Teaching Portfolio
Rebecca A. Battista, Ph.D.
Department of Exercise and Sport Science
University of Wisconsin – La Crosse
Spring 2006
Introduction
A. Teaching Responsibilities
My primary teaching responsibility includes teaching both graduate and
undergraduate courses. These courses are within the Undergraduate Fitness Program and
the Human Performance Graduate Program within the Department of Exercise and Sport
Science. My primary area of instruction includes providing the foundation and basic
application of health and fitness related concepts. Students in the Fitness Program are
typically interested in careers in fitness, health, and related fields and potentially in
pursuing graduate education in health, and allied health, exercise science, and related
fields. Graduate students in the Human Performance Program those interested in
pursuing careers as a sport coach or strength and conditioning coach, or working in
fitness and/or athletic enhancement centers.
Graduate Courses
The graduate students in which I am direct contact with consist of Masters degree
candidates within the Human Performance, Clinical Exercise Physiology, Sport
Administration, and Physical Education Teaching Programs. Courses in which I have
taught include the following: Physiology of Activity (ESS 770), Interpretation of
Statistical Data (EFN 735), and Clinical Forum/Application of Physiology to Endurance
Training (ESS 560). ESS 770 is taught twice a year and is a foundation class, providing
the background in physiology for graduate students in the Human Performance track.
EFN 735 is taught twice a year and focuses on interpretation and analysis of statistical
techniques. It is geared towards the masters student preparing for their thesis project.
ESS 560 was introduced as an elective class for Human Performance students, however,
it is currently under review to become an core requirement.
 Interpretation of Statistical Data (EFN 735)
The purpose of the course is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the basics of
statistical interpretation and computation. It serves as an introductory course with the
essential purpose of providing students with the tools to select the appropriate statistical
analysis, and interpret and evaluate the results of research. Topics and assignments are
designed to allow students to explore the theories behind the different statistical
techniques and to apply statistics to research projects. Assignments include computation
of statistical analyses by hand and on the computer. For each statistical analysis, an
interpretation of the results is required.

Clinical Forum/Application of Physiology to Endurance Training (ESS 560)
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The purpose of the course is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the body’s
physiological responses to endurance exercise. ESS 770 serves as a prerequisite for this
course. The focus for this course is on aerobic metabolism and the physiological
responses to aerobic exercise performance, including the adaptations of the
cardiovascular and respiratory systems to exercise. Laboratory experiences are essential
in the course and the discussions include utilizing and applying the information gained in
the laboratory/field testing to endurance training.
 Physiology of Activity (ESS 770)
The purpose of the course is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the acute and
chronic responses of the body’s physiological systems to exercise. This course is
designed to provide the student with a general overview of the physiological basis of
activity with an emphasis on those factors affecting performance of healthy individuals.
COURSE
REQUIRED
ESS 770
Human Performance
Clinical Exercise Physiology
EFN 735
ELECTIVE
Sports Administration
Physical Education
Human Performance
Clinical Exercise Physiology
Sports Administration
Physical Education
ESS 560
Human Performance
Undergraduate Courses
Undergraduate students taking courses in which I am in contact are primarily
Fitness majors but include Athletic Training, Sport Management, Physical Education,
Health Education, Health Promotion, and Therapeutic Recreation majors. My primary
responsibility is the Human Anatomy Lecture and Laboratory (ESS 205). This course is
a core requirement for any student in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science
programs and for students in the Health Education/Promotion, and Therapeutic
Recreation Departments. The ESS 205 lecture part is a large lecture style class ranging in
size each semester of approximately 120-150 students. The laboratory part focuses
primarily on the musculoskeletal system. Models, charts, computer programs as well as
skeletons and cadavers are provided to assist the student in learning. My other
responsibilities include teaching Physiology of Exercise (ESS 302), which is also a core
requirement for all programs within the ESS department. Classes range in size from 3035 students each semester. ESS 302 focus includes providing a background for students
concerning fundamental information of physiology as it directly relates to exercise. Its
objective is to provide students opportunities to explore the functions and underlying
mechanisms of actions of the body’s physiological systems.

Human Anatomy (ESS 205)
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The purpose of this course is to
 Human Anatomy Lab (ESS 205)
The purpose of this course is to emphasize the musculoskeletal system during the
laboratory component. To learn and understand the anatomy of the skeletal system and
the muscular system.
 Physiology of Exercise (ESS 302)
The purpose of this course is to
B. Additional Teaching Activities - Mentoring and Advising
Currently, I serve as the Fitness and Sport Management (FSM) Club Faculty
Advisor. This club consists of approximately 30-50 Fitness and Sport
Management/Administration majors. The mission of this club is to increase knowledge
of the fields of Fitness and Sport Management by providing opportunities such as
activities and discussions related to each field. The club also increases the awareness of
volunteer opportunities to members. My responsibility with the club involves mentoring
the officers, maintaining the budget, and increasing awareness in the field of fitness and
sport management.
