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Dr. Robyn Housemann, Chair housemannr@wcsu.edu Berkshire 230b, Midtown campus (203) 837-8882 (203) 837-8638 (fax)
Dr. Emily Stevens, Associate Chair stevense@wcsu.edu Berkshire 230e, Midtown campus (203) 837-3903 (203) 837-8638 (fax)
Therese Richardson, Department Secretary RichardsonT@wcsu.edu Berkshire 230, Midtown campus (203) 837-8612 (203) 837-8638 (fax)
Faculty
Adjunct Faculty
Overview
The Health Promotion and Exercise Sciences Department strives to educate all WCSU students about the importance of making healthy lifestyle choices to encourage life-long optimal health and well-being. The Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion Studies (HPS) degree is one of two degree programs offered in the HPX Department; the other degree program is a Bachelor of Science in Health Education, pre-K – 12. Both programs are 120 credits which include major requirements (including a 12-credit field experience), general education requirements, and free electives. The HPS BS degree program offers students four options: Allied Health Professions, Community Health, Holistic and Integrative Health, and Fitness and Wellness. Following completion of a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion Studies, students will be prepared to sit for the national Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) examination. After successful completion of the Health Education Pre-K-12 program students receive a BS and a Connecticut teaching certificate.
The HPX Department is the premier health promotion and health education program in the Northeast.
Mission
The mission of the HPX Department is to link education and research with service learning, student teaching, and internship experiences in Health Promotion and Health Education. In addition, the department educates about and provides opportunities for making healthy lifestyle choices on campus and in the greater community.
The strategies that we use to achieve this mission include an experiential learning approach that incorporates team building, knowledge enhancement, skill building, volunteerism, and continuous quality improvement. Students create health promotion programs for the university and surrounding community organizations. The service learning approach provides students with an opportunity to gain “real‐life experience” and help the community at the same time. Mentoring, advising and leading by example are key components of our student‐centered approach.
Program Objectives
The curriculum is driven by competency-based objectives derived from ongoing internal and external program evaluations. Our graduates’ performances in pre-professional activities and worksite placements with schools, public and private health agencies, fitness centers and corporations assist in the realization of the department’s mission. We strive to meet the educational needs of a diversified student body so that our majors will be prepared to address health education in a global society.
B.S. Health Education (PK-12) B.S. Health Promotion Studies
Options: Allied Health Professions (Pre-Physical and Pre-Occupational Therapy) Community Health Holistic and Integrative Health Fitness and Wellness
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN HEALTH EDUCATION
Program Goals
Requirements
Certification Program for PK-12 The teacher education programs at Western are rigorous and not all candidates applying for professional program admission are accepted. Students must achieve a GPA of 3.0 or higher in order to be accepted into all professional education programs as candidates for teacher certification. While students may gain acceptance to the university, those interested in obtaining state teacher’s certification (elementary, secondary, music, and health education) must also file a separate application for professional program acceptance usually during the second semester of their junior year.
Course Restrictions
For a complete list of prerequisites, co-requisites and other restrictions for all courses, please consult the Course Description section of this catalog.
Application And Submission Process For Professional Program Acceptance
Applications for professional program acceptance can be obtained at the department of Health Promotion and Exercise Sciences (BR 230). Before the process of screening for professional program acceptance, applications must be filed with the school health coordinator of the Health Promotion and Exercise Sciences department.
Criteria For Professional Program Acceptance
Students seeking admission to any of Western’s teacher education certification programs must have completed and met the following criteria. The following deadline dates must be met for students applying for professional teacher education program acceptance. The deadline date for fall semester admittance into a Professional Teacher Education Program is 12 noon on April 1. You must have all of your materials submitted to the Health Education program coordinator by the deadline date. After your materials have been submitted and reviewed, you will be contacted for an interview with faculty.
Candidates must:
Note: Students may not register for the following courses until they have been formally admitted to the health education program: HPX 311, HPX 386, HPX 460, HPX 464, ED 340, ED 440, EPY 405.
To graduate, students must complete all general education requirements, the courses and credits listed below and free electives to total a minimum of 120 semester hours, including HPX physical activity requirement.
