FOOD20003: Food Chemistry, Biology and Nutrition

Mid semester test 20%, 1000 word essay 20%, final exam 60%

Please note that this subject was completed during the COVID lockdown period.

I recommend this subject to anyone who is interested in pursuing a major in either food science or human nutrition (or if you want a WAM booster). The subject was divided into two categories: Food Science (W2-5) and Human Nutrition (W1 and W5-12). The topics covered were:
Food science: carbohydrates, proteins and lipids
Human Nutrition: digestive system, carbs, water, minerals, proteins, vitamins, lipids, metabolism, energy balance, weight management and planning a healthy diet

The content is quite basic and easy to grasp, especially if you have a background in science or biomedicine. There was some overlap between food science and HN topics but I enjoyed the HN lectures more.
There were some issues with lecture recordings including audio issues and some lecturers went over time. I highly recommend completing the practice questions on canvas for revision. In saying this, some questions asked for specific numbers/ facts (eg: What percentage of Australian adults are underweight?) which won't we examined.

Textbook
The recommended textbook is necessary for this subject as the lecturers do not cover all the content in the lecture recordings. Also the multiple choice questions in the book were beneficial for revision as they were in collaboration with some of the lecturers according to Prof Mann.

Tutorials
There are 11 tutorials in total. While attendance was not compulsory, there is a hurdle requirement of 70%. Due to COVID restrictions, there was no ZOOM tutorial but instead we had to fill out a worksheet with practice questions. Feedback was provided to students who submitted their responses.
The food science tutorials/ worksheets involved simple calculations and answering questions based on readings.
The human nutrition worksheets included case studies and were pretty straight forward. The content covered in the tutorials (calculations) appeared on the final exam.

Assignment
The assignment was a 1000 word essay (/20) where we had to research a topic from the 6 provided. We were provided with an assignment rubric which detailed the topics, subheadings we could implement as well as formatting guidelines. Graphs and figures were also required in the essay. The essays were marked by associated tutors.

Mid-semester
The mid sem this year was completed as a canvas quiz in week 7. We has 1hr to complete 60 questions. The mid sem ONLY examined the food science components and associated readings and tutorials. Therefore, completing the readings is a must!

We weren't provided with past MST practice questions BUT the practice questions on canvas associated with each module was great for revision for both the MST and final exam. The mid sem was problematic as there were multiple incorrect questions in the test. Hence, students were awarded free marks. From memory ~ 60% of the cohort achieved an H1.

Exam
Worth 120 Marks
The final exam ONLY covered the Human Nutrition content. Students were provided with practice MCQ quiz and a document of practice part B questions (no solutions).

Part A: 48 MCQs 50 minutes
Was completed as canvas MCQ quiz similar to the MST. Style of questions was similar to the practice canvas questions and textbook questions.

Part B: 72 Marks 70 minutes
Included 10 questions with varying mark allocations. Prof Mann told us that the short answer exam this year was different to previous years as it included more case studies to prevent collusion and plagiarism. There was an issue with canvas during our exam which granted students and additional 25 minutes to complete the exam. However, I didn't complete the exam in time as some questions required you to explain detailed concepts with 2 marks lmao.

Yes, with screen capture

Dr Ken Ng
Prof. Neil Mann 10/10
Dr Pange Zhang
Dr Sameera Sirisena
Dr Robyn Larsen
Dr Anita Lawrence
Dr Chiara Murgia

No, but practice multiple choice and short answer questions provided (no solutions)

3.5 out of 5

Understanding Nutrition: Australia & New Zealand edition by Eleanor Whitney. (I used an older edition of the textbook which was fine)

1 x 2hr lecture, 1 x 1hr lecture, 1 x 1hr tutorial

Semester 1, 2020

H1

4 x online quizzes (each 5%), 1000 word research essay (20%), 3hr final exam (60%)

This was overall quite an enjoyable and practically applicable subject, and to be honest, the easiest I've ever done at this uni. It's hard to believe it's a level 2 subject, and I'd describe it as year 11 biology (difficulty, not content) with a bit of (simple!) first year chemistry.
The

Yes, with screen capture

Dr Ken Ng, Dr Anneline Padayachee

No. A handful of sample questions were provided to illustrate exam format and question style.

4 out of 5

Understanding Nutrition: Australia & New Zealand edition by Eleanor Whitney
This book was a prescribed textbook when I started this subject, although it has since been taken off the handbook. Not required but helpful for quiz revision (more details in comments below).

1 x 1hr lecture, 1 x 2hr lecture, 1 x 1hr tutorial

Semester 1, 2014

H1