NUTRITIONAL EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT - 2025/6
Module code: MHUM002
Module Overview
This module is designed to give students exposure to the practical methods of dietary and nutritional status assessment. Many of these techniques are used in clinical nutrition, nutrition research, surveys and individual and population monitoring. By the end of this module students will be able to critically evaluate the use and appropriateness of assessment methods in a variety of settings
Module provider
School of Biosciences
Module Leader
COLLINS Adam (Biosciences)
Number of Credits: 15
ECTS Credits: 7.5
Framework: FHEQ Level 7
Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A
Overall student workload
Workshop Hours: 8
Independent Learning Hours: 97
Seminar Hours: 4
Tutorial Hours: 10
Laboratory Hours: 6
Practical/Performance Hours: 9
Guided Learning: 10
Captured Content: 6
Module Availability
Semester 1
Prerequisites / Co-requisites
Attendance of MHUM001
Module content
This module is manly practical based, with some accompanying theoretical lectures/material
Content includes:
Principals of Nutritional Assessment
Dietary Assessment methods (including practical, assessments and role playing) -
Dietary Analysis
Measurement of energy expenditure and energy balance.
Body composition assessment
Gut transit, and Glyaemic index
Urinalysis
Blood lipid analysis
Assessment of trace elements
Statistical analysis and data presentation (use of Graphpad)
Scientific report writing
Assessment pattern
| Assessment type | Unit of assessment | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Practical based assessment | PERSONAL NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT (1500 WORDS) | 60 |
| Practical based assessment | SHORT REPORTS / PRACTICAL PROFORMAS | 40 |
Alternative Assessment
Re-assessments will be a reworking of the original coursework using the same data (or if required, provided class data).
Assessment Strategy
The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate
The application and interpretation of nutritional assessment techniques as applied to individual and group assessment.
Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:
- An individual energy balance report, incorporating dietary analysis
- A selection of assessment reports on group data
Formative assessment
This will will be gained through case study sessions and data analysis sessions.
A food portion size test
Feedback
Informal feedback during formative sessions. Instant marking of food portion size test. Written individual feedback provided within 3 weeks of summative assessment submission. Group feedback prior to 3 weeks from submission.
Module aims
- To appreciate the physiological and biochemical basis of nutritional status and how it may be altered in health and disease.
- To gain a working knowledge of common methods used for the assessment of nutritional status in humans.
- To be confident in the appropriate application and interpretation of a variety of techniques used to gauge nutritional status in individuals and groups.
Learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Understand the theoretical basis of nutritional status assessment and appreciate the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches used as way of nutritional evaluation | KC | E, D |
| 002 | Design, plan and undertake experiments incorporating a range of methodologies used by nutritional scientists | PT | E |
| 003 | Experience and reflect first hand, the perspective of the individual undergoing testing, and how this may impact on the significance of the information collected | PT | R, G |
| 004 | Critically appraise experimental findings in relation to scientific literature and communicate experimental findings clearly in written form with use of figures and tables as appropriate. | C | E, D |
| 005 | Gain a working knowledge and application of specific software, for statistical analysis (e.g. GraphPad) and nutritional analysis (E.g. Nutritics) | PT | D, E |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Methods of Teaching / Learning
Lectures, laboratory practicals, computer sessions, seminars and tutorials.
Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.
Reading list
https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MHUM002
Other information
How this module aligns to the 5 pillars of the curriculum
This module specifically features aspects of Digital Capabilities, Employability, and Resourcefulness & Resilience
Digital Capabilities: As with all modules, students are expected to engage with online material and resources via SurreyLearn, and other digital platforms. Within this module students are introduced to, and gain proficiency in, specific digital tools. These are for nutritional analysis (Nutritics) and statistical analysis and graph generation (GraphPad). Students are also encouraged to build on their skills in using standard applications such as excel to generate data and perform calculations as applied to nutritional assessment. The culmination in all this is to undertake, analyse and construct professional reports utilising both practical and digital tools. Students will also discuss and experience how technology developments (e.g., digital platforms and apps) may be used to enhance or help assessment of nutritional status on an individual or group/population level.
Employability: This module provides students with a working knowledge of key tools used by nutritionists in practice and in research. These tools will naturally be developed and refined over time with more experience and will be built on in subsequent modules on the programme (MHUM007 and MHUM013). The module continues to build on ability to collect analyse, present, and critically evaluate findings on individuals that are a key transferable skill sought by employers.
Resourcefulness and Resilience: The approach of this module is one where students are experiencing the methods of assessment from both theeh “client/patient/participant” perspective and the “practitioner/examiner/researchers” perspective. As a cohort, all students will experience this together, sharing experiences, providing support and empathy, and supporting each other practically. Through the practical elements, the assessments and roleplaying students are able to draw upon and develop their own resourcefulness and problem solving and building their own confidence and self-efficacy. They will also develop an appreciation of barriers and challenges people face because of being interviewed assessed, and how these may be overcome, though an appreciation of their personal experiences, and the shared experiences of the collective cohort.
Global and cultural capabilities: as in other modules within your programme, you will be working with peers from a variety of different backgrounds, cultures, and countries of origin, working together within teams towards common goals. This affords students the ability to share strengths, and support others through experiences and background.
Programmes this module appears in
| Programme | Semester | Classification | Qualifying conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Nutrition MSc(CORE) | 1 | Core | Each unit of assessment must be passed at 50% to pass the module |
Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.