Wellness In The Classroom

Submitted by Lyle Bartelt on
Duration
-
Abstract

Students will be able to analyze recent research relating brain-based learning and healthy lifestyle choices in order to optimize student learning and academic performance.  WITC is a system of linking engagement in healthy habits to assignments in academic classes to encourage engagement in healthy habits.  Students are assigned articles to read followed by class discussion on setting SMART goals in one of five areas; exercise, nutrition, sleep, resiliency, or substance abuse.  Students then set goals and track completion over a period of weeks.  Knowledge assessment varies with the course and includes informative speeches, reflections and research papers.  Evaluation of SMART Goals provides further outcome assessment.  Goal adherence will be tracked in a spreadsheet linked to each class section.  Pre and post survey data indicate whether behavior changed or was reinforced.  A wrap up survey and class discussion provide subjective feedback.  Retention within the semester and final course grade will be correlated with goal achievement.  A profile of a healthy successful student may be developed.

Division/Department
Completed Full Cycle
No
Rating
Average: 5 (1 vote)

Comments

display_name_fallback Thu, 08/18/2016 - 8:56am

Hi Lyle!

This is exciting.  I look forward to the results.  Will you be posting any of the templates for the pre-post assessments, or the wellness SMART goals that you will be using this semester?

Respectfully,

Tanisha

Patricia Cardenas-Adame Sat, 08/20/2016 - 12:18pm

Lyle,  I am looking forward to having you present this information in my ENG 102 class and assess the results at the end of the Fall 2016 term.  Thanks for being available. pca

Peter Turner Thu, 08/25/2016 - 11:18am

I love this, Lyle, and I think it has great potential to impact our student persistence and retention! Will individual classes be focusing on one goal/measure, or will they be required to include all of them?

Becky Baranowski Thu, 08/25/2016 - 11:49am

Hopefully I will be participating in this in the Spring.  I am so encouraged by what you and Norma did, so I hope to see this continue to grow.  Our health is so important.  Making time to get some activity in helps me out so much mentally.  Keep us posted on this.  

Jennifer Kline Thu, 09/22/2016 - 1:03pm

We are really enjoying using WITC again this semester.  I am excited to see the results of the pre/post surveys as well as all of the SMART goals that were created by the students.  

We initiated student lead activities as well as instructor lead activities.  Many of our formative assessments used are done with "movement" such as:

Flip around- students stand back to back wit their whiteboards, the instructor asks a questions, the students have 5 seconds to answer and then they"flip around" and face each other to check each other's responses, then we add a small discussion.

Go Around- used for wrap up at the end of the class. The students all stand in one big circle and we go around the circle (starting from anywhere) and each student must voice one thing they learned in class.  It must be new information for them that they learned in class that day and NO student can repeat anything someone has already stated. They stand and deliver the content.  

Thanks for working with us again Lyle.  

Becky Baranowski Thu, 03/23/2017 - 10:11am

Hi Lyle - I was wondering if you had any data to update this CATS from fall semester.  I am looking forward to seeing how this is going.  I will implement this again in the Fall.  I have enjoyed having the Wellness Spreadsheet in my classes for Spring 17.