Program Overview

Program Details

The program details for the university are as follows:

Study at ACU

• Find a course
  • New courses
  • ACU Online
  • Course types explained
  • Course guides
  • Core Curriculum
• Why study at ACU
• How to apply
  • Undergraduate students
  • Postgraduate students
  • Short courses and individual units
• Education pathways
• Admission pathways
  • Find your pathway or entry program
  • I have completed military service
  • I am Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
• Undergraduate study at ACU
• Non School Leavers at ACU
• Postgraduate study at ACU
• International study at ACU
• Research study at ACU
• Study overseas
• Fees and scholarships
  • Domestic student fees
  • International student fees
  • Scholarships
  • Financing your studies
• Responding to an offer
  • Accept your offer and enrol
  • Orientation
  • Defer your offer or withdraw
  • Credit and prior learning
  • Leadership academy
• Important dates
• Future students events
• Career advisors
• How parents can help
• Faith and Values
• Student forms

International Students

• ACU中文官网
• Access International Course Guide online
• Download student guides
• Student and alumni stories
• International student scholarships
• How to apply
  • Study undergraduate
  • Study postgraduate
  • Study research
  • Study English
• English and pathway programs
  • Diploma programs
  • Foundation Studies
  • Tertiary Preparation Program (Health Sciences)
• Study abroad and exchange
  • Semester programs
• Gateway to ACU
• Arriving and living in Australia
  • Accommodation options
  • Student visas
• International student fees
• Find an ACU-approved agent
• Meet ACU in your country
• International partners
• Contact us - ACU International

Student Life

• Experience uni before you start
  • Experience ACU
  • Explore your local campus
  • Open Day
• Student stories
• ACU Thrive
• Campus facilities
  • Food, drink and recreation facilities
  • Learning and teaching facilities
  • Sports, health and wellbeing facilities
• Student safety
• Student services
  • Academic skills development
  • Campus ministry
  • Career development services
  • Connect2Uni
  • First year students
  • Counselling services
  • Disability support
  • Medical centres
  • Student advocacy
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student services
  • Student Veterans Support Program
• Library
• Clubs, activities and student associations
  • Student associations
  • Clubs and societies
  • Creative and cultural activities
  • Leadership opportunities
• ACU Sport
  • Gyms, fitness classes and facilities
  • Sports clubs and activities
  • UniSport
  • Social sport and sport facilities
  • Elite Athlete and Performer Program
• Gain work experience
• Student accommodation
  • Rental Advisory Service
  • Student Accommodation Scholarships
• Graduation

Locations

• Ballarat
• Blacktown
• Brisbane
• Canberra
• Melbourne
• North Sydney
• Rome
• Strathfield
• ACU Online
• Community event spaces and venue hire
  • The Gaudete Centre, Brisbane
  • The Greg Craven Centre, Melbourne
  • The Peter Cosgrove Centre, North Sydney
  • The Veritas Building
  • Strathfield STEM Centre of Education Excellence Discovery Centre

Research and Enterprise

• Research community
  • Researchers
  • Institutes and centres
  • Research candidates
• Research facilities and capabilities
  • Research services
  • Library
• Graduate Research School
  • Graduate research
  • Partner with us
  • Supervisor resources
  • Candidate resources
• Collaborate with ACU
  • Innovate and research
  • Join us on campus
  • Connect with students
  • Engage our candidates
• Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise)
• Our research vision
• Contact us

About ACU

• Reputation and ranking
• Vision 2033
  • Vision 2033 Plans
• Leadership and governance
  • Organisational structure
  • Government and public policy
  • Vice-Chancellor and President
• Faith and Values
  • What if I'm not Catholic?
  • Community giving
• Community engagement
  • Community-initiated research
• Sustainability at ACU
• News
• Events
• Careers at ACU
• Arts and culture hub
• Widening participation
• Employers and industry
• Our partnerships
  • Research partners
• Publications
  • Handbook by year
• First Peoples Directorate
• Empowering veterans
  • Student veteran services
• Policies and procedures
• Professional Standards and Integrity
• Search

Faculties, Directorates and Staff

• Faculty of Education and Arts
• Faculty of Health Sciences
• Faculty of Law and Business
• Faculty of Theology and Philosophy
• Directorates
• Institutes, academies and centres

Course Details

EXSC316 - Nutrition for Sports Performance

Year

2022

Credit points

10

Campus offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.