PSY 100 Introduction to Psychology* SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology* CHE 102 Everyday Chemistry* BIO 105, 106 Anatomy and Physiology I & II* COM 161 Decision Making in Groups* ENG or WRT Writing Intensive Course (W)* HIS 148 American History to 1877* or HIS 149 American History since 1877* ED 211 Educational Psychology: Children and Adolescents I** ED 212 Educational Psychology: Children and Adolescents II** ED 206 Introduction to Education** ED 314 Multicultural Diversity** ED 340 Assessment of Teaching Strategies** ED 440 Integrating Language** EPY 405 Introduction to Special Education** HPX 100 Intro to Health and Wellness** HPX 160 First Aid & Safety** HPX 177 Fitness for Life HPX 205 Nutrition and Health** HPX 215 Health Issues in the Schools** HPX 230 Drug Studies** HPX 253 Concepts of Disease** HPX 271 Health Education Programs in the Community** HPX 311 School Health Programs** HPX 352 Mental Health** HPX 355 Human Sexuality** HPX 371 Health Communication Methods and Strategies** HPX 386 Health Education Professional Development School Experience** HPX 460 Health Education Student Teaching Seminar** HPX 464 Student Teaching**
Required Course Sequence
First Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year Note: Students must make official application for Senior-year status by April 1 in their Junior year.
Senior Year
Total 120 Semester Hours * Minimum of “C” grade required. ** Minimum of “B” grade required. 3.0 QPA for a B.S. Degree
In order to register for student teaching, Health Education majors must present at least a 3.0 overall GPA. Students are advised not to register for other courses, except for ED 340, HPX 460 and HPX 464, or be working in other jobs during this semester. A student teaching application (available at the Education Office), approved by the appropriate Health Education advisor, must be filed with the Chairperson of the Education department during the semester just prior to the student teaching semester. The student teaching requirement for Health Education majors consists of one semester. Students are responsible for providing their own transportation to and from their assigned schools.
Students earning other than a “P” grade in student teaching may be required to complete additional student teaching and/or course work before receiving a recommendation for graduation and certification. Students must have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all courses to graduate as a Health Education major.
To complete the Health Education degree program, the student must pass the Health PRAXIS II examination. The PRAXIS II exam tests health subject area knowledge. The Initial Educator Certificate will be issued by the State of Connecticut upon completion of program requirements and the passing of PRAXIS II (0550). All CONNTENT exams are being offered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). ETS utilizes the national teacher examination (PRAXIS) specialty area tests for CONNTENT requirements. Additionally, students are encouraged to sit for the national CHES exam.
Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the B.S. Health Education (PK-12) Certification Program will be prepared to demonstrate the following outcomes:
Communicate health and health education needs, concerns, and resources (#2-8 responsibilities and competencies for school health educators have been established, as seen in The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc.
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN HEALTH PROMOTION STUDIES (B.S.)
The Health Promotion Studies (HPS) degree program offers students four options: Allied Health Professions, Community Health, Holistic and Integrative Health, and Fitness and Wellness. Following completion of a Bachelor of Science in HPS, students will be prepared to sit for the national Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) examination. Our graduates are leaders who are prepared for entry-level positions in a wide variety of private and public settings (i.e. corporations, hospitals, schools, community organizations and other multi-public service organizations) and for graduate programs (Public Health, Health and Physical Education, Health Administration, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Chiropractic, Naturopathy, Physician Assistant, etc.). In addition to a liberal arts core of courses, students must successfully complete health content and methodology courses, including the use of technology, in order to achieve professional competence as identified by standards set by national credentialing organizations. We use an experiential learning model to provide students with the skills needed to design, develop, implement and evaluate health promotion programs in a variety of settings. The core of our competency‐based program consists of five courses that provide group process experience to allow students to work together to plan, develop, market, implement and evaluate a health promotion program. Students complete 15-credits of content-based courses in their chosen option to provide a wellness-focused view of health as a multidimensional concept that encompasses more than the mere absence of disease. We approach health promotion from an ecological perspective to demonstrate the importance of the influence of factors at the individual-level and beyond on healthy lifestyle choices. These courses prepare students for their capstone experience ‐ a 450 hour internship which takes the experiential learning to the next level. Internship planning begins in the second year and allows for selective placement. Students apply and interview for competitive positions in local, state‐wide, national, or international organizations. These experiences allow the students to showcase what they have learned and continue the learning process as they create innovative programs applying what they’ve learned in the real world.
HPS Program Mission
The mission of the Health Promotion Studies program is the develop career professionals who are revolutionary leaders empowered to impact health promotion using an experiential, holistic and multi-disciplinary approach.
These requirements apply to students entering the Health Promotion Studies (HPS) program for the Spring 2017 semester or later.
