At the conclusion of each semester, I created and posted an anonymous survey in our LMS to assess how well students believed the overall course goals from the syllabus were met.   The university generated evaluations provide valuable feedback but input specific to a course and its success beyond student performance has proven to be valuable.   I’ve modified the survey over several semesters from a narrative answer to a scale to a combination of both.  And maybe more importantly, reviewing the course goals at the conclusion of the semester allows students the opportunity to reflect upon and consider what they’ve learned – and hopefully feel good about that!  A link to the survey is shared via email with a message encouraging completion and how their anonymous feedback will assist in improving the course and its components for future students.  Reading student feedback provides another opportunity for instructors to evaluate the course design and components in alignment with course goals.  Here are the course goals from the introductory nutrition course: At the end of the course, the student will be able to: Appreciate the scope and complexity of the evolving science of nutrition. Discuss the role of each of the six classes of nutrients in the maintenance of health.  Describe how dietary recommendations for Americans are established, evaluated, implemented, and applied to meet individual dietary needs, promote health, and prevent chronic disease – and how they compare to food-based guidelines from around the globe. Describe the fundamental role of nutrition and food choice in prevention and treatment of select diet-related chronic diseases. Discuss factors that affect nutrition and health status of individuals across the lifespan with corresponding intervention strategies. Analyze controversies or claims surrounding one or more contemporary nutrition issues based on scientific evidence and nutrition theory. Identify ways individuals can assess, evaluate, and implement strategies that promote a healthy and safe diet. Discuss how all foods can fit within an overall healthful diet.  A goal of this course is to lessen and lighten food related "rules" and dogmatic thinking surrounding dietary practices and approaches through a better understanding of nutrition principles and application.   ... View more

Was delighted to welcome teaching colleagues and co-host our latest “Coffee with Nutrition Authors” with my co-author and friend, Steve Nizielski, and our Senior Marketing Manager, Nancy Bradshaw on March 23.   Attendees were able to get a behind-the-scenes look at Nutrition for a Changing World’s new digital update and online platform Achieve.   Nancy previewed a pre-built course that includes pre-class, in-class, and post-class activities and assessments for each chapter and spotlight as well as aligned AnalyzeMyDiet activities and eBook activities.   We were treated to demos of the new interactive Real World Nutrition activities that now accompany every chapter and spotlight.   See a screen shot sample of chapter 4 Carbohydrates pre-built chapter below.  And of course, a look at that our pre-graded AnalyzeMyDiet within Achieve has to offer!   Even as an author of the text, I benefitted greatly from a one-on-one demo with one of our amazing tech team – so don’t worry if you missed the Coffee hour, you have the opportunity to see for yourself all the new and enhanced features of Achieve and AnalyzeMyDiet unique to the nutrition text and course.   Here’s a few links that I hope are helpful!   Best!   Jamie (feel free to reach out to me as well!  Jamie.pope@vanderbilt.edu or jpopenutrition@gmail.com ) Nutrition for a Changing World Dietary Guidelines and Digital Update Getting Started with Achieve for Instructors online info and tutorials Schedule a one-on-one demo of Achieve and AnalyzeMyDiet for yourself! Find your Macmillan Learning representative to request a review copy of the text (print and/or online version) or for consultation ... View more

Every year the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics sponsors National Nutrition Month in March.   This year's theme is "Celebrate a World of Flavors" with a focus on cultural diversity and exploring tastes and dishes from around the globe.  You can find a NNM toolkit on the Academy's website with a variety of helpful resources including  tips for adding foods, spices, and dishes from other cuisines. I gave a presentation to an undergraduate student organization where I shared a few of the resources, but also did a bit of "traveling through taste".   With travel restrictions during the pandemic many people are seeking authentic culinary experiences closer to home by experimenting with new recipes or dining out.   As this group of 100 or more students have diverse ethnic backgrounds we asked students to share a recipe representative of their culture - including different regions of the U.S prior to the meeting.    We also took a look at different countries and regions and how climate, agriculture, the economy, cultural traditions, and more might impact eating patterns and food choice - and even dietary recommendations.   I love photo journalist Peter Menzel's work and his book Hungry Planet - here's a link to some of the images of  a week's worth of food from around the world!  The National Geographic's "How the World Eats" is also an interesting site to explore and discuss!   Here's a link to the slide presentation from that meeting - feel free to use or edit!   Best.   Jamie ... View more

Do you assign a diet analysis project as part of your nutrition course?   More than 20 years ago I had students using food composition books and product labels to examine food and nutrient intake by hand - then not so very long ago, students were able to use online databases for assessing intake while completing worksheets or written projects.  Grading these projects - sometimes for hundreds of students - required many hours of instructor and teaching associate time to check answers and provide feedback.  AnalyzeMyDiet is not only auto graded, but provides answer specific feedback if a student makes a mistake.   Instructors also have access to visual analytics and student's entries in real time.    Nutrition for Changing World offers AnalyzeMyDiet through its online Achieve platform. Updated with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025, Nutrition for a Changing World, Second Edition  is available in Macmillan Learning’s breakthrough online platform, Achieve—a comprehensive set of interconnected teaching and assessment tools co-designed with instructors and students using a foundation of learning research and rigorous testing.    Why do instructors like   AnalyzeMyDiet?  It provides both a diet tracker and personalized, auto-graded diet analysis activities, freeing instructors from hand-grading diet analysis projects.   Our database of over 50,000 USDA and brand-name foods makes it easy for students to track their intake and physical activity. A comprehensive set of reports includes an all-in-one “Combination Report” with all data in one file for easy use. New auto-graded AnalyzeMyDiet activities   are now further enhanced: Ability for students to make initial   data table edits/corrections. Ability to have students perform a   numerical calculation   on the auto-graded activity. Answer-specific feedback   on questions; now, if a student makes a mistake, they can get feedback to send them in the right direction. And much more!   You can learn more about Achieve and see all that AnalyzeMyDiet can do for you and your students -  schedule a one-on-one demonstration here!  Scroll down to Achieve Demo for Nutrition.    ... View more

In anticipation of National Nutrition Month (NNM) 2022 which has a culturally diverse theme of Celebrate a World of Flavors, I’m sharing a previous post below with info and links for an engaging and informative activity or assignment that explores food-based guidelines from around the globe.  Its also the featured "Bring It Home" activity for Chapter 14 in the text and in online resources.  Be sure to check out all the NNM resources available to you at the Academy’s website.  What are some ways you might take your likely diverse group of students on a journey to a variety of cultures, flavors, and food practices?   Please share your ideas here with “Reply” or email me at jpopenutrition@gmail.com.   In discussing food practices and influences as well as dietary guidelines around the globe, I posted an assignment for students to visit the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to access a listing of countries from around the world with their corresponding Food-based Dietary Guidelines and graphics. More than 100 countries worldwide have developed food-based dietary guidelines that are adapted to their nutrition situation, food availability, culinary cultures and eating habits. Students were to choose one country from the listing, review the information regarding that country's guidelines with special note of the section "Messages". They were to summarize the key messages and to compare to what we'd covered about the DGA - taking note of common recommendations, but unique cultural or cuisine aspects. A fun resource!   Check out Ecuador's Food Guide wooden spoon graphic below!    ... View more

Where do you get answers for your health and nutrition questions?   Surveys show that almost 90% of respondents initially turn to online resources and websites – usually found through a popular search engine like Google.   The number of results and links can certainly be daunting, but more so which sites you can trust to provide credible, up to date, and evidence backed information.   Nutrition related information and claims on the web is abundant and quite frankly, overwhelming.   So how do you know what info to trust?  This is a question often asked by students – many future health professionals – and one that I hope they leave a nutrition course better equipped to evaluate.  Chapter 1 in our text addresses how and where to find credible sources of nutrition information and provides an activity that engages students in evaluating results from an internet search.  I was interested in this bulletin from the National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Medicine that provided guidance for how to evaluate accuracy of online health information.   Along with other helpful advice on social media and health apps, they suggest asking these five questions about online sources – a good place to start and a good basis for a class discussion.        Who runs or created the site? Can you trust them?     What is the site promising or offering? Do its claims seem too good to be true?     When was the information written or reviewed? Is it up to date?     Where does the information come from? Is it based on scientific research?     Why does the site exist? Is it selling something?   ... View more

