The complex and conflicting messages we hear about diet, health and lifestyle will be demystified by a new, free online course designed and delivered by the University of Aberdeen.
The Nutrition and Wellbeing course is known as a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) and is hosted by FutureLearn.
The video-based course will be hosted by the University’s world-leading nutrition experts and aims to present the scientific basics of nutrition and an outline of current nutrition concepts and controversies.
“We hope anyone who completes the University of Aberdeen’s Nutrition and Wellbeing course will be able to make more informed choices about their own diet and wellbeing. You’ll gain the skills to evaluate nutrition information from varied sources, and apply that knowledge,” said Dr Alexandra Mavroeidi, co-lead for the course.
The course will be split into four themes which will run over four weeks:
- The makings of a ‘healthy diet’
- Why do we eat what we eat?
- Food and disease
- Nutrition, fads, myths and the plain truth
Delivering the course alongside Dr Mavroeidi will be Dr Alex Johnstone from the University’s Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health – the UK’s longest-established Centre of Excellence for Nutrition research - whose work formed the basis of Marks & Spencer’s ‘Simply Fuller Longer’ food range.
She said: “As part of the course, we will provide the most up-to-date, science-based information related to diet, health and lifestyle. We will also ask participants to draw on their own experiences, and share hints and tips with other learners through course discussions.”
Registration for the course is now open and it will go live on August 17. Interested students are expected to put in up to six hours of study per week.
The weeks are made up of different activities based around the subject of study such as a video, article, discussion, test, quiz or assignment.
FutureLearn was initiated by The Open University in December 2012. The website went live in September 2013 as social learning platform, connecting learners from all over the globe who learn by interacting with each other and with globally renowned academics.
The University of Aberdeen’s membership brings FutureLearn’s total to 38 partners, comprising of 35 world-leading higher- and specialist education institutions and three cultural organisations – the British Council, British Library and the British Museum.
Professor Sir Ian Diamond, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen said:
“The University undertakes a wide variety of cultural and public engagement activities and the FutureLearn platform will enable us to take this engagement to a new level, showcasing our excellent research and teaching to people around the world.
“The University undertakes a wide variety of cultural and public engagement activities and the FutureLearn platform will enable us to take this engagement to a new level, showcasing our excellent research and teaching to people around the world.”