Outline

Overview

This unit is designed to help students develop professional communication and organisation/management skills that will enable them to work effectively as dietitians. Dietitians work in varied environments - within private and government organisations, industry and in private practice; within teams and as sole practioners. Interpersonal, individual and group communication, as well as professional, management, organisational and general business skills are required in all of these areas. This unit of study introduces communication, management, group dynamics and behavioural theory to dietetics students. Students will have the opportunity to apply these through practical examples in class and by the completion of assessment tasks. This unit has three (3) components namely Business, Small Group Education and Interpersonal Communication and each component has an specific assignment. There are no exams in this unit.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Nursing and Midwifery
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	NTDT5601 and NTDT5602 and NTDT5503
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Fiona O'Leary, fiona.oleary@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Margaret Allman-Farinelli, margaret.allman-farinelli@sydney.edu.au
	Merryl Ireland, merryl.ireland@sydney.edu.au
	Fiona O'Leary, fiona.oleary@sydney.edu.au
	Margaret Simpson, margaret.nicholson@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Business plan Identify a business opportunity and create a plan for implementation	35%	Week 06	12 pages
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Nutrition education resource Create educational material	35%	Week 07	600 word social media blog post
Outcomes assessed:
Creative assessment / demonstration	Interpreter assessment Demonstration	0%	Week 08	Skills using an interpreter
Outcomes assessed:
Creative assessment / demonstration	SGE live skills (Adult education skills) Presentation	30%	Week 11	10 mins
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Nutrition education resource: In this task you will use your nutrition knowledge as well as behavoural theory to develop a social media blog post to provide nutrition information to a designated client group. This is an individual assignment.

Business plan: This task integrates learning from workshops, tutorials and the results of your own research and ideas to develop a plan for a new dietetic business or to enhance a current dietetic service. This is a group assignment.

Small group education (SGE) live skills (Adult education): During this task, each student will present a short part of an education session showcasing behaviour change strategies used in dietetics. Other students will role play the target audience. This is an individual assignment.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school

Distinction

75 - 84

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Credit

65 - 74

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school

Pass

50 - 64

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	IPC 1: The Nutrition Care Process; BM 1: Health systems and organisational structures in dietetics; OLET1101 Aboriginal Sydney and OLET 1103 Cultural competence fundamentals on-line module	Lecture and tutorial (9 hr)
Week 02	IPC 2: The Nutrition Care Process; BM 2 Finance, budgets and record keeping in dietetics	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 03	IPC 3: The Nutrition Care Process; BM 3: Private practice in dietetics	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 03	IPC 4: Inter-professional learning (IPL)	Lecture and tutorial (2 hr)
Week 04	IPC 5: Social media skills; BM 4: Quality management and evaluation of risk in dietetics	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 05	Behavioural Science 1; BM 5: Marketing in dietetics	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 06	Behavioural Science 2 and 3;	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 07	Behavoural Science 4; Adult learning 1	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 08	IPC 6: Using an interpreter; Adult learning 2	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 09	Adult Learning 3 and 4	Lecture and tutorial (6 hr)
Week 10	BM 6: Conflict resolution skills	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 12	BM 7: Leadership skills workshop	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 13	Placement orientation	Lecture and tutorial (4 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Due to the exceptional circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance requirements for this unit of study have been amended. Where online tutorials/workshops/virtual laboratories have been scheduled, students should make every effort to attend and participate at the scheduled time. Penalties will not be applied if technical issues, etc. prevent attendance at a specific online class. In that case, students should discuss the problem with the coordinator, and attend another session, if available.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, are available on Canvas or through reference citations on lecture slides.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Demonstrate an appreciation of the determinants of communication, including the impact of personal beliefs and styles.
LO2. Demonstrate socially and culturally appropriate communication skills in professional as well as individual client and group settings.
LO3. Understand and apply the Nutrition Care Process (NCP) to guide Nutrition and Dietetics counselling and education.
LO4. Describe behaviour change theories commonly applied in Nutrition and Dietetics.
LO5. Describe and apply behaviour change techniques (taxonomy) in the practice of Nutrition and Dietetics.
LO6. Understand behaviourally based therapy as applied in Nutrition and Dietetics.
LO7. Develop a business plan for a new dietetic business or service within an existing organisation that is compliant with all legal and ethical requirements.
LO8. Describe strategies businesses use to maintain and enhance performance e.g. marketing, risk management and quality improvement processes.
LO9. Understand the benefits of personal skill development in leadership and conflict resolution.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Alignment with Competency standards

