Learning To Just Do It: Get ‘Em While They’re Figs

Freshmen, often overwhelmed by perceived barriers of time, motivation, and knowledge don’t remain active, leading to weight gain and associated physical and emotional issues. Regular physical activity directly and positively impacts physical and emotional well-being and transfers to better scholastic outcomes. KHE majors need practical experiences to develop skills to develop programs that match personal goals and fitness levels. This project was unique in that it meets an identified need for freshmen and KHE majors. KIN 332 students were matched with a “client” from the TIP Scholars Program to assess and create a personalized training program.

Implementation was challenging: 288 TIP scholars indicated they wanted to participate and completed an initial survey, but time constraints and scheduling issues resulted in only 15 participants. Pre- and post-survey data did not reveal any significant differences for efficacy outcomes between the TIP scholars who participated as clients and those who did not. TIP clients reported meaningful interactions (i.e., “Motivation from my trainer kept me going,” “She taught me how to make sure the exercise actually results in benefits”) mirrored by the KIN 332 trainers (i.e., “I really helped her know what to do,” “I discovered I know a LOT,” and “It was fun to see improvement in just one week.”)

This PTF project has formed the cornerstone for the development (in process) of an online experiential wellness class to remove barriers to participation and encourage all students to become, and remain, physically active. Here’s what her students have to say about the experience:

You can learn about things, and you can watch videos in class and you can say, you know, "If this were my client what would I do better?" But for me, at least, I really just had no idea what it was like until I met my client and I was working with him. And I was like, you know, this is somebody who really has not moved that much and isn't from an athletic background. So it was kind of challenging to see, you know, trying to instruct somebody who isn't familiar with that. And so it's extremely helpful to meet with these people and be able to work and get kind of a little taste of what it's like in the real world. … It really taught me that you really have to look at the individual, and, you know, you can go in with a plan, but it may all just go crazy when you're in the moment, and you have to be able to adapt.

– Samatha G, Sophomore, Applied Movement Science

I think a lot of people don't know how to communicate properly. And this forces you to--you have to know how to communicate with somebody in order to succeed in this class. … I actually prefer doing it with clients than my classmates because they're actually paying attention to you. So with my classmates, they're kind of going through the motions. And you're actually affecting the client. Because you're actually teaching them something new.

– Julian R, Senior, Exercise Science/Medical Fitness & Rehabilitation

This is really just trial and error, and you learn as you go. Really there's no there's no formula, like, you follow the worksheet for everything and you could just point out mistakes. No, it doesn't work like that. You have to do the evaluation, and after you do the evaluation, there's still something that you may not know. … Getting this experience with the client really helps because, like I said before, a surprise, surprise element. So, you never know what you could possibly be working with. It's a good thing for this field because it still is something that requires you to always think on your feet, always learn, always, you know, it's a constant learning process.

– Monet S, Senior, Health Promotion/Medical Fitness & Rehabilitation