Additionally, I have worked with both graduate and undergraduate students on
research projects. With the graduate students, I have both chaired and served as a
member on theses committee’s. My role with the undergraduate students also involves
mentoring, but a more close and directive mentoring role. My goal as the faculty
mentor/advisor is to provide opportunities to students to do research. The goal of most
projects is essentially to submit the results as presentations and manuscripts at local,
regional, and national meetings.
C. Teaching Development
During the summer 2005, I developed and taught the course, Clinical
Forum/Application of Physiology to Endurance Training (ESS 560). Currently, a
Clinical Forum course serves as an elective and is one way in which faculty are able to
introduce a new course into the curriculum. There was a need felt among faculty within
the Human Performance Program to provide students with a more comprehensive
understanding of the aerobic aspects of training, as students within the program typically
concentrate on more anaerobic training. This course was introduced with the intention of
adding it to the current curriculum, as a core requirement, for Human Performance
graduate students as well as those in other programs. Feedback from students who
participated in this course was obtained after the summer 05, and it was generally
favorable to add it to the curriculum, as students felt a lack of understanding in that area.
The course was designed to provide information through lectures but also through
laboratory type activities, which may be helpful to a coach and/or trainer.
D. Teaching Philosophy
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The goal of teaching is to encourage the students to learn and provide them with
the tools necessary to do so. Teaching fundamental content, theory, and facts are
certainly essential, however, it is also important to encourage students to apply the
information learned in a practical manner. An environment that provides student and
teacher interaction is important in order to achieve obtaining the correct knowledge
concerning the subject matter in question.
As a teacher, my responsibilities are:
 To organize the information in a manner in which the students can
understand, and make adjustments to it when they are confused.
 To develop a number of ways to provide feedback to the student
concerning their knowledge of the subject matter. This may involve
and is not limited to formal exams and weekly quizzes, but also
includes class discussions, collaborative learning opportunities,
homework, worksheets, and practical experiences.
 To encourage the students to think independently and to certify the
student’s competence as well as ensure the students have the ability to
communicate the material in which they have learned to others in their
respective fields.
 To keep up to date on current literature and incorporate it into lectures
and discussions.
 To encourage student interest in the subject matter, as well as
encourage and provide opportunities for student research. Even at the
undergraduate level, incorporating students in research will assist the
student in learning problem solving, independent thinking, practical
application, and critical analysis.
I expect the students:
 To come prepared to class by keeping with the assignments. This
lends itself to a better understanding of the course material.
 To participate in class and become an active member of the class. This
is important not only in class discussions but in collaborative learning
opportunities.
 To regularly attend class to assist the discussion and interpretation of
material.
E. Teaching Strategies/Methodologies
Teaching strategies and methodologies should relate back to the teaching
philosophy. In order to understand the basic knowledge of material, it is important to
organize the information. For example, students are provided with lecture notes, lecture
outlines, and lecture objectives. Using a variety of methods allows the student options in
order to discover the strategy that best works for them. In addition, especially at the
lower level courses, I feel it is my responsibility to educate the students in terms of how
to take notes during class and to study for quizzes/exams. In upper level courses, I use
different strategies to get the information across to the students. These include
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assignments, laboratory exercises, pop quizzes, and small group discussions. Using these
methods assist in learning and in relating the concepts of to physical fitness and physical
activity and how they can be used in the real world.
Considering many of the courses in which I teach are foundation type courses, it
is important to organize the lecture information. All lecture notes are available to
students for ease of taking notes during lecture. In addition, outlines of for each section
are provided. These outlines are another way the show the students the details of the
content material.
It is important the student be provided with feedback concerning their knowledge
of the material. Ways in which I provide feedback to the students includes small group
assignments, pop quizzes, assignments/worksheets, laboratory experiences, and class
discussions. Typically, small group assignments are used for complex topics. For
example, in ESS 205 lecture I use small group assignments to outline the steps of a
muscle contraction. Understanding these steps of a muscle contraction is a content area
that is used in other related coursework and is therefore important for the students to
learn and understand. In these small groups, students can discuss what each one thinks
are the appropriate steps in the appropriate order. A short discussion follows and the
correct steps are listed out for all students to write down. It is also encouraged that
students show me their final list of steps prior to any formal testing.
