so be ready to engage and learn when a new module begins. This means reviewing the content of each module so you can plan ahead, making time to do the required readings and complete assignments and participate in discussions on time, and staying engaged until the activities and assignments are finished.

• Approach your classmates with kindness and encouragement. Creating a successful class means being able to rely on those around us when we are in need. Be the type of person you would like to turn to when you are in need of help.

• Struggle productively. My goal is to give you what you need to make an attempt at each assignment or activity, but I also don’t expect that you will always be able to do all of these successfully. I want you to work hard, and I also want you to work productively. If you find yourself spending a lot of time without making any progress, contact me or your classmates through the Q&A Forum. A small bit of direction can make a big difference.

• Learning is a process. It is ideal that you do smaller amounts of work over a greater number of days. An hour’s worth of learning done over four days will provide more benefit than four hours of work done on a single day. I aim to provide just the right amount of work and I expect you to do that work in a good faith way. Students generally need to spend at least 10 hours per week reading, engaging with classmates and completing assignments.

Special Software or Materials Required

Required Material

WileyPLUS of Grosvenor and Smolin Visualizing Nutrition: Everyday Choices 5th Edition.  

All enrolled students are automatically enrolled in Follett Access, which gives you access to WileyPLUS through Canvas, but you can opt out if you wish. You won't pay anything upfront, but later in the semester, you will be charged a discounted price of approximately $65 to your student account for WileyPLUS.  If you opt out, you will need to get WileyPLUS at market rates, which will likely be (much) more expensive.

Bookloan might also be an option for you: https://www.ccsf.edu/campus-life/student-activities-office/associated-students/associated-students-bookloan 

A former student who used Bookloan reported that when they received the voucher they were strongly encouraged to return the book to the organization at the end of the semester for other people to use, but it is not required. However, bookloan also works for ebook-only options if students want to get more savings out of their vouchers. Then, returns are not applicable.

NOTE: If you receive free textbooks, you must purchase WileyPLUS through Follett Access from the CCSF bookstore.  If you think you might qualify for free textbooks, please check out EOPS eligibility requirements.

You can purchase WileyPLUS alone OR a combination of WileyPLUS + printed textbook from the CCSF Bookstore for an additional $45.  Once purchased, you can only access WileyPLUS through Canvas (not through wiley.com).  This means that if you purchase WileyPLUS before the class starts on 29 January 2024, you will have to wait until 29 January 2024 before you can access WileyPLUS.

Do not purchase a PDF or used printed textbook in lieu of WileyPLUS as it will be useless for purposes of this course.  However, if you would like also to have a printed copy of the textbook, you could get a new one through the CCSF Bookstore option for an additional $45 or a used one through any channel of your choice — older editions (e.g., 3rd edition) are fine.

Other Requirements

You will need a computer and reliable Internet access.  Please don't rely only on a smart phone.  Students can apply through myRAM for the CCSF Chromebook Loan Program. The College continues to explore additional options for safely providing Wi-Fi access to students at certain targeted locations on and near Ocean Campus. 

Important Dates

• Day Class Begins:   Monday 29 January 2024  

• Day Class Ends:   Wednesday 22 May 2024

• Last Day to Add : Thursday 15 February 2024

• Last Day to Drop with refund:  Wednesday 7 February 2024

• Last Day to Drop without a 'W' symbol: Thursday 15 February 2024

• Last Day to Drop with a W or apply for leave of absence: Thursday 25 April 2024

• Final Exam Date: due by 23:59 Wednesday 22 May 2024

Course Syllabus