REPORT ON PROGRAMME VALIDATION Q 3. School of Biological Sciences, College of Sciences and Health

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1 REPORT ON PROGRAMME VALIDATION Q 3 Part 1 details Programme Proposed titles Proposing School BSc (Hons) Public Health Nutrition School of Biological Sciences, College of Sciences and Health Nature and duration of programme Modular programme, four academic years full-time DIT awards sought BSc (Hons) Public Health Nutrition, with classifications of First Class Honours; Second Class Honours, Upper Division; Second Class Honours, Lower Division; and Pass BSc (Ord) in Nutrition, unclassified Parallel award sought from other award body None **Derogations from the DIT assessment regulations are required** Background There is a growing appreciation of the role of nutrition in public health amongst health professionals, industry, the general public, and at Government level and hence a growing demand for reputable courses in Public Health Nutrition. The School of Biological Sciences has recognised strength and expertise in the area of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. Strategically buildings on this, the School has developed this programme. Stated aims and learning outcomes of the programme: The aim of this programme is to produce a graduate competent to practice at entry level as a Public Health Nutritionist or to work as a nutrition expert in the industrial and/or private sector. Competence will be developed based on theoretical knowledge, the application of the core sciences to human nutrition, the development of scientific and analytical skills and the integration of theory and practice. On successful completion of the BSc (Hons) programme the student will have: Knowledge and Understanding of Subject K1 A detailed knowledge and understanding of a wide range of core topics in the biological sciences including biochemistry, cell biology, clinical chemistry, food safety, immunology, molecular biology, public health microbiology and physiology; K2 An ability to integrate knowledge and understanding of nutritional science and the influence of nutrition on health and disease; K3 An ability to integrate knowledge and understanding of nutrition and the application of this knowledge for the prevention of disease, both locally and globally; K4 A broad knowledge and understanding of the biological, nutritional and molecular basis and epidemiology of disease; K5 A broad knowledge and understanding of communications theory, behavioural science and social policy; K6 A clear understanding of different research methods that can be used to collect, interpret, manipulate and analyse diet, nutrition and related information and be able to select those most appropriate for addressing a given problem; K7 A detailed knowledge of current food and health legislation structures and the role of the nutritionist in industry and the community and a familiarity with the legal and 1

2 ethical boundaries of practice, including the role of the Department of Health and Children and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, and relevant European and international bodies. Intellectual Qualities I1 Synthesize and summarize information from a wide range of sources and draw reasoned conclusions with particular reference to nutritional issues; I2 Use the principles of scientific enquiry to conduct and independently evaluate research within the area of human nutrition that will inform practice; I3 Appreciate the importance of reflecting on actions taken and modify practice as appropriate, and understand the need for Continuous Professional Development; I4 Recognise the moral and ethical issues associated with the practice of Nutrition and be acquainted with the need for ethical standards and professional codes of conduct; I5 Have developed a view of the relevance of their field of study to the health service and society at large. Professional/Practical Skills P1 Work professionally within current codes of Professional Practice in a competent and confident manner as a graduate Public Health Nutritionist; P2 Demonstrate the ability to evaluate and integrate evidence and information from a range of sources as a prelude to planning nutritional management; P3 Demonstrate the ability to satisfactorily apply the knowledge, concepts and skills learned during their studies while working in a variety of community and industrial settings and to formulate appropriate nutritional plans/policy based on appropriate data and demonstrating safe practice at all times; P4 Act in a consistently professional manner in order to deliver the highest standards of service delivery in a wide variety of settings; P5 Demonstrate the ability to work effectively as a member of a team and to critically evaluate their own contribution to the work of the team; P6 Draw on their understanding of health promotion, public health nutrition and population health principles and approaches to appreciate the development, implementation, support and evaluation of initiatives to promote good health. Transferable Skills T1 Demonstrate Information Technology and computing skills to search and access information from a wide range of sources to enable effective and evidence based practice; T2 Communicate effectively with the public and colleagues in a variety of settings using the most appropriate forms of communication and other interpersonal skills necessary for effective public health nutrition practice by translating scientific research on nutrition, health and disease into practical advice empowering individuals and groups to make appropriate lifestyle and dietary changes; T3 Demonstrate initiative and independence and be able to manage time and resources effectively when undertaking tasks and problem-solving in professional practice; T4 Reflect on their professional role, including self-assessment, and prioritise their work effectively to meet the needs of changing circumstances and work demands; T5 Deliver evidence-based practice, problem solving and clinical reasoning within a multi professional workforce; 2

