Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

NFS 6030 Nutritional Biochemistry Micronutrient Syllabus

NFS 6030-30I

Course: NFS 6030-30I
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: ASNS
CRN: 33801

Course Description

Principles of micronutrient metabolism, including function, toxicity, and deficiency. Micronutrients in the physiopathology of chronic disease; sources of micronutrients and factors affecting nutrient bioavailability. Impact of disease and/or genetics on nutrient function and nutrient requirement; role of fortification, enrichment, and/or supplementation of micronutrients in the food supply and on health outcomes including global impacts of nutrient deficiencies. (Spring) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): Nutrition and Dietetics students only

Required Texts

Required Text: Advanced Nutrition & Human Metabolism 8th Ed. By Gropper

The following article (click on the PDF option it is usually easier to read that way:              

Time out: should vitamin D dosing be based on patient's body mass index (BMI): a prospective controlled study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8727721/


                      

Learning Outcomes

ACEND Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to understand and apply the following concepts: 
●       Research methodology, interpretation of research literature and integration of research principles into evidence-based practice
●       Global Nutrition 
●       To provide detailed information on the structure, function, digestion, transport, storage, and metabolism of the micronutrients.

Course Requirements

Grading

Point Breakdown:
 | Exams 1-5 | 100 each time 5 = 500 points
 | KRDN 1.3 Vitamin D articles interpretation assignment (write up) | 30 points (no late work accepted)
 | End of chapter quizzes | 10 points per quiz except the B-vitamin quiz is worth 20 pts. = 130 points (no late work accepted)
 | Total points | 660 points

Grading Scale: (based on percent)
A > 93, A- > 90 
B+ > 87, B > 83, B- > 80
C+ > 77, C > 73, C- > 70
D+ > 67, D > 63, D- > 60
F <60%

Additional information
1.  Quiz assignment: This quiz assignment is described in Canvas in the module section. It is your responsibility to read it. Quizzes cannot be taken late for points.

2.  Examinations: There will be five exams during the semester. Exams will be taken on the dates scheduled in the syllabus. All exams will be taken in the testing center. Exams will be multiple choice. 
       You will not be allowed to take an exam after the scheduled date. IF you cannot take the test on the scheduled date, you will need to make prior arrangements with me. You need to let me know at least a week in advance of the day that you want to take the exam. This will have to be done in email. In that email, make sure to put the day you would like to take the exam and what section you are in. Also, provide a reason why the test needs to be taken earlier. Do not email me more than one week before you need to take the exam. If your request is earlier than I can accommodate you, then I may have to give you an older version of the exam. That older exam may not always reflect the material that we are covering. Sometimes I may not be able to accommodate your request. 
       Sometimes you cannot plan certain things happening, which may affect you taking the exam on the scheduled day. For example, emergencies such as being admitted to the hospital, giving birth, etc. If this happens, you may need to provide proof of the event and work with the DRC. If you are sick the day of an exam, you must contact me as soon as possible, and you must have proof from a doctor that you are too sick to attend.

3.  Emailing me: I will respond to emails within 48 hours. If received on the weekend I will respond on Monday. Make sure to email me at schmidt@suu.edu not Canvas! If it is an emergency I will try to contact you as fast as possible.  

4.         Office hours: All of my office hours are on Zoom. Here is the link for those office hours: https://suu-edu.zoom.us/j/92497042717?pwd=urxR7s6wxJJyYnlspPUTvZDjaTjhzr.1
            You will be put into a waiting room when you enter. There may be others in front of you, and Zoom does not let you know that, so you just have to be patient. I will get to you when I can.  There will be times that I will have to miss office hours due to other university commitments. This does not happen too often, but I apologize in advance. 
            After each exam, you cannot look over the older exams, just the one that was taken. For example, when you have taken exam 2, you can no longer look over exam 1. If you want to come in and look over your exam, you will need to email me 24 hours prior so that I can get it ready for you. Thanks.

Course Outline

NFS 6030 Calendar & Due dates

Class dates: August 27th – December 11th 

Exams, quizzes, and KRDN assignment:
 

Exam 1 (Take exam on September 15 or 16th)
o Exam 1 covers: Zinc, Vitamin C, & Vitamin E
 All quizzes must be finished by September 14th before they close.
• Zinc quiz
• Vitamin C quiz
• Vitamin E quiz

Exam 2 (Take exam on October 2nd or 3rd)
o Exam 2 covers: Magnesium, Calcium, & Vitamin D
 All quizzes must be finished by October 1st before they close.
• Magnesium quiz
• Calcium quiz
• Vitamin D quiz
 Assignment: Vitamin D KRDN 1.3 (not a quiz) Due Date: September 26th

Exam 3 (Take exam on October 22nd or 23rd)
o Exam 3 covers: Vitamin A and B12
 All quizzes must be finished by October 21st before they close.
• Vitamin A quiz
• B12 quiz

Exam 4 (Take exam on November 13 or 14th)
o Exam 4 covers: Vitamin K & Iron
 All quizzes must be finished by November 12th before they close.
• Iron quiz (iron is long lecture with a lot of information)
• Vitamin K quiz

Exam 5 (Take exam on December 10 or 11th)
o Exam 5 covers: Iodine, B vitamins, & epigenetics
 All quizzes must be finished by December 9th before they close.
• Iodine quiz 
• B vitamins quiz (This does not include B12. This is long lecture with a lot of information)

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Quiz assignment and KRDN: This quiz assignment is described in Canvas in the module section. It is your responsibility to read it. Quizzes cannot be taken late for points
No late work accepted for the KRDN or the Quiz assignment. 

Attendance Policy

Attendance is not required; however, it is highly recommended. Grade in the class is highly correlated with attendance. 

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.