Dr. Danita S. Kelley; 209D Academic Complex; 745-6356
Web address          http://www.wku.edu/~danita.kelley
E-mail          Danita.Kelley@wku.edu

Links to reading material/class notes

Lectures: TR 9:35-10:55, Academic Complex 301

Office Hours: MW 10:15-11:45 and TR 11:00-12:00.  Additional office hours are available by appointment. You are encouraged to schedule an appointment. Please do not hesitate to approach me with questions or concerns.

Required Text:
Monsen E.R. Research, successful approaches, 2nd edition. The American Dietetic Association, 2003.

Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify various types of research.
• Be familiar with tools, such as computer data bases, for reviewing and obtaining research literature.
• Identify and discuss the various components of research literature.
• Critically read and evaluate scientific literature pertinent to the area of dietetics.
• Be familiar with the ethics of conducting and presenting research.
• Apply current research information and methods to dietetic practice.
• Identify nutritional information for a minority/ethnic group or individual.

Teaching Methods:  This course will involve the completion of reading assignments, participation in class discussion, and completion of varied writing assignments.  Reading assignments and attending class will be very important to your understanding of the class topics.

Special Instructional Materials:  Various reading assignments will be placed on reserve in the resource room (3rd floor computer lab) of the Academic Complex.  Other reading assignments will be posted on the internet and may be accessed online via the course syllabus.

Academic Dishonesty Policy:  Students will be expected to do his/her own work for exams.  Failure to comply with this policy will result in a failing grade for the exam and, perhaps, the course.  Please note WKU's policy (WKU Catalog, 2005-2007, p. 26.):  “Students who commit any act of academic dishonesty may receive from the instructor a failing grade in that portion of the course work in which the act is detected or a failing grade in the course without possibility of withdrawal. The faculty member may also present the case to the Office of the Dean of Student Life for disciplinary sanctions.” Academic Dishonest may include the following:

Plagiarism: "To represent written work taken from another source as one's own is plagiarism.  Plagiarism is a serious offense.  The academic work of a student must be his/her own.  One must give any author credit for source material borrowed.  To lift content directly from a source without giving credit is a flagrant act.  To present a borrowed passage without reference to the source after having changed a few words is also plagiarism."  For exact sentences or passages taken from another source/author, QUOTATION MARKS should be used (unless a statement clearly identifying that the sentence/passage is an exact excerpt from another source is provided).

Disabilities Statement:  In compliance with university policy, students with disabilities who require accommodations (academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids or services) for this course must contact the Office for Student Disability Services in DUC A-200 of the Student Success Center in Downing University Center. Please DO NOT request accommodations directly from the professor or instructor without a letter of accommodation from the Office for Student Disability Services.

GRADING (number of assignments and total points possible are subject to change) :
 

Class presentations :   1 @ 20 points; 1 @ 10 pts	30
Write-up for single article presentation	10
Class participation/Professionalism	10
Quizzes: 2 @ 10 points each	20
Exam	100
Research Proposal	150
Attendance	refer to policy below
Potential other assignments	(20-40 points)
Total Points	320 (340-360)

EXAM

• There will be a midterm worth 100 points. The exam will cover all material discussed in class, all class-related activities and assigned chapters in the book.
• The exam will be multiple choice, true/false, matching, essay and short answer. The exam will be given back for review. You are encouraged to review questions you miss on the exam.
• Students must be present for all exams/quizzes. Missed exams/quizzes will result in a failure of the exam/quiz. Makeup exams/quizzes will not be given except in very extenuating circumstances. Extenuating circumstances include the student's sickness or serious illness or death of an immediate family member. Athletes and students who accompany athletic teams for official purposes will also be excused for documented games/meets out-of-town. In all cases, documentation must be provided to substantiate the absence.
• When appropriate, makeup exams will be given at the end of the semester, during finals week, by appointment only.

• Participation in class discussions is required.
• Participation will be considered when the final grade is determined.
• Attendance will be assessed in the very beginning of class. If you arrive after attendance has been assessed, it is incumbent on you, to indicate you were late at the end of class.  Absences will be excused for illness only when the student provides a medical note stating the student was unable to attend class or provides another means of validating the illness (accepted at the discretion of the instructor). Absences for any other reasons will be excused at the discretion of the instructor and will require proper documentation.
• CLASS PARTICIPATION/PROFESSIONALISM: You will be expected to have read assignments BEFORE they are discussed in class and to be able to DISCUSS the topics. Failure to contribute to class discussions will negatively affect your participation grade. You may be given the responsibility to lead class discussions at various time points.

CLASS PRESENTATION & WRITE-UP:!!!   READ THIS   !!!

• For a topic dealing with Cultural/Ethnic/Minority specifics/differences you will be expected to do a presentation on a current research article (within last 3 years).
• You will be expected to provide the instructor with a copy of the article at least one class period before your presentation.
• In addition to the presentation you will be expected to turn in a summary and critique of the article presented. The write-up should be about 1.5 to 2 pages in length.
• Grading: presentation = 20 points, write-up = 10 points
• The presentation will involve use of a research article in the area of nutrition/dietetics.
• Students should use PowerPoint and other any other helpful professional visual aids in the presentation.
• Background information, the purpose of the research project, the methodology, results, author's conclusions, and a critique of the paper should be included in the presentation AND in the write-up.  You need visuals for ALL aspects of the presentation.

For a detailed description of your PROJECT click HERE!

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Last Modified:  January 11, 2007
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