Health Promotion Studies Core Course Work BIO 105 Anatomy & Physiology I BIO 106 Anatomy & Physiology II PSY 260 Health Psychology HPX 103 Introduction to Health Promotion & Practice* HPX 200 Intro. to Community Health & Organizations* HPX 270 Health Ed. Theory & Application* HPX 370 Health Promotion Program Design & Implementation* HPX 371 Health Communication Methods & Strategies* HPX 470 Health Promotion Program Evaluation* HPX 490 Practicum for Health Promotion Studies*** HPX 491 Health Promotion Studies Senior Seminar***
Allied Health Option Course Work HPX 202 Epidemiology of Disease CHE 111 General Chemistry II BIO 103 General Biology I PHY 120 General Physics I
Community Health Option Course Work HPX 202 Epidemiology of Disease HPX 353 Environment & Global Health Nine HPX Elective Credits (can select from all HPX courses except HPX 160, 177, 215, 311, 386, 460 and 464)
Holistic and Integrative Health Option Course Work HPX 240 Intro to Principles of Holistic and Integrative Health HPX 241 Mind/Body Interventions for Health HPX 242 Cross-Cultural and Traditional Healing Methods HPX 343 Food, Herbs, Supplements and Other Products HPX Elective (select from approved list)
Wellness Management Option Course Work HPX 205 Nutrition & Health HPX 207 Nutrition & Health Laboratory HPX 254 Fitness Seminar & Laboratory HPX 255 Group Exercise Instruction or HPX 313 Personal Training HPX 281 Principles of Wellness HPX 380 Worksite Health
* Grade of C+ or better is required in these courses. All other courses require a grade of C or better. Students must maintain an overall GPA >= 2.5 to enroll in HPS core courses, (HPX 103, 200, 270, 370, 371 and 470)..
** All Core and option courses must be completed before students can enroll in HPX 490 and 491.
Recommended Course Sequence for the Allied Health Option:
Junior Year
For students considering occupational therapy programs, a sequence in development psychology is recommended.
For students considering physical therapy programs, the second half of General Biology and General Physics is recommended. We also recommend at least two developmental psychology courses.
Recommended Course Sequence for the Community Health Option:
Community Health Electives: HPX 203 Introduction to Human Nutrition (Spring or Fall), HPX 230 Drug Studies (Fall) HPX 240 Intro to Principles of Holistic/Intergrative Health (Spring), HPX 241 Mind/Body Interventions (Fall), HPX 242 Cross Cultural Health and Healing (Spring), HPX 253 Concepts of Disease (Fall), HPX 254 FItness Seminar & Lab (Fall), HPX 255 Group Activity Instruction (Spring), HPX 281 Principles of Wellness (Spring), HPX 313 Principles of Personal Training (Spring), HPX 343 Food, Herbs, Supplements (Fall), HPX 344 Energy Healing Therapies (Fall), HPX 352 Mental Health (Spring), HPX 355 Human Sexuality (Fall), HPX 380 Worksite Health.
Recommended Course Sequence for the Holistic and Integrative Health Option:
Holistic & Integrative Health Electives: HPX 253 Concepts of Disease, HPX 281 Principles of Wellness, HPX 352 Mental Health, HPX 353 Global and Environmental Health, HPX 344 Energy Healing Therapies, ANT/SOC 233 Medical Anthropology, COM 245 Meditation, Self-Awareness, & Communication, PHI 265 Phil of Happiness, PHI 241 Buddhist Phil, PHI 245 Phil of Death and Dying, PHI 340 Non-Wester Phil.
Recommended Course Sequence for the Wellness Management Option:
Graduates of the B.S. Health Promotion Studies program will be prepared to demonstrate the following outcomes:
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REQUIREMENT – 2 SH
The Health and Wellness competency (HW) may be fulfilled by taking HPX 177 Fitness for Life, a combination of one 1.0 credit lecture class and one 1.0 credit activity class. The lecture and activity classes must be taken during the same semester. Refer to physical activity courses (under course descriptions at the back of this catalog) for a list of activity courses available.
Splitting the course is possible and available in the following conditions:
Because of the physical demands of activity courses offered at Western, students are strongly urged to have a physical examination before registering for these courses. Since part-time students are not covered by university accident insurance, part-time students are strongly urged to carry accident insurance.
Student Independent Activity (SIA)
This is an online activity course that requires permission from the course instructor prior to enrolling in the course. The course is run through Blackboard Learn, and students receiving permission to enroll in the SIA will be reserved a spot in the online Fitness for Life lecture course during the same semester. The permission request form should be downloaded from the HPX website (http://wcsu.edu/hpx/fitforlifegen.asp), completed electronically, and emailed to the instructor of the course in which the student plans to enroll.
This course is designed specifically for students who engage in a regular physical activity program within their community. Students may not use the WCSU Recreation Department facility or classes to meet this requirement. Students are expected to accumulate 30 hours of independent exercise, under the supervision of a licensed/certified fitness coach, instructor, or trainer. Supervisors will be contacted throughout the course to verify physical activity participation. The student will track all activity in a physical activity log. While the supervisor does not need to have direct, constant supervision of the activity, the supervisor should sign the activity log and verify all of the activity participation.
