DASC20012: Comparative Nutrition and Digestion

Two-hour written final examination (50%). Computer simulation and written assessment of 2000 words equivalent (50%) (with 3 stage assessment strategy, submission at week 4 (10%), week 7 (15%) and week 12 (25%)).

❥Many past examination papers are available at the library and on the LMS. They recycle most of the questions. So if you enter the exam after answering the past examination papers, you will have most of the exam completed. The exam is comprised of short answer questions and long answer questions, no multiple choice questions. However, you can choose your own long answer questions; 5 out of 9 potential questions maybe, which makes it much easier.

❥The assignments were primarily nutritional information, metabolism, weight gain/loss etc calculations on Excel, and essay-style answers to questions about the content in the lectures and assignments. Assuming your answers are thorough, they should not present a problem.

❥Although the subject is a Bachelor of Science credit, it is formally a Bachelor of Agriculture subject (DASC) and the majority of students were enrolled in a Bachelor of Agriculture. While some of the content clearly overlapped with other Bachelor of Agriculture subjects and practicals, I hadn't taken a B.Ag subject before and still didn't appear to be missing much background knowledge. Coming from a Bachelor of Science did not seem to be a disadvantage.

❥My perspective is biased because I am smitten with nutrition, but I found this class fantastic. All other level 2 nutrition subjects are more focused on food chemistry, so I chose this class hoping it would be focused on applied nutrition. It is. It is very practical and prefers to deal with facts over theory, applications in the real world, and takes a very generalized look at digestion, physiology, anatomy, microbiology, chemistry, energetics, feeding techniques, malnutrition, vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids...

❥The material is also varied because it is 'comparative' nutrition and digestion. Half of the semester examines the digestion, nutritional requirements and idiosyncrasies of different animals, including domestic pets, farm animals, and humans. Kristy tried to cater to the BSc students who were interested in human nutrition by supplying a handful of lectures focused on human nutrition, but it is a B.Ag subject. Therefore, expect topics such as the advantages of feeding legumes over hay, how to increase weight gain for meat production, how to increase animal reproduction through nutrition for faster meat production, and husbandry (cultivating animals and crops for profit) to arise frequently! The lecturer's personal research also focuses on lactation among dairy cows. So ruminants, the microbiology of cow stomachs, and lactation processes are also a large part of the course. I found it interesting, but it's not for everyone. For those who would find agricultural processes and animal studies uninteresting, and would prefer to concentrate exclusively on humans, look toward the subjects offered in the Food Science major under the BSc instead.

❥That said, this subject was a welcome break from my other science credits. Science credits can deal with very abstract concepts, where it's difficult to relate the knowledge you are learning with tangible results and any relevance with day-to-day life. I'm not sure how much meaning can be extracted from what I learn of the lateral ventricles contained with the interventricular foramen in other subjects. However, this subject outlines exceedingly more straight-forward ideas that you can easily connect to the world and yourself. I have definitely thought more about what I'm eating and what happens to/in my body when I make food choices, and have a greater understanding of where food comes from and how it came to be when I'm grocery shopping. I also have improved what and how I feed pets. In other words, I use the information from this subject. I can't do anything with information on lipid bilayers of oligodendrocyte cell membranes from other subjects, other than increase my GPA.

❥Another way it diverges from my other science subjects is its small class size. I'm not sure if it is the same for all B.Ag subjects, but the lecture theatre was a quarter or less the area space of lecture theatres for other subjects, and generally half-filled. The small class size was intimate, cosy, and less distracting. It also enabled students to obtain far more time with the lecturer, who is always open to questions, assignment help, and exam revision assistance. The environment is also less...competitive? than many of my other subjects. Some of my subjects are strict in marking and contain students who appear to be under a lot of pressure. The lecturer for this subject does not stress about minor errors, is easy-going about deadlines and the atmosphere is relaxed.

❥This subject does not have any laboratory work, is not a prerequisite for any B.Sc subjects as far as I know, and only has some content overlap with B.Sc subjects such as Human Physiology and Principles of Human Structure. It will not be helpful if you are applying for UROP or already have a study plan overflowing with compulsory prerequisites for third year. I would recommend it for those who are seeking a fairly laid-back and interesting subject, or are searching for supplementary support regarding their knowledge of nutrition and animals.

❥The best part is that none of the 3 people who turn up for lectures mind if you eat chocolate and drink full fat caramel mochas while the lecturer discusses the obesity epidemic in Western society. And when you eat gummy bears for breakfast, you can use the assignments to calculate the fact you just had 120% of your recommended fat intake in one meal.

Yes, with screen capture.

Kristy DiGiacomo.

❥This was her first year teaching this class; in previous years it was Frank Something. I took a gamble as I wasn't sure what to expect with new coordination. She turned out to be fantastic. Her style is very practical and straight-forward. The lecture material she publishes is comprehensive, which means you aren't left racing to make notes to fill in gaps during the lecture, and you don't need to refer to other sources much to understand them. She also is very clear about what content is examinable and what is unnecessary to revise and only included for the sake of clarification. For example, she is clear about in-depth lectures regarding microbiology and biophysics/biochemistry being far less important than feeding techniques, understanding the differences in physiology between animals, and knowledge of optimal and suboptimal nutrition.

So many. No practice exams, but the past exams available in the same current format and most of the same assessable content in current use go back several years.

5 out of 5

No textbook is prescribed.

❥ Introduction to Human Nutrition by Wiley is casually recommended if you want to flesh out some concepts, but it is not assessable and I never referred to it. You can find a copy online through Google.

2 lectures a week, a 2 hour non-compulsory tutorial every fortnight starting after a month or so after subject commencement.

❥I only attended one tutorial the entire semester. They take place at a computer lab and are aimed at helping you with the assignments, which are completed in Excel and Word. I found the assignments clearly explained during lectures, ergo didn't really require the tutorials.

Semester 1, 2014.

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