This course is designed to begin the professional socialization process through an introduction to the professional standards and organizations that operate in the exercise science professions.
Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
TENTATIVE STUDENT LEARNER OUTCOMES (SLOs):
Throughout the lecture portion of the course, the students will be expected to:
- Identify major professional organizations and career opportunities related to exercise science.
- Determine the goals/missions of the exercise science organizations
- Identify Professional Journals associated with professional organizations within exercise science.
- Differentiate the various certifications available through exercise science organizations
- Determine the ethical considerations of various practices within exercise science organizations
- Identify the costs and benefits associated with memberships of professional organizations.
- Differentiate the various resources available through each organization including websites, directories, scholarships, training, etc.
- A minimum of 2 hours of out of class student work is expected for each hour of in class time.
Contact Information
Upon successful completion of this course...
- The student will be able to identify major professional organizations and career opportunities related to exercise science.
- The student will be able to determine the goals/missions of the exercise science organizations.
- The student will be able to identify Professional Journals associated with professional organizations within exercise science.
- The student will be able to differentiate the various certifications available through exercise science organizations.
- The student will be able to determine the ethical considerations of various practices within exercise science organizations.
- The student will be able to identify the costs and benefits associated with memberships of professional organizations.
- The student will be able to differentiate the various resources available through each organization including websites, directions, scholarships, training, etc.
No required textbook for the course. You will need internet access for assignments and in-class discussions (when permitted).
TENTATIVE STUDENT LEARNER OUTCOMES (SLOs):
Throughout the lecture portion of the course, the students will be expected to:
- Identify major professional organizations and career opportunities related to exercise science.
- Determine the goals/missions of the exercise science organizations
- Identify Professional Journals associated with professional organizations within exercise science.
- Differentiate the various certifications available through exercise science organizations
- Determine the ethical considerations of various practices within exercise science organizations
- Identify the costs and benefits associated with memberships of professional organizations.
- Differentiate the various resources available through each organization including websites, directories, scholarships, training, etc.
- A minimum of 2 hours of out of class student work is expected for each hour of in class time.
Date WEEKLY TOPICS
08/25 Course Introduction and the Exercise Science Profession
09/01 Career Exploration and Professional Development Planning
09/08 Professional Organizations in Health, Fitness, and Personal Training
09/15 Strength and Conditioning Organizations
09/22 Clinical Exercise Physiology and Sports Medicine Organizations (& Allied Health)
09/29 Nutrition, Wellness, and Health-Coaching Organizations
10/06 Specialized Organizations: Biomechanics, Motor Behavior, Sport Psychology, and Adapted Physical Activity
10/13 No Class – In Service Day
10/20 Professional Journals and Evidence-Based Practice
10/27 Comparing Certification Requirements, Costs, and Career Value
11/03 Ethics, Professional Conduct, and Scope of Practice
11/10 Membership Costs, Benefits, and Return on Investment
11/17 Organizational Resources: Continuing Education, Conferences, Directories, Scholarships, and Job Boards
11/24 Graduate School, Continuing Education, and Lifelong Professional Developmen
12/01 Professional Identity: Résumés/CVs, Portfolios, Networking, and Special-Interest Groups
12/08 Student Professional-Organization Presentations and Course Synthesis
12/15 FINAL EXAM SESSION – if needed (10:15am – 12:15pm)
The Instructor has the authority to edit and change the schedule and syllabus at any point in the semester and will notify the class when changes have been made.
Last day to WITHDRAW is October 27TH, 2026
Presentation/Project 1 x 50 = 50 pts
Weekly assignments* 10 x 15wks = 150 pts
The grading scale will be as follows:
A = 93-100% of 200 points
A- = 90-92 of 200 points
B+ = 86-89% of 200 points
B = 83-85% of 200 points
B- = 80-82% of 200 points
C+ = 76-79% of 200 points
C = 73-75% of 200 points
C- = 70-72% of 200 points
D+ =66-69% of 200 points
D = 63-65% of 200 points
D- = 60-62% of 200 points
F = 0-59.4% of 200 points
Instructor Course Policies
ATTENDANCE POLICY
- Excused absences include: 1) activities in which the student serves as an official representative of the College (e.g., musical performance, athletic contests, field trips)l; 2) Personal illness, with documentation by the College nurse or a physician, if possible; 3) Family or personal emergencies; and 4) When severe weather makes travel to campus dangerous.
- Other than figures and tables, the lectures will not be available on Blackboard. If you are absent it is your responsibility to get the notes from a classmate.
- While attendance may be taken on every lecture day, it will not be factored into the student’s grade. However, it has been observed that failing to attend lectures on a regular basis in this class correlates highly with poor examination performance.
- In-class discussions and assignments CANNOT be made up outside of class.
- The professor’s lecture notes will not be made available to the student, regardless of the reason for the student’s absence.
- Audio/video recordings of lectures will not be permitted except in special situations approved by the professor.
OTHER POLICIES
Sleeping in Class
- Students sleeping in class are a distraction to the professor and to the students in class who have a sincere desire to learn. Therefore, this behavior is deemed to be a form of nonacademic misconduct (see below) and will not be tolerated.