EXAMPLES OF AGENCIES USED FOR HEALTH PROMOTION & EXERCISE SCIENCES INTERNSHIP & STUDENT TEACHING FIELD PLACEMENTS
Regional Abilities Beyond Disabilities, Brookfield AIDS Project, New Haven Alternative Incarceration Center, Danbury American Cancer Society, Wilton American Red Cross, Danbury American Red Cross, Waterbury Avery Heights, Hartford BAYADA Home Health Care, Norwalk Benchmark Assisted Living – Ridgefield Crossings’ Bethel Health Care, Bethel Bethel Health Dept., Bethel Bluestreak Sports Training, Stamford Boehringer Ingelheim, Fairfield Boys and Girls Club of Ridgefield Brewster Athletic Club, Brewster, NY Birth Partners Labor Assistants, Naugatuck Cardinal Hayes Home for Children, Millbrook, NY Chapter 126, Bristol Chelsea Piers, Stamford Cheshire High School, Cheshire Connecticut Institute for Communities, Danbury Connecticut State Dept. of Health Covenant Village of Cromwell, Cromwell Danbury Children First Initiative, Danbury Danbury Health Care Affiliates, DHCA, Danbury Danbury Hospital, Danbury Danbury Dept. of Health and Housing, Danbury Danbury Orthopedics, Danbury Danbury PAL, Danbury Danbury School System, Danbury Danbury High School, Roberts Avenue School, Hayestown Avenue School, Danbury Danbury Senior Center, Danbury Danbury Youth Services, Danbury Danbury Visiting Nurses Assoc., Danbury Diageo, Norwalk Dorothy Day Soup Kitchen, Danbury Duracell Fitness Center, Bethel Dow Chemical Corporation, Fitness Center Devereux Glenhome School, Washington Earth Fit, New Fairfield Elim Park Health Care and Rehab Center, Cheshire Even Start, Danbury Filosa Nursing Home, Danbury Gartner, Stamford Girl Scouts of Southwest Connecticut Green Chimneys School, Brewster, NY Good Friends, Danbury Habitat for Humanity Hancock Hall, Danbury Harambee Center, Danbury Heal the Children, New Milford Healing Hearts (Danbury Hospice) HealthQuest, Danbury Health South, Danbury Hispanos Unidos Contra El Sida, New Haven Human Resource Development Agency, Naugatuck ICES, Waterbury Interfaith AIDS Ministry of Danbury, Danbury Just for Women, Waterbury Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Norwalk Laurel Ridge Nursing Home, Ridgefield Main Street Rehab – Danbury Hospital Maplewood, Bethel, Danbury and Newtown Masonicare of Newtown MasterCard Pro-Fit Center, Purchase, NY MCCA, Ridgefield Meadow Ridge, Redding National Organization of Rare Disorders (NORD), New Fairfield Nestle Waters. Stamford New Fairfield High School, New Fairfield New Milford High School, New Milford New Milford Senior Center, New Milford Newtown Youth Academy Sports and Fitness Center, Newtown Norwalk Department of Health, Norwalk Northeast Natural Medicine, Newtown Northwest CT AIDS Project, Torrington Pepsico Bottling Group, Somers/Purchase, N.Y. Planned Parenthood, Danbury, New Haven and Waterbury Pitney Bowes Corporate Fitness Center, Danbury Rebound Medical, Danbury Region #15, Pomperaug High School, Southbury Ridgefield Boys and Girls Club, Ridgefield Ridgefield High School, Ridgefield Ridgefield Physical Therapy Ridgefield Visiting Nurse Association Rockland County Dept. of Health, New City, NY Regional Hospice of Western Connecticut, Danbury Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut St. Mary’s Hospital, Waterbury Salvation Army, Danbury StayWell Health Care, Inc., Waterbury Stratford Recreation Department Sterling House Community Center, Stratford Summit Rehab Sun Family Outreach Program, Meriden Tauck, Norwalk The Hills Physical Therapy, Litchfield Hills The Nat’l Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine, Brewster, NY The Village at Brookfield Common, Brookfield The Village at Mariner’s Point, East Haven Town of Kent, Environmental Protection, Kent Turning Point Healing Arts, Ridgefield United Way of Western Connecticut, Danbury Until Violence Stops, Danbury Visiting Nurses of Oxford War Memorial, Danbury Waterbury Health Dept., Waterbury Western CT Medical Group, New Milford Western Connecticut Senior Exercise Program, Danbury Western Connecticut State University, ChildCare Center, Danbury Western Connecticut State University, CHOICES, Danbury Western Connecticut State University, Housing & Residence Life, Danbury Western Connecticut State University, V-DAY Project, Danbury Wilton Meadows Rehabilitation and Health Care, Wilton Women’s Center of Greater Danbury, Danbury Women, Infant and Children (WIC), Danbury Youth Action Programs & Homes, Inc., NY YMCA, Waterbury
National Health Fitness Corporation, Minneapolis, MN MediFit, Florsham Park, NJ ProFitness Health Solutions, Shelton