Health and Physical Education (HPED)

HPED 102. Health Education as a Discipline. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of health behavior theories, valid sources of information and tools for assessing school health needs. Community health issues and health advocacy are also examined.

HPED 103. Lifetime Fitness, Wellness and Nutrition. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. This course is designed to provide health and physical educators the foundational knowledge specific to concepts related to the health- and skills-related components of fitness, functional fitness, energy balance and overall well-being. The course will provide an overview of the necessary skills needed to develop smart goals for personal fitness, nutrition and wellness.

HPED 200. Motor Learning and Performance. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Students will be introduced to the major concepts of motor control and motor learning and influencing conditions. The course will provide a framework for understanding the structure and function of the nervous system in relation to perception and motor control. Other topics include the general nature of skill acquisition and how learners interact with the environment while performing motor tasks. The theoretical framework underlying learning and memory are related to the acquisition of motor skills.

HPED 201. Assessment and Technology in Health and Physical Education. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours (delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 2 credits. This course provides students with the theoretical foundation for assessment in health and physical education. Students will utilize multiple data sources, develop rubrics and analyze available technologies for assessment within each of the domains of K-12 health and physical education. Students will design lessons utilizing technology with the purpose of enhancing the curriculum.

HPED 202. Health Education Content. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. This course focuses on health promotion and the prevention of injury and disease. Students will also examine healthy relationships as well as mental and emotional health.

HPED 204. Outdoor Education. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course is designed to examine the principal philosophical foundations of adventure theory and outdoor educational leadership. Concepts of judgment, decision-making, leadership and environmentally correct practices are introduced. Cooperative and team-building practices will be emphasized as a way to promote increased collaboration, communication, critical-thinking and creativity while in the health and physical education environment. Students will learn pedagogical skills needed to teach a number of outdoor education activities, including a variety of teaching styles, the development of lesson plans, assessment in the four domains of physical education and the use of basic class management skills.

HPED 205. History and Philosophy of Health and Physical Education. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course has been designed to provide an overview of the professional aspects of health and physical education. Specifically, the course provides students with knowledge of the historical role of health and physical education; acquaints them with the different domains that fit under the “physical education” umbrella and within the health professions; informs them of opportunities present at VCU and in the greater community in the health and physical education fields; and provides information about the full spectrum of career choices in physical education and health. Students will also spend one hour a week in a public school setting.

HPED 300. Adapted Physical Education. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. This course is designed to prepare future teachers and professionals to meet the needs of persons with disabilities in organized health, physical education and activity programs in the school and/or recreational and sport setting. It provides an overview of those disabilities found most frequently in public schools. The course will also help students become critically reflective learners.

HPED 301. Biomechanics of Teaching Movement Skills. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Students will participate in learning experiences that will lead to the development of fundamental movement skills, i.e., manipulative, locomotor and nonlocomotor. Utilization of basic biomechanical principles will be infused in all topics.

HPED 302. Elementary Methods of Physical Education. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. This course is designed to enhance student knowledge of and preparation for the teaching of elementary physical education through lecture, practical experience, small-group work and projects. Students will learn how to plan and conduct an elementary program, control the learning environment, effectively discipline children and analyze children's behavior. Students will also learn the characteristics of a good teacher as well as methods to change personal teaching behaviors to increase classroom effectiveness. Students will design and conduct activities which integrate literacy with physical education. To become a more reflective teacher, students will write self-evaluations throughout the semester.

HPED 303. Teaching Team and Individual Sports for Lifetime Fitness. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Students will develop educational skills and methodology for instruction of team and individual lifetime sports and activities in the gymnasium and outdoor settings. They will learn the pedagogical skills needed to teach these activities, including the use of a variety of teaching styles, the development of lesson plans, the assessment of student knowledge and skill acquisition, and the use of basic class management skills. These pedagogical skills will be applied within the realm of specific sports such as flag football, soccer, tchoukball, team handball, badminton, pickleball and golf.

HPED 304. Secondary Methods of Physical Education. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. This course is designed to prepare students for student teaching. Students will learn pedagogical skills including the use of a variety of teaching styles, the development of lesson plans and unit plans, the assessment of student knowledge and skill acquisition, and the use of classroom management skills. In addition, students will gain insight into the development of a physical education curriculum as influenced by philosophies, models, issues and trends. Elementary, middle and high school levels are included in discussions. Students will also learn how to integrate literacy into the physical education curriculum. A major emphasis will be to prepare students as critical reflective practitioners by learning how to evaluate the teaching/learning situation and make appropriate changes. In that regard, students will learn how to design and analyze instruments that help them in this evaluation.

HPED 305. Concepts of Peer Health Education. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. This course is designed to provide students with the theoretical and practical foundations to design, implement and evaluate best practice peer-to-peer education related to health and well-being. Students will learn and practice concepts such as active listening, responding to a crisis, and effectively delivering and evaluating peer-to-peer programming. This course also serves as required training for students interested in becoming a peer health educator with VCU’s Recreation and Well-Being department, RecWell.

HPED 314. Practicum for Health and Physical Education. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 practicum hours. 2 credits. Prerequisites: HPED 103 and HPED 303. Enrollment is restricted to students admitted to teacher preparation in the B.S.Ed. in Health and Physical Education program or students enrolled in the minor in recreation and wellness. A field placement in health and physical education that precedes student teaching/internship. This field placement includes planned observations, tutorials and small-group and whole class involvement. Graded as pass/fail.

HPED 320. ACE Prep Group Exercise. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. This course is designed to provide theoretical knowledge and practical skills in preparation for a national certification exam in group fitness instruction. Topics include guidelines for instructing safe, effective and purposeful exercise; essentials of the instructor–participant relationship; principles of motivation to encourage adherence in the group fitness setting; effective instructor-to-participant communication techniques; methods for enhancing group leadership; and the group fitness instructor’s professional role.

HPED 321. ACE Prep Personal Training. 3 Hours.

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. This course is designed to give students the knowledge and understanding necessary to prepare for the ACE Personal Trainer Certification Exam and become effective personal trainers. This course presents a client-centered approach to personal training that features the ACE Integrated Fitness Training model as a comprehensive system for designing individualized programs based on each client’s unique health, fitness and performance goals and the ACE Mover Method philosophy for empowering clients to make behavioral changes to improve their health, fitness and overall quality of life. The information covered by this course can be directly applied in all settings by using the ACE ABC Approach to navigate all client interactions by asking powerful open-ended questions, breaking down barriers and collaborating on goals every step of the way. The ACE IFT model and ACE Mover Method philosophy will help students learn how to facilitate rapport, adherence, self-efficacy and behavior change in clients, as well as design exercise programs that help clients improve posture, movement, flexibility, balance, core function, cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular fitness.

HPED 322. Learn to Swim. 1 Hour.

Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. This class is designed to help participants gain basic aquatic skills and swimming strokes, including the front crawl, breaststroke and elementary backstroke. Participants also learn skills and concepts needed to stay safe around the water, in addition to those needed to help themselves or others in an aquatic emergency. Graded as pass/fail.

HPED 323. Swimming for Fitness. 1 Hour.

Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. This course is designed to improve participants’ proficiency in basic aquatic skills and six basic swimming strokes. This class will also work on refining participants’ strokes and turns and build endurance for fitness swimming. Participants also learn skills and concepts needed to stay safe around the water. Graded as pass/fail.

HPED 324. ARC Lifeguard. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. Enrollment requires permission of the instructor. This course is designed to provide entry-level lifeguard participants with the knowledge and skills to prevent, recognize and respond to aquatic emergencies and to provide professional-level care for breathing and cardiac emergencies, injuries and sudden illnesses until emergency medical services personnel take over. Graded as pass/fail.

HPED 325. ARC Water Safety Instructor. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. Enrollment requires permission of the instructor. This course is designed to train instructor candidates to teach courses and presentations in the American Red Cross Swimming and Water Safety Program by developing their understanding of how to use course materials, how to conduct training sessions and how to evaluate participants’ progress. Graded as pass/fail.

HPED 326. Introduction to Mindfulness and Leading With Compassion. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours (delivered face-to-face or hybrid). 2 credits. In this course, students will learn skills to lead compassionately through mindfulness and self-reflection. The first half of this course will focus on pedagogy related to mindful practice, as well as ways to lead through empathy, tough conversations and authenticity. The second half of the course will focus on facilitation, with students facilitating mindful practice for their peers each week. With this course completion, students will receive the title of mindful ambassadors with VCU’s Recreation and Well-Being department, RecWell, where they will be qualified to facilitate mindful exercises for partners on campus.

HPED 402. Becoming a Health and Physical Education Professional. 1 Hour.

Semester course; 1 lecture hour. 1 credit. This course is designed to prepare the teacher candidate to bridge from student to student teacher. Activities focus on professional experiences and behaviors.

HPED 403. Teaching Health Education. 2 Hours.

Semester course; 2 lecture hours. 2 credits. This course has been designed to prepare students to think critically and become independent problem-solvers and decision-makers by applying previously acquired professional knowledge to curriculum design and instruction in multiple settings. Students will learn pedagogical skills including the use of a variety of teaching styles, the development of lesson plans and unit plans, the assessment of student knowledge and skill acquisition, and the use of classroom management skills. Students will also gain insight into the development of a health education curriculum as influenced by philosophies, models, issues and trends. Elementary, middle and high school levels are included in discussion.

HPED 493. Field Experience I. 4 Hours.

Semester course; 4 field experience hours. 4 credits. Corequisites: HPED 495 and TEDU 405. Enrollment is restricted to students who have been admitted to teacher education and have passing scores on VCLA, Praxis I and Praxis II. An in-depth field experience in a public school, health education/health promotion agency or other approved setting. Students will complete a full-time seven-to-eight-week placement teaching in the PK-5 health and physical education setting. This practical experience will lead to greater practical application of skills culminating in full responsibility for planning, implementing and evaluating the classroom. Consult with adviser to obtain a course syllabus regarding prerequisites and specific course requirements. Fulfills capstone requirement.

HPED 495. Field Experience II. 4 Hours.

Semester course; 4 field experience hours. 4 credits. Corequisites: HPED 493 and TEDU 405. Enrollment is restricted to students who have been admitted to teacher education and have passing scores on VCLA, Praxis I and Praxis II. Addresses competencies in health and physical education. Provides experiences at an approved affiliate site under the supervision of faculty and approved site supervisors. Students will gain practical experience by completing a full-time seven-to-eight-week placement teaching in grades 6-12 in a health and physical education setting.