HPA 1241

TEACHING EXPERIENCE I

SYLLABUS

CLASS DAY/TIME:By appointment

INSTRUCTOR: Anne Hays, PhD

OFFICE: Suite 104 – Office 110

PHONE: 412-648-9181

E-MAIL:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

The purpose of this course is to provide students with a “hands-on” experience in a health-fitness setting. Students will be assigned to an on-campus site (i.e.Fitness or Health related class offered through the Department of Health and Physical Activity or a Faculty and Staff Wellness Facility). As part of the experience, students will be given the opportunity to develop essential health-fitness related skills, such as conducting fitness assessments, developing exercise prescriptions, and instructing individuals on proper exercise technique.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Upon completion of this course, the student should have acquired:

  • The skills and expertise in administering fitness assessments (i.e. body composition, aerobic capacity, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility)
  • The skills and expertise in designing individual, group, and special population exercise prescriptions
  • The ability to instruct individuals on proper usage of cardiovascular and/ or resistance training equipment
  • The ability to conduct themselves as a professional (i.e. good communication skills, working well with others, etc.)

PRE-REQUISITES:

  • HPA 1141 Fitness for Instructors OR HPA 1224 Fitness Assessment-Ex Prescription
  • CPR/First Aid (preferred)

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COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

  • PRIOR TO ASSIGNMENT
  1. Students must attend the mandatory Teaching Experience meeting to discuss the most appropriate teaching experience assignment and course requirements.
  • DURING ASSIGNMENT
  1. Students must complete a minimum of 28 hours/credit.
  1. Students must be evaluated by their on-site supervisor (end of semester). Evaluation forms will be given to students at the beginning of the semester. It is the student’s responsibility to give the evaluation form to their on-site supervisor. A copy of the evaluation can be found on courseweb.
  1. Students must keep a log of all working hours accumulated during the course of the semester. The log MUST be signed by the on-site supervisor in order to be accepted. Any hours not confirmed by the on-site supervisor (by signature) will not be counted. Logs must be submitted at the end of the semester.
  1. During the Teaching Experience, students must participate in the following:
  2. Fitness Assessments (pre and post)

Students are responsible for conducting the following fitness assessments (baseline measurements should be conducted during the first several weeks of the course; final measurements should be conducted at the end of the semester):

  1. Resting Blood Pressure and Heart Rate (optional for students)
  2. Body Composition (skinfolds and/or waist-to-hip ratio) (optional for students)
  3. Aerobic Capacity (12-minute run test)
  4. Muscular Strength (1-RM on specific machines)
  5. Muscular Endurance (push-up test and sit-up test)
  6. Flexibility (standard sit-and-reach test) (optional for students)
  • Student Consultations

Once the fitness assessments are completed, the student is responsible for interpreting results and reviewing this information with each participant.

  • Exercise Prescription

Students are responsible for developing individual exercise prescriptions for each participant based on their fitness assessment results and their personal fitness goal.

  • Equipment Orientation

Students are expected to instruct participants on proper usage of exercise equipment (i.e. advise on proper form and technique).

  • Student Projects

Each student must be active in instructing this course. The role of the TE student each week includes:

WEEK / STUDENT ROLE
1 / Assist instructor
2 / Assist instructor
3 / Assist with fitness assessments
4 / Teach Lab component
5 / Teach Lecture component
6 / Teach Lab component
7 / Teach Lecture component
8 / Teach Lab component
9 / Teach Lecture component
10 / Teach Lab component
11-15 / Assist TE2 student and course instructor

For this class, all lecture components have been previously created for the instructor. There are some laboratories that may have an opportunity for the student to create the exercise session. Any content that the teaching experience student creates MUST BE APPROVED BY THE SUPERVISING INSTRUCTOR! This means that lesson plans/workouts should be submitted for approval ONE WEEK prior to instruction. Any content not submitted on time WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO BE TAUGHT and will result in a deduction of points for the student’s final grade. A copy of each project, with the signature of the on-site supervisor, should be submitted at the end of the semester.

If you are placed at the University Club for your experience, your role is a bit different. You will assist the Director of the U Club in any way necessary including fitness assessments, equipment orientations, exercise prescriptions, client consultations, etc. You must create 5 projects during the course of the term. This can include personal training, giving small portions of a group exercise class, writing newsletters, taking a role in promotional programs and/or creating promotional materials. These projects will be approved and overseen by the Director of the U Club.

  1. Upon completion of the teaching experience, students must evaluate their experience. Evaluations must be typed and handed in at the end of the semester. Evaluations should answer the following questions:
  1. A concise description of teaching experience activities, including activities performed and skills and knowledge used
  2. Did you reach your goals/objectives?
  3. What were your strengths? Weaknesses?
  4. How would you improve your weaknesses?
  5. How would you rate your performance?
  6. What did you learn from your experience? From the on-site supervisor?
  7. What was the best part of your experience? The worst?
  8. Would you recommend this experience to other students? Why or why not?
  9. Would you recommend this supervisor to other students? Why or why not?
  10. Did this experience help you with your career or professional goals? Explain.
  11. Any other comments?
  12. It is also strongly suggested that the student include an example of any work performed during the week, such as an exercise prescription.
  1. ALL TEACHING EXPERIENCE MATERIAL MUST BE SUBMITTED BY: FRIDAY, APRIL 22. MATERIALS SUBMITTED PAST THIS DATE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AND THE STUDENT WILL RECEIVE AN INCOMPLETE.

EVALUATION:

A satisfactory grade will be given when the student:

  1. Completes all required hours
  2. Completes all requirements to the satisfaction of the on-site supervisor and the Teaching Experience Coordinator
  3. Submits all required materials on time
  4. Demonstrates an above-average evaluation by the on-site supervisor

CONDUCT:

  1. Students should dress appropriately.
  2. Students should act in a mature and responsible manner. You are a representative of the Department of Health and Physical Activity. Be professional!

Academic Integrity. Students in this course will be expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh's Policy on Academic Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation for any reason during the semester will be required to participate in the procedural process, initiated at the instructor level, as outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. This may include, but is not limited to, the confiscation of the examination of any individual suspected of violating University Policy. Furthermore, no student may bring any unauthorized materials to an exam, including dictionaries and programmable calculators.

Disability Services. If you have a disability that requires special testing accommodations or other classroom modifications, you need to notify both the instructor and Disability Resources and Services no later than the second week of the term. You may be asked to provide documentation of your disability to determine the appropriateness of accommodations. To notify Disability Resources and Services, call (412) 648-7890 (Voice or TTD) to schedule an appointment. The Disability Resources and Services office is located in 140 William Pitt Union on the Oakland campus.

Statement on Classroom Recording. To ensure the free and open discussion of ideas, students may not record classroom lectures, discussion and/or activities without the advance written permission of the instructor, and any such recording properly approved in advance can be used solely for the student’s own private use.

Departmental Grievance Procedure.
If a student feels that they have been treated unfairly by the instructor with regard to their grade or other aspects of their course participation there are a series of steps that should be taken in an attempt to resolve this matter. These include the following:

1.The student should first inform the instructor of the course of the issue in an attempt to resolve this matter. If the course is taught by a Teaching Assistant, Graduate Student, or Part-Time instructor, their faculty supervisor should also be informed of this matter. The student should bring this issue to the attention of the instructor in a timely matter and should maintain a record of interactions that occurred with the instructor regarding the matter in question. The course instructor should take necessary steps to address the concern raised by the student in a timely matter and should maintain a record of the interactions that occurred with the student regarding this matter.

2.If, after reasonable attempts to resolve the matter, the matter is not resolved in a manner that is deemed to be acceptable to the student, the student retains the right to file a grievance. This grievance is to be filed with the Department Chair in the form of a written document that can be submitted via email or campus mail. This document should include the following:

a. Student’s name

b. Student contact information (email, address, telephone number)

c. Information on the course for which the grievance applies (course title, course number, instructor name).

d. A copy of the course syllabus that was provided to the student by the instructor

e. Detailed description of the grievance and additional information the student feels is pertinent to this matter.

After receiving this information the Department Chair will inform the student if additional information is needed, as appropriate will discuss this matter with the student and the instructor, and will issue a decision in a timely manner.

3.If the student is not willing to accept the decision of the Department Chair, the student will be informed that they can request an additional review of this matter through the Office of the Dean of the School of Education. If the student decides to pursue this, the student should contact the Associate Dean for Student Affairs & Certification in the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh.