Mark Sanchez and Ladia Vidales receive instruction from Anna Bustamante on the proper form for executing the boxing component of the Wii Fit program. (Photo by Mario Ramirez)
PALO ALTO COLLEGE OFFERING
ONLINE Wii FIT CONDITIONING COURSE
SAN ANTONIO—Palo Alto College is introducing one of the first college-level online courses nationwide merging physical conditioning with Nintendo’s Wii Fit program for college credit during the Spring 2010 semester.
The online course is designed to familiarize the student, through active participation, with basic concepts to promote health-related fitness components and skill-related fitness components. It also allows students the opportunity to complete requirements for the course by working out from home using the popular program.
Dr. Robert Garza, Dean of Student Affairs, originally came up with the idea for the course in 2007 as an innovative approach to fitness for college students. The course promotes physical activity with the use of technology and teaches concepts related to living a healthy lifestyle, along with methods for reducing risk for chronic disease, stress-management, goal-setting, nutritional analysis, and behavioral change.
“We have seen an increase in students utilizing technology for their education and using these same skills for playing electronic games in-between classes,” Dr. Garza said. “It was only natural to integrate the two.”
According to Anna Bustamante, Academic Chair of the Kinesiology Department, the utilization of the Wii Fit program is to emphasize the development of cardio-respiratory fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and control of body fat. The program allows the student the opportunity to participate in yoga, synchronized boxing, step aerobics and other fitness-related activities.
Garza approached Bustamante to develop the online course which students can register for by requesting KINE1179, Physical Conditioning I.
“We hope this online physical conditioning course utilizing the Wii Fit will become a national model for innovative teaching and learning,” Garza said. “We plan on expanding this concept to neighboring elementary, middle and high school partners as a way to encourage more physical exercise, along with combating our nation’s obesity problem.”
Palo Alto College, one of the Alamo Colleges, is a fully accredited community college located on the Southside of San Antonio, and awards associate degrees, short-term certificates and offers non-credit continuing education classes. The campus is located at 1400 W. Villaret Blvd. at I-410 South and Texas Hwy. 16 or online at alamo.edu/pac.
Labels: online, PAC, Palo Alto College, Wii