As an Instructor, I feel it is important to make oneself accessible to students and
encourage students to use office hours. This is critical in the lower divisions courses that
consist primarily of freshmen and sophomores. Students often appreciate an Instructor
who is accessible and helpful in their learning. I often encourage students to come during
office hours to discuss any topics they are having difficulty understanding. If students do
not feel comfortable utilizing office hours, I also encourage students to email. To assist
with this, from many of my small group discussions used in the larger lectures, I inform
students to send me their version of the steps or outline of the material discussed. I have
found this to be quite helpful to the students.
In the upper division courses, I use pop quizzes and assignments/worksheets to
provide feedback to students. Pop quizzes are often used to ensure and to encourage the
student to keep up with the reading prior to lecture and to participate while in lecture.
These are important in the graduate level courses, as students are expected to participate
in class as class discussions are essential to learning. Assignments or worksheets are also
provided to students. The assignments can range in anywhere from answering a short
essay, to preparing charts/tables to analyzing popular literature on a specific fitness
related topic. The purpose of these assignments is to ensure students learn the material,
but more importantly to encourage students to apply the information. These assignments
also encourage the students to think independently and determine the ability of the
student to communicate effectively the information learned. For example, in ESS 302
assignments are provided to students. Assignments begin with answering or defining
major topics discussed in the previous lectures and end with using that basic information
to answer an application question. These questions are often scenario’s of an exercise
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bout and the student is required to apply the information they have learned to determine
what may be happening physiologically. These are designed to prepare the student for
the formal exam.
In the graduate level classes, I feel it is vital for the graduate student to learn
critical thinking skills. I encourage graduate students to learn to read, analyze, and
present scientific papers. Therefore, in my graduate courses, students are required to
prepare and present a paper on a topic of their choice. The paper is a formal paper and
should contain an introduction, methods, results (if applicable), and conclusion. The
introduction should include a rationale and background information and end with the
purpose and potential application to athletic performance. The methods section should
include information concerning participants, recruitment of participants, equipment,
intervention, and potential limitations. The results and discussion should answer the
purpose, and more importantly, present the usefulness and practicality of the information.
In addition, each paper is to be presented during class. Questions are encouraged from
the instructor and peers and how the student responds to the questions is part of the grade
for the presentation. Presentations are graded on the conciseness, quality of audiovisual
aids, the utility of the abstract, organization, clarity of the information, and speaking
ability as each of these aspects are important during any scientific type presentation.
As an Instructor, it is my responsibility to keep up to date on the current literature.
This is extremely critical in the field of exercise and sport science as the concerns in
today’s society are centered on obesity and physical fitness. In the upper division
courses, I use assignments to encourage students to read the current literature. In these
assignments students are to find an article in the media and find the actual source the
article had been taken. The students are to write an explanation about what each article
states and then discuss the findings. Students have found this exercise to be interesting as
it keeps them up to date on the current news. As an Instructor in the field of exercise and
sport science I feel it is my responsibility to teach the students how to critically analyze
information written in the current literature.
All of these methods and strategies are used to increase student’s interest in
learning the subject matter. It also provides students with opportunities for critical
thinking and analysis. In addition to my role as an Instructor, I also serve as a mentor.
On occasion these assignments and discussions spark interest in certain students. This
interest can result in opportunities for student research. In doing student research the
students are taught problem solving skills and practical application that are certainly
beneficial to their future in the field. In addition, for those students seeking post-graduate
education, undergraduate research provides an additional opportunity to prepare and
succeed in graduate programs.
F. Student’s Overall Assessment of Instruction
Student evaluations of the courses in which I instruct are provided to students
once each semester for each course I am responsible. While the student evaluation form
is standardized, there is a portion that students can provide written feedback. I typically
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encourage students to provide feedback on the written portion. In addition, in the first
year in which I taught, two faculty members attended my courses. In the Fall 2004, Pat
DiRocco, chairman of the Department of Exercise and Sport Science observed an ESS
205 lecture. In the Fall 2004, Cha Chen Yu observed an ESS 303 lecture. Comments
from each member of the Promotion and Tenure Committee are attached in the
Appendix.
From the SEI written evaluation forms, students felt the review performed at the
beginning of each lecture was helpful and the options presented to them on D2L for
learning the course material were beneficial. Students also commented on the application
of material to real life settings. However, students felt lectures were taught too quickly or
had too much detail contained. My responses to these comments include attempting to
slow down the lectures. In addition, I have incorporated breaks into the lecture for note
taking “catch-up”. This, along with asking students their impression of what the key
points where for the area of content has allowed me to re-structure or present differently
the topic.
G. Short term and long term teaching goals
I have several goal to improve my instruction. A description and timeline for
accomplishing the goals are summarized.
Appendix
A - Course Syllabi
B - SEI Fall 2004
C - SEI Spring 2005
D – Faculty Assessment
E – Student Comments
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