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Authentic learning opportunities replicating working environments will enhance learners' employability and intrinsic motivation. Within most undergraduate curricula, opportunities for students to experience hands-on learning opportunities which mimic public health practice are limited. A pilot university cook and eat programme (the Cook School) was developed based upon community cook and eat programmes. The aim was to enable trained undergraduate Nutrition students to facilitate healthy eating activities to their peers, as a voluntary co-curricular activity. Two cook and eat programmes, each of five weeks duration, were offered to undergraduate students (12 participants per programme). Cooking was delivered by trained chefs and the healthy eating components were facilitated by trained undergraduate Nutrition students. Participants did not know beforehand that sessions would include nutrition information & activities in addition to cooking. Facilitators identified 'employability' as a key driver for their participation in this project. Their post-course evaluations suggested that key employability skills like team work, time management, communication and organisation were enhanced by involvement in the Cook School. Participants suggested that attending Cook School improved their knowledge of healthy eating. Whether this translates into improved diets long term is currently unknown. This pilot project offered undergraduate Nutrition students a unique opportunity to gain key employability skills within an authentic learning environment, working in partnership with their peers.

Self-assessment, whereby students are actively engaged in assessing the quality of their work, has been shown to benefit them. It is not routinely carried out in all institutions. This pilot study aimed to explore the extent to which students chose to engage with self-assessment when invited to do so, and how accurate they were when they did. A short pilot tool including qualitative and quantitative elements, was circulated to students within a school of the largest faculty of Kingston University. Students completed the self-assessment and submitted it with their completed assignments. Actual grades achieved were compared with self-assessments. Qualitative data were analysed using basic thematic analysis. The highest average marks achieved were in the group who correctly self-assessed their work. More students incorrectly self-assessed than correctly assessed their work, and almost a third of students did not engage with the activity. Those who incorrectly over-assessed their work had average marks similar to those that did not engage with the activity, significantly lower than the average marks achieved by the incorrect under-assessors and the correct self-assessment groups. Correct self-assessing students were more specific about the skills they demonstrated and the support they used for their assignments.

Student expectations with regard to what comprises quality in higher education can impact upon their learning, engagement and overall satisfaction. Perceptions of quality are not always clearly articulated and may vary by gender, ethnicity and year of study. In this study, undergraduate students completed a questionnaire indicating whether they agreed, disagreed or were unsure about 15 statements related to quality in higher education. A total of 340 students across four year groups participated (Levels 3-6), with more female than male participants and a range of ethnicities represented. There was broad unanimity in the recognition of the importance of both teaching and learning and relationships with academic staff in defining quality. Overall, there were low levels of satisfaction with the amount of contact with academic staff and uncertainty about whether students thought they were getting a high quality education. Some differences in relation to support services were seen in different ethnic groups, and more males than females were satisfied with support services although this varied by year group, and student numbers were small. These results suggest the importance of clearly articulating what is available in terms of support (academic, pastoral, study and health) to all students. The teaching and learning experience, and relationships with academic staff are clearly important and given the uncertainty about overall perceptions of quality, these aspects need to be highlighted to students so that they understand the value of what they are receiving.

Many students do not engage with reading the scientific literature, which is a core skill in undergraduate students. The learning environment has an important impact upon learning. It was postulated that taking reading out of the formal learning environment might impact upon students' willingness to engage with the literature, and confidence in doing so. A staff-student research partnership initiative funded by Kingston University allowed this hypothesis to be tested. Three Tea Club sessions, informal drop-in reading sessions were offered in a student-owned space within the Students' Union. Refreshments were supplied, aiming for a 'coffee house' feel. Although the numbers of students who engaged with the Tea Club were small, evaluations were positive. In particular students valued the opportunity for peer learning. However the chosen environment was too noisy. Future sessions will be offered within a different, less noisy environment with facilities for refreshments, and will be offered throughout the academic year to facilitate student engagement.

The article presents a paper that examines the role of food retail environment in promoting healthy eating in Great Britain. Topics discussed include the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) that shows high level of saturated fats and sugars and low intake of fruit and vegetables, eatwell plate as a tool used in public health to encourage healthy food and NDNS data on intakes of saturated fats, non-milk extrinsic sugars (NMES) and salt among general population in Great Britain.

1. Tumour necrosis factor-alpha is produced in response to inflammatory stimuli. Fish oil can suppress the production and actions of cytokines. Little information is available on the effects of other fats on cytokine biology. We compared the effects of fats, with a wide range of fatty acid characteristics, on the effects of tumour necrosis factor-alpha on protein and zinc metabolism in rats. 2. Weanling rats were fed for 8 weeks on diets containing 10% fat in the form of corn, fish or coconut oils or butter before an intraperitoneal injection of recombinant human tumour necrosis factor-alpha was given. Measurements were made 24h after the injection. 3. In rats fed corn oil, food intake was reduced by 62% and rates of protein synthesis were increased by 86, 32 and 39% in the liver, lung and kidney, respectively. Zinc concentrations increased by 23% in the liver but decreased by 10% in the kidney. Plasma caeruloplasmin and complement C3 levels increased by 25% and 28%, respectively, and plasma albumin level decreased by 24%. 4. Fish oil prevented the increase in hepatic protein synthesis and changed the response of protein synthesis in lung and kidney to a decrease. Changes in hepatic and renal zinc concentrations were prevented. The response of the plasma caeruloplasmin level was unaltered but those of the plasma complement C3 and albumin concentrations were prevented. 5. Coconut oil and butter, although similarly low in linoleic acid, differed in their modulatory effects. With the exception of the rise in the plasma complement C3 concentration, all responses were prevented or greatly inhibited in rats fed butter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)