Prerequisites

(EXSC118 Nutrition and Exercise OR NUTR101 Introduction to Nutrition ) AND (EXSC198 Physiological Bases of Exercise OR EXSC225 Physiological Bases of Exercise ) OR BIOL234 Nutritional Physiology

Unit rationale, description and aim

Sports nutrition links food with physical performance. It refers to the nutritional needs of all active people, including athletes. Nutrition provides the fuel for exercise and the essential elements for growth, maintenance and repair of the body's tissues. In sporting contexts, athletes and coaches recognise that sound nutrition is critical to sporting success, with the composition, amount and timing of food intake profoundly affecting performance. This unit will address both the scientific and applied aspects of nutrition for sports performance by examining the nutritional guidelines proposed to optimise exercise performance and the principles underpinning these recommendations. The aim of the unit is to provide the knowledge, understanding and skills for critically evaluating nutritional practices for sports performance and for communicating and delivering general nutritional advice to athletes, within appropriate scope of practice and referral pathways, consistent with the professional standards for Exercise Scientists.

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table. Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact. On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

• LO1 - appraise the role of nutritional factors and environmental factors affecting physical performance (GA5)
• LO2 - assess the nutritional demands of athletic performance in a variety of sports (GA4)
• LO3 - critique the scientific evidence supporting advocated nutritional practices (GA4, GA8)
• LO4 - provide nutritional advice within scope of practice, with an understanding of the role of the sports dietitian and appropriate referral practices (GA2, GA3, GA5).

Graduate attributes

• GA2 - recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society
• GA3 - apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making
• GA4 - think critically and reflectively
• GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession
• GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information

Content

Topics will include:

• The role of the dietitian and sports nutrition in supporting performance
• The training and competition diet
• Eating to optimize recovery
• Training-nutrient interactions: effects on cell metabolism and performance
• Supplements and sports food
• Nutrition, body composition and physique

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Learning and teaching strategies include active learning, web-based learning, case-based learning, and reflective/critical thinking activities, delivered online over 12 weeks. This range of strategies will provide students with appropriate access to required knowledge and understanding of unit content. These strategies will allow students to meet the aim, learning outcomes and graduate attributes of the unit, as well as professional practice standards. Learning and teaching strategies will reflect respect for the individual as an independent learner. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively within group activities.

Assessment strategy and rationale

In order to best enable students to achieve unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes, standards-based assessment is utilised, consistent with University assessment requirements. A range of assessment strategies are used including: an examination to assess student learning of unit content; a written task to assess student's ability to critically appraise relevant scientific literature; and a case study task to assess evidence-based decision making and the application of accumulated learning through the unit.

Overview of assessments

• Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks
  • Examination Enables students to demonstrate their comprehension of the unit's delivered material.
  • Written critique Enables students to critically assess scientific literature underpinning contemporary evidence-based practice.
  • Case study Enables students to demonstrate critical thinking skills and evidence-based decision making in applying their knowledge and skills developed during the unit.
• Weighting
  • Examination: 20
  • Written critique: 40
  • Case study: 40
• Learning Outcomes
  • Examination: LO1, LO2
  • Written critique: LO1, LO2, LO3
  • Case study: LO2, LO3, LO4
• Graduate Attributes
  • Examination: GA4, GA5
  • Written critique: GA4, GA5, GA8
  • Case study: GA2, GA3, GA4, GA5, GA8

Representative texts and references

• Burke, L., & Deakin, V. (2015) Clinical Sports Nutrition. Sydney: McGraw-Hill.
• Jeukendrup, A., & Gleeson, M. (2010) Sport Nutrition. Champaign IL: Human Kinetics.
• Kern, M. (2005) CRC Desk Reference on Sports Nutrition. Boca Raton FLA: CRC Press.
• Maughan, R.J. (Ed). (2004). Food, Nutrition and Sports Performance II: The International Olympic Committee Consensus on Sports Nutrition. London: Routledge.
• Maughan, R.J. (Ed). (2000). Nutrition in Sport: The Encyclopaedia of Sports Medicine. Oxford: Blackwell Sciences.