Classroom Electronics Policy
- To promote engagement, minimize distractions, and maintain a productive learning environment, the use of electronic devices in class is restricted.
- Cell phones, smartwatches, tablets, laptops, headphones, earbuds, and similar electronic devices must be silenced and stored out of sight unless their use is specifically authorized for a class activity, assessment, or accommodation. The use of headphones or earbuds during class is prohibited, as they interfere with participation, communication, and attention to course activities.
- Students are expected to give their full attention to class discussions, lectures, demonstrations, and group activities. Texting, social media use, web browsing, streaming media, gaming, or other non-course-related activities are not permitted during class.
- Repeated violations of this policy may result in the student being asked to put the device away, leave the classroom for the remainder of the class period, and/or receive a reduction in participation or professionalism points, as outlined in the course grading policy. Failing to comply with this policy is deemed to be a form of nonacademic misconduct (see below) and will not be tolerated.
Academic misconduct statement:
You are expected to adhere to the highest academic standards of behavior and personal conduct in this course and all other courses. Students who engage in academic misconduct are subject to College disciplinary procedures.
Forms of academic dishonesty:
1) Cheating: Using unauthorized notes or study aids, allowing another party to do one’s work/exam and
turning in that work/exam as one’s own; submitting the same or similar work in more than one course without permission from the course instructors; deception in which a student misrepresents that he/she has mastered information on an academic exercise that he/she has not mastered; giving or receiving aid unauthorized by the instructor on assignments or examinations.
2) Aid of academic dishonesty: Intentionally facilitating any act of academic dishonesty. Tampering with
grades or taking part in obtaining or distributing any part of a scheduled test.
3) Fabrication: Falsification or creation of data, research or resources, or altering a graded work without
the prior consent of the course instructor.
4) Plagiarism: Portrayal of another’s work or ideas as one’s own. Examples include unacknowledged
quotation and/or paraphrase of someone else’s words, ideas, or data as one’s own in work submitted
for credit. Failure to identify information or essays from the Internet and submitting them as one’s own
work also constitutes plagiarism.
5) Lying: Deliberate falsification with the intent to deceive in written or verbal form as it applies to an
academic submission.
6) Bribery: Providing, offering or taking rewards in exchange for a grade, an assignment, or the aid of
academic dishonesty.
7) Threat: An attempt to intimidate a student, staff or faculty member for the purpose of receiving an
unearned grade or in an effort to prevent reporting of an Honor Code violation.
Other Forms of Academic Misconduct:
- Failure to follow published departmental guidelines, professor‘s syllabi, and other posted academic policies in place for the orderly and efficient instruction of classes, including laboratories, and use of academic resources or equipment.
- Unauthorized possession of examinations, reserved library materials, laboratory materials or other course related materials.
- Failure to follow the instructor or proctor‘s test-taking instructions, including but not limited to not setting aside notes, books or study guides while the test is in progress, failing to sit in designated locations and/or leaving the classroom/ test site without permission during a test.
- Prevention of the convening, continuation or orderly conduct of any class, lab or class activity. Engaging in conduct that interferes with or disrupts university teaching, research or class activities such as making loud and distracting noises, repeatedly answering cell phones/text messaging or allowing pagers to beep, exhibiting erratic or irrational behavior, persisting in speaking without being recognized, repeatedly leaving and entering the classroom or test site without authorization, and making physical threats or verbal insults to the faculty member, or other students and staff.
- Falsification of student transcript or other academic records; or unauthorized access to academic computer records.
- Nondisclosure or misrepresentation in filling out applications or other college records.
- Any action which may be deemed as unprofessional or inappropriate in the professional community of the discipline being studied.
Non-academic misconduct:
The university respects the rights of instructors to teach and of students to learn. Maintenance of these rights requires campus conditions that do not impede their exercise. Campus behavior that interferes with these rights will not be tolerated; examples include
1) interfering with the instructor's ability to conduct the class,
2) causing inability of other students to profit from the instructional program, or
3) any interference with the rights of others.
An individual engaging in such disruptive behavior may be subject to disciplinary action. Such incidents will be adjudicated by the Dean of Students under non-academic procedures.
Ongoing behaviors or single behaviors considered distracting (e.g., coming late to class, performing a repetitive act that is annoying, sleeping or reading a newspaper in class, etc.) will be addressed by the faculty member initially either generally or individually. Cases in which such annoying behavior becomes excessive and the student refuses to respond to the faculty member‘s efforts can be referred to the Dean of Students. In the case of serious disruptive behavior in a classroom the instructor may first request compliance from the student and if it is not received, an instructor has the authority to ask the student to leave the classroom. If the student fails to leave after being directed to do so, assistance may be obtained from other college personnel, including Campus Safety. An individual engaging in such disruptive behavior is subject to disciplinary action. Such incidents will be adjudicated by the Dean of Students under non-academic procedures to determine if the student should be allowed to return to the classroom.
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Undergraduate: FA26 Final Exam Schedule
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery Definition of Courses |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. Academic Integrity Policy |
Class Attendance Policy Institutional Class Attendance Policy |