Outcomes	Competency standards
	National Competency Standards for Dietitians in Australia (2015) - 1.5.1. Reflects on own culture, values and beliefs and their influence on practice. 1.5.2. Seeks out culturally specific information to inform practice. 1.5.3. Works respectfully with individuals, groups and/or populations from different cultures. 2.1.1. Collects, analyses and interprets relevant health, medical, cultural, social, psychological, economic, personal, environmental, dietary intake, and food supply data in determining nutritional status. 2.3.2. Displays effective active listening, interviewing and interpersonal skills to better understand perspectives of clients, carers, groups and key stakeholders to inform approaches and influence change. 4.1. Communicates appropriately with individuals, groups, organisations and communities from various cultural, socio- economic, organisational and professional backgrounds. 4.1.1. Practises in a manner that encompasses the needs, preferences and perspectives of others. 4.1.2. Demonstrates empathy and establishes trust and rapport to build an effectiven relationship with client, carers, families, colleagues, community and other key stakeholders. 4.3. Collaborates within and across teams effectively
	National Competency Standards for Dietitians in Australia (2015) - 1.5.2. Seeks out culturally specific information to inform practice. 1.5.3. Works respectfully with individuals, groups and/or populations from different cultures. 2.2.5. Applies a socio-ecological approach to the development of strategies to improve nutrition and health. 2.3.2. Displays effective active listening, interviewing and interpersonal skills to better understand perspectives of clients, carers, groups and key stakeholders to inform approaches and influence change. 4.1.1. Practises in a manner that encompasses the needs, preferences and perspectives of others. 4.1.2. Demonstrates empathy and establishes trust and rapport to build an effectiven relationship with client, carers, families, colleagues, community and other key stakeholders. 4.1.4. Adapts and tailors communication appropriately for specific audiences. 4.2.1. Shares information with and acts as a resource person for colleagues, community and other agencies. 4.3.1. Promotes a high standard of nutrition care, while respecting the goals and roles of clients and other professionals, key stakeholders or groups. 4.3.3. Shares responsibility for team action, recognising the diverse roles and responsibilities other team members play.
	National Competency Standards for Dietitians in Australia (2015) - 2.1. Applies an evidence-based approach to nutrition and dietetics services 2.1.1. Collects, analyses and interprets relevant health, medical, cultural, social, psychological, economic, personal, environmental, dietary intake, and food supply data in determining nutritional status. 2.1.2. Makes appropriate nutrition diagnoses and identifies priority nutrition issues based on all available information. 2.1.3. Prioritises key issues, formulates goals and objectives and prepares goal oriented plans in collaboration with patient/client or carer, community/population/service, other members of the health care team, key stakeholders and partners. 2.2.1. Applies an approach to practice that recognises the multi-factorial and interconnected determinants influencing nutrition and health. 2.2.3. Acknowledges the multiple factors that influence food choice and the provision of service. 2.2.5. Applies a socio-ecological approach to the development of strategies to improve nutrition and health. 3.1. Uses best available evidence to inform practice 3.1.1. Adopts a questioning and critical approach in all aspects of practice.
	National Competency Standards for Dietitians in Australia (2015) - 2.2.1. Applies an approach to practice that recognises the multi-factorial and interconnected determinants influencing nutrition and health. 2.2.3. Acknowledges the multiple factors that influence food choice and the provision of service. 2.3.2. Displays effective active listening, interviewing and interpersonal skills to better understand perspectives of clients, carers, groups and key stakeholders to inform approaches and influence change. 3.1. Uses best available evidence to inform practice
	National Competency Standards for Dietitians in Australia (2015) - 2.1.3. Prioritises key issues, formulates goals and objectives and prepares goal oriented plans in collaboration with patient/client or carer, community/population/service, other members of the health care team, key stakeholders and partners. 4.2.1. Shares information with and acts as a resource person for colleagues, community and other agencies.
	National Competency Standards for Dietitians in Australia (2015) - 2.1. Applies an evidence-based approach to nutrition and dietetics services 2.1.3. Prioritises key issues, formulates goals and objectives and prepares goal oriented plans in collaboration with patient/client or carer, community/population/service, other members of the health care team, key stakeholders and partners. 2.2.1. Applies an approach to practice that recognises the multi-factorial and interconnected determinants influencing nutrition and health. 2.3.2. Displays effective active listening, interviewing and interpersonal skills to better understand perspectives of clients, carers, groups and key stakeholders to inform approaches and influence change. 3.1.3. Applies problem-solving skills to create realistic solutions to nutrition problems or issues.
	National Competency Standards for Dietitians in Australia (2015) - 1.2.1. Exercises professional duty of care in accordance with relevant codes of conduct, ethical requirements and other accepted protocols. 1.2.3. Prepares appropriate documentation according to accepted standards. 1.4.1. Applies organisational, business and management skills in the practice of nutrition and dietetics (effective time, workload and resource management). 1.4.2. Utilises suitable evaluation tools to review effectiveness of practice. 1.4.3. Identifies and assesses risks, follows risk management protocols and develops basic risk management strategies for services. 1.4.5. Applies the principles of marketing to promote healthy eating and influence dietary change. 3.1.3. Applies problem-solving skills to create realistic solutions to nutrition problems or issues. 4.3.2. Participates in collaborative decision making, shared responsibility, and shared vision within a team. 4.3.3. Shares responsibility for team action, recognising the diverse roles and responsibilities other team members play.
	National Competency Standards for Dietitians in Australia (2015) - 1.2.1. Exercises professional duty of care in accordance with relevant codes of conduct, ethical requirements and other accepted protocols. 1.3.2. Develops and maintains a credible professional role by commitment to excellence of practice. 1.4.1. Applies organisational, business and management skills in the practice of nutrition and dietetics (effective time, workload and resource management). 1.4.3. Identifies and assesses risks, follows risk management protocols and develops basic risk management strategies for services. 1.4.5. Applies the principles of marketing to promote healthy eating and influence dietary change.
	National Competency Standards for Dietitians in Australia (2015) - 1.1.4. Shows a commitment to professional development and conduct and lifelong learning. 1.1.6. Accepts responsibility for own actions. 1.3.1. Uses negotiation and conflict resolution skills when required. 1.3.2. Develops and maintains a credible professional role by commitment to excellence of practice.

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Assignment weighting was modified in 2020. Improvements to make the unit more applicable to current dietetic practice are made each year.

Additional information

Work, health and safety

We are governed by the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 and Codes of Practice. Penalties for non-compliance have increased. Everyone has a responsibility for health and safety at work. The University’s Work Health and Safety policy explains the responsibilities and expectations of workers and others, and the procedures for managing WHS risks associated with University activities.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Alignment with Competency standards

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

NTDT5604: Dietetics Professional Studies

Semester 1, 2021 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Alignment with Competency standards

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect