learn by doing - cal polyjgphelan/_media assets/white papers/yu... · do with the old curriculum...

Learn By Doing

Justin Yu & Amanda Specht

Spring 2011

An Examination of the Curriculum Changes in the Cal Poly Kinesiology Program

;

Learn By Doing Spring 2011

2

Table of Contents

3

4

5

6

10

11

13

14

16

Abstract

Introduction

Problems at Hand

History

Solutions

Program Changes

Market Drivers

Challenges

Conclusions

;


3

Abstract

The Kinesiology department at Cal Poly State University (SLO) is

designed to meet the mission of preparing students to be leaders in the

fields of physical activity, health, and disease prevention and treatment.

As graduating students from the Bachelor of Science program, we have

experienced certain problems with the current curriculum, and we want

to make the program more enjoyable for future students. We want the

program to do well, and our experience with the coursework has

motivated us to help provide new students with a curriculum that flows

well and increases their base of knowledge in the field of kinesiology. In

the past there have been problems with organization and course offerings

in the curriculum, which can cause confusion for many of the students

attempting to complete degree program. Another part of the program

that has needed modification is that the curriculum did not flow well;

students were taking classes out of order, which sometimes resulted in

poor preparation for future classes due to large time gaps. Our approach

to solving this problem is to first change the curriculum to flow better and

provide a wider scope of study across the field of kinesiology for incoming

students. Providing a background of knowledge of health and fitness will

provide additional depth of knowledge and coursework requirements to

meet eligibility for pursuing certification in two different areas. The

implications of the curriculum changes are to provide students with a

foundation of knowledge that will allow them to go out into the workforce

immediately after completing their undergraduate studies at Cal Poly.

;


4

Introduction

California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo is just

that- a polytechnic school. The mission of a polytechnic school is to

provide education to students that enable them to go out into the

workforce after obtaining an undergraduate degree. However, in the

Kinesiology department, students’

focus has more been on obtaining an

education and using it to go on to a

graduate program. Due to this

disconnect between the mission and

how the course options have been

designed, necessary curriculum

changes have been implemented in

the new course catalog for 2011-

2013. These changes will provide

students with a wide foundation of knowledge that will encompass the

breadth of Kinesiology, such as it is today, and will better prepare

students to go into the workforce following graduation from Cal Poly. As

current students in the Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology program, we

wish to educate future students about the changes in the curriculum so

they can better decide if Cal Poly is right for their goals and career

objectives.

;


5

Problems at Hand

The problem within Cal Poly’s Kinesiology Department has to

do with the old curriculum that was being taught to our students.

The older coursework lacked a great deal organization in terms of

the order of coursework. This was causing a lot of confusion for many

of the Kinesiology students as to what classes to take first and the

prerequisites that were needed, leading to class conflicts and other

registration issues. At the same time, the Kinesiology department

was concerned that the coursework was not providing the students in

certain concentrations like Individualized Course of Study with a

strong educational background and foundation in the area of

Kinesiology to prepare students for health and fitness professions.

This has led to changes in the course curriculum, but will the new

classes help to create a more organized course curriculum that helps

the students to reach their career goals and objectives?

;


6

In the past, Kinesiology was a field for people who wanted to be

Physical Education teachers. Kinesiology used to provide opportunities

to not only learn about many sports and activities, but also to gain the

knowledge necessary to teach those skills to others. For this reason, a

teaching concentration was available to students wishing to pursue

careers in Physical Education. This program is being eliminated

because fewer and fewer students are turning to Kinesiology to pursue

this career option, so it is no longer prudent to keep that concentration

around if only ten students will enroll.

The Shift from Physical Education Teachers to Physical Therapists

History

;


7

The older course curriculum also included a variety of

specifications and concentrations that the students were able to choose

from. This included the Exercise Science and Health Promotion (ESHP)

with various tracks like the clinical, worksite/commercial, and health

promotion tracks. Along with the ESHP concentrations, there was also

an Individualized Course of Study (ICS). Both the ESHP and ICS

programs allowed students to take courses that were more geared

toward their professional careers, especially with the ICS program that

allowed for more individualization of coursework. However, despite a

wide variety of options within the Kinesiology program, the increasing

growth in the number Kinesiology majors was creating a lot of difficulty

for the advisors and professors. This included increased teacher to

student ratios, more counseling/advising from faculty and staff, as well

as lack of organization and confusion by the students within the

curriculum. Many of these complications within the major have led to

changes within the curriculum to allow for better organization and flow

within the coursework.

;


8

While this is an excellent career aspiration, it requires higher

education beyond undergraduate study. The requirements to get into a

graduate physical therapy program include a full year of study in

physics, biology, and chemistry. While these courses are offered at Cal

Poly, they are not in the Kinesiology department and therefore they

are not part of the requirements to graduate. To accommodate these

students, the concentration of “Individualized Course of Study” was

available to specifically tailor a degree to meet the requirements for

graduate programs. The problem with this program is that it does not

prepare students to enter the workforce; it prepares them to go to

graduate schools.

Today, many kinesiology students aspire to be PHYSICAL THERAPISTS.

;


9

This emphasis on pursuing higher education was shifting away

from the focus of the Kinesiology program in emphasizing careers in

health and fitness promotion after graduation. This concentration is

therefore being eliminated in favor of concentrations that will prepare

students to be leaders in the

fields of physical activity,

health, and disease

prevention and treatment.

Given the current state of

our nation and the obesity

epidemic, this is especially

important at this time in our

society. The demand for health professionals to prescribe diet and

exercise health plans has recently increased dramatically, given how

increasingly unhealthy our population has become. Now, more than

ever, we need people who can, after completing their higher education,

go out into the professional world and fight this epidemic. The amount

of adults and children diagnosed with diabetes has skyrocketed in the

last decade, and a study done by the American Diabetes Association in

2003 found that 171 million people had diabetes in 2000, and that

number is projected to rise to 366 million by the year 2030, with the

highest increase likely to be in those aged 65 and over. Diabetes is

manageable and even preventable with proper diet and exercise, so it

is essential that we have students going into the field of health

promotion.

;


10

In order to arrive at a solution, we must update the new curriculum so

that it provides a more stable and organized curriculum that will provide

the students with a greater foundation and background of knowledge of

all areas of Kinesiology including: biomechanics, nutrition, exercise

physiology, motor learning, and much more. Rather than just focusing

on one aspect of kinesiology, provide a more in-depth curriculum that

involves all aspects of Kinesiology to allow students to be more

prepared for various health and fitness job opportunities and challenges

that they may be faced within the future. We must, as a program,

provide coursework and a curriculum so students will be more prepared

for various health and fitness certifications as well as additional

schooling as needed for their health professions. We need to provide

students with a more organized curriculum so they can learn in a more

orderly fashion by finishing prerequisites that naturally prepare them for

their upper level classes. This will greatly decrease the confusion

amongst students in terms of what classes to take leading to improved

registration and class schedules. In addition, designing a curriculum

with limited concentrations will provide all students with a wide base of

knowledge in the area of Kinesiology. Increasing the number of

professors in the Kinesiology department will also help to enhance the

learning experience for the students, as will a smaller student to teacher

ratio, which will help students learn more efficiently and effectively.

Solutions

;


11

Cal Poly’s Kinesiology Program has offered many concentration

options in the past, however new shifts and trends within the area of

Kinesiology have led to changes within the curriculum. Now, new

students will complete a common curriculum that will provide them with

a broad base of knowledge in the field of Kinesiology. It will incorporate

the scientific and clinical knowledge of exercise science as well as

provide instruction in health promotion and nutrition, particularly as

applied in preventative and clinical settings, as well as in public health,

educational, and commercial fitness settings. Students will then be able

to choose one of two professional tracks that will provide additional

knowledge and the coursework required to meet eligibility for pursuing

certification in two different areas.

The exercise science track will prepare

students for national exams like the American

College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Certification,

which will allow students to pursue careers in a

number of areas, including personal training,

health fitness specialization, clinical exercise

specialization, and clinical exercise physiology.

Program Changes

;


12

The health promotion track will prepare students

to meet the competencies and seven areas of

responsibility for Certified Health Education

Specialist (CHES) so they may take the CHES

exam. The seven areas of responsibility are:

• Assess needs, assets, and capacity for health education

• Plan health education

• Implement health education

• Conduct evaluation and research related to health education

• Administer and manage health education

• Serve as a health education resource person

• Communicate and advocate for health and health education

Along with the changes of having a common curriculum and only

two professional tracks, many of the courses have changed to help

provide better flow of study. In the past, many of the upper-division 400-

level classes, intended for seniors, were taken early, often in the

sophomore year of study, because they did not have prerequisites and

therefore were easier to get. Many of the 300-level classes, intended for

juniors, were being pushed back, in some cases delaying graduation. In

the new catalog, the courses have been reordered and will provide

students with a clear vision of what they need to take and when they

need to take certain classes. There are now a few courses that

kinesiology students will take during sophomore year, allowing them to

commence their major studies sooner than students have in the past.

;


13

The question arises, why are these changes happening now, and

who is behind them? One of the driving forces behind theses changes is

the students and their parents. With the economy crash, students and

their parents are more interested in programs that provide them with

the education they need to go out into the workforce immediately after

completing their undergraduate studies, rather than pursuing a

graduate degree. The new program will

certainly provide that to students, by providing

the student with a solid educational

background and foundation in the area of

health and fitness. Another reason for these changes is that in order for

the Kinesiology department to keep operating with so many students,

they need to keep their students in their department, rather than having

them taking classes outside of the department, as the Individualized

Course of Study previously allowed. With the old course options,

students would focus on a narrow sliver of Kinesiology, rather than

learning about the wide breadth of the field as it is today. With the

support of Dr. Camille O’Bryant, Dr. Kevin Taylor, Dean Bailey and the

Kinesiology faculty and staff, the new curriculum will offer a wide base

of knowledge so students will leave with an excellent foundation to

pursue a wider array of career options. Since the university wants to

adhere to its mission, the Kinesiology department must respond to

those wishes to receive the support they need to continue as a major at

Cal Poly.

Market Drivers

;


14

There is a wide range of challenges and opposition that may

result from the changes in curriculum. One of these issues includes the

teaching styles of the professors. Professors who are used to teaching

their curriculum in a certain manner may need to alter their teaching

styles or methods based on these changes. Prospective students who

may also have certain expectations when arriving to Cal Poly may need

to make some changes in regards to their concentrations and their

learning process as well.

The absence of the ICS program now takes away from students

who are tailoring their learning experience to help to prepare them for

future careers. Some individuals, especially prospective students and

their parents may feel that by eliminating the teaching and ICS

concentrations we are not providing some students with what they want

out of their kinesiology degrees. The new shift does not allow the

individualization of courses as was possible with the older curriculum.

Many of our current students want to attend PT school, but the new

program will not be offering the coursework to fulfill that option. This is

a big concern for those wanting to be physical therapists since it will

now be difficult for many students to take specific courses that may be

required for future education in PT schools.

Challenges

;


15

On the other hand, many continuing students may be opposed to

the new curriculum since they now need to make a transition from the

older catalogs to

the newer one. This

may create even

more confusion

among the

students as to what

classes they still

need to take, the

changes in

concentration, as well as new class numbers. There is a chance that

some of these students may not want to change the curriculum since

this may alter their concentration focuses as well.

Last but not least, although these changes are necessary and

demanded, one of our greatest concerns is that some people may not

understand why they are necessary and out of that ignorance, they

might try to take action that would have a negative impact on the

university and the department. It would be tragic if all of the positive

changes that the university is trying to make were to be overshadowed

by doubt and confusion. Our hope is that students, parents, and faculty

will all be properly informed about the changes and the ramifications of

those changes, and that harmony will be fostered out of that mutual

;


16

To conclude, the curriculum changes in the Cal Poly Kinesiology

program will impact the future careers and studies of their students.

The benefits to these changes are that we are giving students and

parents what they want. As with any business, we must make our

customers happy, and that means providing them with the education

they want. However, along with the benefits, there are some

disadvantages as well. In particular, we are no longer providing a

program that prepares students for physical therapy school and that

knowledge is not yet widespread, which could potentially cause some

discord between students and the school. The key to this change is that

Cal Poly will now be able to offer the students with a wide base of

knowledge and education about health and fitness to prepare them for

their professional careers right after graduation, in keeping with our

mission as a polytechnic university.

Conclusion

learn by doing - cal polyjgphelan/_media assets/white papers/yu... · do with the old curriculum...

Documents