Early each January U.S. News and World Reports releases its "Best Diets" report ranking 40 popular "diets" and commercial programs in terms of nutritional adequacy, healthfulness, disease prevention, impact on longevity, and sustainability (ability to follow and sustain over time). For the fourth year in a row plant-based diets top the list with the Mediterranean Diet ranked as #1 “Best Diet Overall” followed closely by the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating pattern and the Flexitarian diet, both tying for second. Keto, Whole 30, and the Dukan diet all fall at the bottom of the rankings on all the variables considered.....   In addition to Best Diet Overall, the Mediterranean diet beat out contenders in other categories, including Best Plant-Based Diets, Best Diabetes Diets, Best Heart-Healthy Diets, Best Diets for Healthy Eating, and Easiest Diets to Follow. You can read more about the "best" diets categories, the diets evaluated and how the rankings were determined.  In a face-to-face class I've written the several dozen different "diets" on slips of paper and had individual students or pairs draw one to read about and share the ranking and a few basics with the class.      Remember, "going on a diet" is rarely advisable - rather focusing on a wide variety of nutrient-dense, primarily plant-based foods while moderating intake of highly processed foods, added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium. Indeed, the highest ranked diets align with these core principles.    ... View more

Over the past twenty plus years I’ve had the honor – and challenge – of stepping in front of a new group of faces 43 times for the first day of the semester.   Recently online.    My classes have tended to be large ones averaging 150 or more students from diverse majors and backgrounds that have chosen to take introductory nutrition often as an elective.   My goal for this first interaction is not only to introduce myself and the course, but to ignite their interest and excitement about what they will learn during the semester.  Here are some thoughts and ideas – please share your strategies for Day One using the Reply button below!   1.  Project a recent nutrition news story on the screen as students arrive.  For example, a recent study in JAMA found that   kids and teens consume almost 70% of their calories from ultra-processed foods.  This catches attention and demonstrates relevance while also raising questions that taking the course can help address….You can also do this in synchronous online lectures by including or posting on the screen as students join.    2.  I stopped going through the syllabus word by word electing to highlight important takeaways and expectations and encouraging them to read the syllabus as a contract and that by enrolling they are agreeing to the terms.   For the past several years, I have recorded a video that does walk through the syllabus in more detail and post it along with the print version on the course LMS page.   This saves me some precious class time and is also helpful for students that might enroll after the first day of class.   3. After welcoming them and introducing myself, usually sharing what brought me into the field of nutrition along with a bit about myself professionally and personally, I’ve often opened the class with a short video.  While several years old, “Time Travel Dietitian” breaks the ice and illustrates the evolving (and often confusing) science of nutrition.   While they misspell as "dietician" and not all "facts" are quite right - it also allows opportunity to comment on the abundance of misconceptions in nutrition.   You might have seen it and use it, but if not, you'll get a chuckle! 4.  Because of the class size, to begin getting acquainted I have used a series of polling questions and have generated bar graphs or word clouds with answers – why they are taking the class, majors, where from, favorite food, etc.….   I’ve also asked students to name a food they consider “healthy” and one they consider “unhealthy” (provides some humorous answers from a big group and gives me an opportunity to let them know that all foods can have a place in an overall healthy diet!).  5. If time permits after some opening engagement content, course orientation, and addressing questions, I’ve used some highlights from recent surveys as a sort of state of nutrition.     The International Food and Information Council’s annual Food and Health Survey   can provide relevant statistics about perceptions and practices surrounding food choice – I’ve sometimes posed the same question from the survey to the class as a polling question and then show the IFIC survey results for the nation.   Also see my last post about food trends for 2022 - that might generate good discussion as well!    Just a few ideas - every semester is a bit different!   Here is a First Day of Class resource from my   university's Center for Teaching.  What is your approach for the first day of class?! ... View more

