In line with Stellenbosch University's programme of curriculum renewal, the Division of Human Nutrition in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) is rolling out its renewed BSc Dietetics curriculum to first-year students this year.

It is the culmination of a process that was launched five years ago with an extensive programme of consultation with various stakeholders, and included surveys among students, alumni and industry.​

“The information obtained from these surveys was crucial for our understanding of how the previous curriculum was received," explains Dr Evette van Niekerk, the Undergraduate Programme Coordinator in the Division of Human Nutrition.

This was followed in early 2019 by workshops with the Division's core management and, subsequently, with external stakeholders. “These workshops played a crucial role in the development of the renewed BSc Dietetics curriculum," says Van Niekerk.

“The changes will improve the escalation of subject knowledge as well as practical readiness and exposure for Dietetics students. Our aim is to implement an integrated approach to enable students to function within the healthcare setting."

This objective is aligned to the vision of the Health Professions Council of South Africa's Professional Board for Dietetics and Nutrition to develop a new professional – the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN).

“This combines the different scopes of practice of dietitians and nutritionists, and strives to enable practitioners to use policies and programmes that will prevent, treat and manage nutrition-related diseases and promote the nutritional wellbeing of individuals, the broader community and South Africa's population at large," says Prof Xikombiso Mbhenyane, Head of the Division.

As Dr Lynette Daniels, the Division's Coordinator of Community Nutrition, explains: “The new nutrition professional is much more focused on public health nutrition. For this reason, we have realigned credits to expand second year community nutrition from a semester module to a year module.

“The new curriculum will make it possible for students to start earlier with practical exposure at the various platforms."

Another innovation in the renewed curriculum is its approach to modules. “Something that is very important for us is to have an integrated and holistic approach, and not see modules in silos," says Van Niekerk. “We want well-rounded dietitians who are able to understand all the facets of what enables and makes a good dietitian at the end of the day."

To assist this process, some modules are shared with other Departments, for example Physiotherapy and Nursing: “It is really important for us that our students have the opportunity to work with other professionals, appreciate the work that they do and learn to work as an interdisciplinary team."

Students will benefit from changes to the curriculum in a number of other ways, too. The renewed curriculum will provide them with additional knowledge, skills and insight to function independently within both the public and private sectors to address nutrition-related health issues. It will also enable them to follow evidence-based principles in dietetics and nutrition, and equip them with research methodology skills to prepare them for further study.

According to Van Niekerk, the main goal of the renewed curriculum is “to produce a professional who is focused on self-development through life-long learning, and who will uphold professional and ethical standards of practice".  

The renewed curriculum also incorporates new teaching methods, most notably an increased blended approach. “We are incorporating more online material," says Van Niekerk. “It's really important for us that the student comes prepared to classes and takes responsibility for the work that will be discussed."

Daniels describes this approach as self-directed learning. “We provide relevant reading material, and this is followed with in-depth class discussions," she explains. “That enables critical thinking."

The renewed curriculum also makes provision for greater group interaction: “Students have to work in groups. It is very important in order for students to be able to respect others, to work together, to learn how to mitigate problems," says Van Niekerk.

The renewed curriculum is clearly the result of a well-planned and -executed process. The first year incorporates many of the basic sciences in order to provide students with the foundation they need for subsequent years of study.

The second and third years are crucial in the development of the student as a dietitian, and includes modules such as Therapeutic and Community Nutrition, Food Service Management and Research Methodology. Clinical exposure begins in second year and is embedded in most modules. In their final year, students will have practical rotations in hospitals and community-based centres. 

Says Van Niekerk: “We strive to redefine and continuously improve the training of dietitians, other nutrition professionals and students from the FMHS according to the changing requirements and demands that will await them in the future."

The importance of successfully meeting this challenge cannot be overemphasised: “The training of a dietetics professional is critical for the country's healthcare workforce. Through nutrition and dietetic interventions, dietitians play an important role in addressing complex health conditions."

For this reason, the Division of Human Nutrition is committed to facilitating quality learning in a dynamic and supportive learning environment. Its renewed Dietetics curriculum bears testimony to this.

Caption: Prof Xikombiso Mbhenyane, Dr Evette van Niekerk​ and Dr Lynette Daniels.