3 T6 Demonstrate skills in conducting a wide range of scientific experiments and in the recording, analysis and critical interpretation of data; T7 Demonstrate the ability to carry out an individual scientific research project under supervision, including an appreciation of the significance of the research project results and the effective communication of the outcomes. Programme structure: The programme is offered in a modular format over four academic years, full-time. Year four comprises a 9 month work placement. Entry Requirements: Minimum requirements for entry to the programme are as follows: Irish Leaving Certificate or equivalent in six subjects with Grade C3 or higher in Mathematics, Grade D3 in English or Irish and a C3 or higher in at least three subjects, one of which must be Chemistry. Student assessment In accordance with the General Assessment Regulations. Derogation from the regulations is sought in respect of the classification of the award as follows: First Class Honours: 70% - 100%; Second Class Honours, First Division: 65% - 69%; Second Class Honours, Second Division: 60% - 64%; Pass: 50% - 59% Students will be permitted two attempts only at Practice Placement BIOL2705 and Professional Placement BIOL4705. Students will be permitted four attempts only for the remaining modules. To pass a module, a candidate must attain 50% of the overall maximum marks available for the module and must achieve a minimum mark of 43% in both the continuous assessment or the summative assessment components. Students will not be permitted to carry modules. Part 2 Accreditation Details and Membership of Accreditation Panel Friday, 9 th November 2012 Venue: Boardroom, DIT Kevin St hrs Refreshments (tea/coffee) served. Introductory meeting between Panel and the Director of Sciences and Health, Head of School and staff from the School of Biological Sciences and brief presentation regarding proposed programme hrs Private meeting of Panel to discuss agenda hrs Meeting of Panel with Head of School, Chairperson and appropriate members of the Programme Committee to discuss specific issues raised by the Panel hrs Refreshments (tea/coffee) served. Meeting of Panel with staff teaching on the programmes to discuss such matters as syllabi, teaching methods and assessment issues hrs Lunch hrs Panel visits facilities available to the programme at Kevin Street hrs Private meeting of Panel to consider draft report. 3

4 16.00 hrs Final meeting of Panel with the Director and Head of School and appropriate staff from the School of Biological Sciences Membership of Validation Panel Internal Members Mark Mc Grath Dept. of Manufacturing Engineering, DIT Bolton St. Dublin 1 Timothy Hogan School of Physics, DIT Kevin Street, Dublin 2 External Members Professor Brian Ratcliffe Dr Yvonne Finnegan Officer Ms Nicole O Neill Robert Gordon University, Scotland Nutrition Consultancy, Reading, UK Quality Assurance Officer, Part 3 Comments on documentation and arrangements for event Documentation provided Programme Document including critical appraisal, programme structure, and rationale of the programme, as well as core component and staff details. Briefing notes provided Extracts from the Handbook for Quality Enhancement setting out procedures and other matters associated with the review. Part 4 Findings of the Panel Recommendations of Panel in relation to award sought The panel would like to commend the staff on their well thought-out and comprehensive programme documentation and their enthusiasm for the programme. The programme management includes students at each stage of the programme and this is to be commended. The Panel is pleased to recommend to Academic Council approval of the BSc in Public Health Nutrition, at level 8 within the National Framework of Qualifications, with the following recommendations Recommendations The panel strongly recommends that the Behavioural Science and Communications modules should be rewritten to be more specific in relation to learning outcomes, module content and assessment. The School should review each of the module descriptors to see how each module will best serve the Public Health Nutrition programme and to improve the details provided on assessment with particular attention paid to the use of the term formative assessment, to amend the module learning outcomes to better reflect what is being taught and to ensure that they are measurable and to update the reading lists. When this is completed review the overlap in module content. The panel understands the enormous administrative burden placed on the College to organise these work placements and has concerns for the work load placed on academic staff. The panel strongly recommends that further consideration is given by the College to how the placement will be 4

5 supported and provides sufficient administrative support for this activity. A work placement officer should be appointed to co-ordinate the placement process and to support staff and students. The panel strongly recommends that the extension of the Biology laboratory should be prioritised in order to facilitate the additional students and enhance resource deployment. Consideration should be given by the College to making available more large lecture theatres to accommodate larger class sizes. Details on how students are prepared for the work placement should be included in the programme document. The careers office could be asked to deliver CV preparation and job interview workshops and discussion with students on the expectations of employers. The School needs to reflect on the profile of the BSc Public Health Nutrition and put in place a strategy that will mitigate against students feeling that they are secondary to other programmes within the School. P18 Section 1.7 is incorrect and should be completely rewritten. The Nutrition Society is a learned society. AfN is the professional body for nutritionists and Public Health Nutrition accreditation has ceased. Consideration should be given to utilising specialist guest lecturers to enhance the delivery of modules. Further consideration should be given to which modules cannot be used for compensation e.g. Nutrition modules in year 3. Consideration should be given to asking 4 th year students to present on their placement to 2 nd & 3 rd year students. For the first groups of students going out on work placement, industry professionals should be invited to present to students. Move all elements of Microbiology Safety e.g. BSE and prions from the Global Food Issues modules to the Public Health Microbiology module and include more emphasis on nutritional issues in emerging markets e.g. Latin American, China, Russia. The Public Health Microbiology should include epidemiology of the outbreak of food borne disease e.g the Pennington Enquiry The programme committee should work closely with the Invention, Innovation and Commercialisation lecturer to produce appropriate case study examples on IP using Nutrition and the module could be amended to put more emphasis on marketing and the innovation process within the food industry. Separate workshops should be offered for students on this programme. The formula for the classification of the award should be reconsidered to include all third & fourth year modules and submitted to AQAC for approval (credit-based in the GARs) Develop a suitable grading structure to include appropriate weightings so that the work placement supervisor can effectively contribute to the grading of the students and that excellence is recognised from placement students. The industrial supervisor should conduct another formal appraisal with the student half way through the placement and submit to the academic supervisor. A midterm review between the academic supervisor and the student should be conducted. 5

6 The module Molecular Nutrition should be amended to ensure it covers Mitochondrial DNA and Matrilineal Inheritance. The module Research Methods should include study of effect size, systematic literature reviews and meta-analysis. More explicitly demonstrate how transferable skills are developed within students throughout the programme. Keep under active consideration the optimal timing for the work placement for this programme. The programme document should be edited to remove all editorial inconsistencies. 6