Happy New Year!  What can we expect for food trends in 2022?  Food marketers and health professionals are weighing in on the top food and beverage trends for the coming year.  Among them is a term new to me, “reducetarianism” which refers to a gradual reduction (not elimination) of animal-based foods in favor of more plant-based foods.   Indeed, we’ll see more plant-based food products and meat-alternatives introduced to meet increased demand.  Other trends include functional beverages (think reduced sugar soda type with added probiotics, prebiotics and more), continued popularity of turmeric, and alcohol-free beverages or “mocktails” as people try to reduce the pandemic influenced alcohol intake.  The International Food and Information Council (IFIC) reports that wellness, nostalgia, innovation and new views of sustainability are among the food trends for 2022.  From a culinary perspective, the New York Times highlighted mushrooms as the ingredient of the year and a focus on regional flavors from India.   It might be interesting to poll students to predict what they feel will  be “hot” in the nutrition, diet, and food arena for 2022!   And how the pandemic has impacted and influenced food practices and perspectives.   ... View more

SO excited that the new digital update of our textbook, Nutrition for a Changing World, is now available!!  My co-author, Steve Nizielski, and I went through every chapter and spotlight to assure any warranted changes to reflect the newest edition of the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans were incorporated, plus updates in survey data, statistics, studies, and infographics.  And maybe most exciting is the offering is available through Macmillan Learning's breakthrough online platform ACHIEVE.  If you love Launchpad you'll love the new features and functionalities in Achieve.   Why not schedule a personal demo to get acquainted with all Achieve for nutrition has to offer!    You'll also be to see the new auto-graded AnalyzeMyDiet activities  that are now further enhanced based on feedback from instructors and students.  Happy new year!  Jamie ... View more

The Faculty Coffee Chat opened with a review of the Macmillan Teaching and Learning Nutrition Community. The authors post regularly with teaching tips and resources relevant to introductory nutrition along with updates on nutrition news and research. Nutrition faculty can visit Macmillan Learning Nutrition Community to access an array of resources and references. Attendees were shown a sampling of posts in the Nutrition Community including where to find resources and links for the new 2020 edition of the Dietary Guidelines as well as ideas for assignments, projects, and handouts.   Visit the Nutrition Community regularly for new posts!    Nancy Bradshaw, Macmillan Marketing Manager, gave a brief demo of the exciting new online platform ACHIEVE with features and functionalities that reflect feedback from instructors and students and built off Learning Science. ACHIEVE will be available for adoption for Spring 2022 semester. There are some great new features: Instructors can now select a fully pre-curated course (still editable) that provides a pre-built course framework or can build their own. Includes an eBook that can be highlighted and even read aloud! It also has an improved notetaking option that can be saved in a virtual notebook. The Real-World Nutrition activities have been re-envisioned and are now aligned with each chapter and spotlight!    iClicker is integrated with Achieve and students get it free! You can schedule a personal demo of Achieve to learn more at https://go.oncehub.com/AchieveDemos (scroll down to Nutrition) The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 and Digital Update version of the Nutrition for a Changing World 2e is available for use in Spring classes in January 2022! Jamie and Steve shared that they went through each chapter and spotlight for warranted updates related to the DGA as well as identifying and updating pertinent statistics, survey data, and infographics. This link provides an overview as well as how to find your publisher representative to learn more or acquire a review copy.   Scientific American Nutrition for a Changing World: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 & Digital Update   ... View more

As I think back over my 20 plus years of teaching introductory nutrition - usually to classes of 200 or more - the times we laughed together stand out.  Sometimes it was something I inadvertently said or did (some too embarrassing to share here!) or something a student shared (for example when asked about their childhood food "jags" one student share that his mom had to peel his hotdogs) or a humorous video that illustrated or added levity to a point or topic.  I loved seeing my students arrive in the classroom with a smile on their face - and to help maintain that smile.   I tried to not take myself too seriously, smile often (which isn't hard for me 😊 ), and tried to create a welcoming and warm environment to l et my students know I loved and honored the privilege of teaching.  Humor not only engages students, but can reinforce learning and relationship.   I enjoyed the ideas shared by instructors and researchers in this Faculty Focus Live Podcast  Creating Pockets of Joy, Humor, and Positivity in Your Face-to-Face and Online Class.   Would love to hear ways you make your students smile!   Use Reply below to let us know!   ... View more

After considering all the external nutrition related websites my students visited as part of assignments and activities across the weeks of a semester, I decided to put together a list as a hopefully handy document.   One goal of the introductory nutrition course is to expose and acquaint students with the many and varied credible web-based resources available to them - that they explore during the course, but can recall and refer to after the course.   These are integrated into weekly activities with specific questions that require accessing and engaging on the sites.   Many of the students are future health professionals so it is valuable, for example, to explore the  NIH vitamin and mineral factsheets  with quiz-based questions related to the Health Professional version of a fact sheet.   Or to visit the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, and the American Cancer Society to access disease risk tools or skim the nutrition resources available at these websites.  Might just help steer them to evidence-based information instead of just Googling for answers.  🙂   I was surprised at the number and variety of websites once I consolidated them on the attached!   You likely have additional helpful sites - use the reply link below to share!    ... View more

Coffee arguably tops the list of the most consumed beverages in the U.S. and in many countries around the globe. The health benefits or risks of coffee consumption is a frequent question and concern from my intro nutrition students over the years. Observational studies have found that coffee consumption is linked with decreased risk of a variety of inflammatory related diseases including type 2 diabetes, obesity, and certain types of cancer – and even reduction in all-cause mortality. Research and guidelines echo that intakes of 3-5 cups per day (about 400 mg. caffeine) appear not only to be safe, but potentially beneficial. It is important to note that intake of children and teens should be significantly less, if consumed at all. In addition, moderation is warranted for individuals sensitive to the effects of caffeine. The 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans cites popular coffee based sweetened beverages as a significant contributing source of added sugars in the U.S diet. Here’s a recent review of interest entitled Coffee consumption, health benefits and side effects: a narrative review and update for dietitians and nutritionists. ... View more

Here's a recap with topics discussed and links from the informative and interactive Faculty Chat on September 22! Opened with introductions of attendees and authors.   Polled attendees regarding whether teaching face-to-face, online, or hybrid.   More than half teaching online this semester.   Class sizes ranged from under 50 to over 200. Update about DGA and Media Update as well as Achieve (Macmillan's next-generation online learning system!).  Demo of Achieve including a curated version of the nutrition course will be available after October 1 and Achieve will be live in December in time for Spring semester.   Macmillan will help….Here is a link to FAQs and to find your book representative to schedule a demonstration.   Nutrition for a Changing World Media Update will include updates across the textbook, slides, and digital content regarding the new DGA as well as updates in stats, figures, and research.  In the interim, instructors can access resources about the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) in both Launchpad and the Nutrition Community.   In Launchpad can locate DGA resources on your course page.   Scroll down past chapters and you’ll see “Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025”.   The resources are hidden for students but can be accessed and downloaded by instructors for use and integration in to their courses.   Also available in the Nutrition Community.   Showed how to find Nutrition Community from the main Macmillan Teaching Learning page https://community.macmillanlearning.com/t5/macmillan-community/ct-p/college by clicking on the three lines in the upper left corner of the Macmillan Teaching Learning page and scrolling down to “Nutrition”.   Direct link here: https://community.macmillanlearning.com/t5/nutrition-community/gh-p/Nutrition-open-group    The authors post often with teaching tips, resources, and nutrition news.   Excellent resource with helpful tools and resources for nutrition faculty.   Regarding DGA resources in the Nutrition Community, can search “dietary guidelines” to locate recent post with resources.   These include two slide presentations that can be integrated into lecture slides or used alone – as well as a Voice Over PPTX.   Here is a link to post with DGA resources. Discussion around how instructors present the DGA in their classes.   Several faculty on the call shared their approaches as well as challenges.    Jamie teaches Chapter 2 that addresses the DGA (as well as food labeling) after covering other chapters in 1-9 (including the macro and micronutrients) so students have stronger foundation and context.  She would be happy to share her approach and syllabus with course schedule - email jamie.pope@vanderbilt.edu   Jamie shared a resource and assignment she uses where students explore food-based guidelines from around the globe and contrast to the US DGA.    http://www.fao.org/nutrition/education/food-dietary-guidelines/home/en/   Here is a link to where this assignment was discussed in a Nutrition Community post https://community.macmillanlearning.com/t5/nutrition-forum/food-based-guidelines-from-around-the-globe/m-p/12941 Steve introduced and shared ways to stay abreast of new nutrition research and news.   Link to post about sources of Nutrition News in Nutrition Community https://community.macmillanlearning.com/t5/nutrition-forum/nutrition-news-sources-for-faculty-and-students-where-do-you/m-p/15272 ... View more