DIVISION OF HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION (DRAFT)
A. DESCRIPTION AND FUNCTION
Division Mission:
The Division of HPE will develop among its tudents the knowledge,
skills, attitudes, and values that come from sports and physical activity
throughout one’s life. It is the primary function of the division to: (1)
prepare students for teaching and coaching; (2) promote a lifelong
commitment for physical fitness among all VCSU students; and (3) support
the university’s mission to a learner-centered caring community committed
to continuous improvement through the use of instructional technologies.
Divisional Vision:
The Division of Health and Physical education will produce “creative, competent,
and knowledgeable professionals who will apply their information and skills to effectively
assess, plan and implement appropriate prescriptions for student development and
learning.”
Complete information concerning the teacher education program appears in
the 2000-2002 VCSU Bulletin, pages 36 through 38. Detail regarding other
divisional programs is also included in this document.
B. ORGANIZATION AND RESOURCES
The Division is an academic unit of the University and performs all of the
administrative, governance, and instructional functions related to the
preparation of teachers.
Student Enrollment
The following table depicts the number of students who have completed
educational programs offered through the Division of Health and Physical
Education from 1992 through 2000. through 2000.
Program Graduates from the Division of Education and Psychology
199
2
199
3
199
4
199
5
199
6
199
7
199
8
199
9
Major
Physical
Education
70
75
68
66
Major
Health
Education
17
16
23
Totals
87
84
89
15
90
2000
Program Graduates from the Division of Education and Psychology
199
2
199
6
199
7
199
8
199
9
Minor
Physical
Education
23
22
23
22
Minor
Health
Education
6
9
12
Minor
Coaching
199
3
199
4
199
5
9
105
92
94
86
1
2
4
4
130
114
2000
Minor
Recreation
Totals
125
145
Faculty
The Division of Health and Physical Education has eight full-time faculty
members. All members have a masters degree. There are four adjunct
faculty. One member has an earned doctorate
As reflected in individual faculty data sheets, divisional faculty are involved
in numerous professional activities. They are successful teachers, coaches,
and administrators.
The academic ranks of the divisional faculty consist of four Associate
Professors, one Assistant Professor, three Instructors, and one Lecturer.
Three full-time faculty members are female and five are male. The unit
faculty members teach a load of twelve semester credits. One teacher
supervises student teachers and also has administrative responsibilities
that are reflected in individual teaching loads. Six faculty members have
coaching responsibilities, one is the Intramural Director, and one is the
division chair.
Support Staff
One full time assistant and one half time assistant, along with three student
workers, serves the Division of Health and Physical Education. The full time
assistant provides clerical service, supervises student work hours, supports
both full and part time faculty members, and contributes to the general
welfare of the unit in a variety of other ways. The assistant also serves the
entire athletic program and the half time athletic director.
Facilities and Equipment
The unit receives a reasonable proportion of the VCSU budget to accomplish
its purposes, and Library resources are adequate for its programs. The
chart that follows provides dollar amounts for the instructional budget from
1997 through 2001.
Division of Health & Physical Education Budget
Compared with the Total Instructional Budget, 1997 – 2001
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
Salaries and Wages
Health & Physical Ed.
Total Instructional Budget
Operating
Health & Physical Ed.
Total Instructional Budget
Equipment
Health & Physical Ed.
Total Instructional Budget
Totals
Health & Physical Ed.
Total Instructional Budget
Although it has allocated some equipment expenditures to the division over
the past five years, VCSU has not formally provided an equipment budget to
any unit since 1995. The anticipated inception of the notebook computer
initiative necessitated that move.
C. ASSESSMENT
While the entire campus community is credited for the commendable NCATE
review, the unit faculty members and teacher education students played a
critical leadership role and they continue to exert their influence as key
players in the transformation of teaching and learning.





Adoption of the Abilities Model.
Clinical and field-based experiences with review by student,
cooperating instructor, and faculty mentor.
Student portfolio development.
Continuous student evaluation of course objectives.
First and third year teacher education graduates complete the HPE
Alumni Survey to determine the degree of satisfaction related to
preparation.


Digital portfolios as an exit requirement.
Divisional improvement plan.
Assessment of student success takes place from entry to exit:




General Education courses are linked to the abilities.
Major courses track abilities to higher levels.
Portfolio development documents abilities.
Successful completion of field experiences.
Departmental expectations of students are high:
The VCSU Health & Physical Education graduate will be able to demonstrate:
a.) higher order thinking skills and the application of critical
thinking skills
the ability to effectively communicate (i.e., written, verbal,
presentation, etc.)
b.) concrete application of content knowledge
c.) the ability to access relevant information
d.) the ability to work cooperatively
e.) the appropriate use of technology
Is this linked to the abilities?
The divisional abilities of Communication, Problem-solving, Wellness,
and Technology are four of the eight university Abilities (see appendices).
Students must complete the fourth level of five of the eight Abilities in order
to satisfy the graduation requirement. The fifth ability is the student’s
choice, probably from his/her second major or the academic minor(s).
Have you built in systems for change based on what you know? What are
they?
The HPE Assessment Plan, continued use of alumni surveys (every
other year), course assessments, senior exit interviews, and the quality of
the HPER students’ digitized portfolio will provide feedback. This program
review, with feedback from the outside evaluator and the VCSU VPAA, will
provide us with valuable advice on the effectiveness of the curriculum and
instruction. Curricular/program changes could then be proposed for the
next bulletin (catalog) for 2002-2004.
Surveys:
One and three year (program) graduate surveys have been
administered in the following summers: 1996, 1998, & 2000 (see report in
appendices by Dennis). Is there other data? Course assessments: spring,
1999, and fall and spring, 2000; senior exit interview questions (interview
results spring, 2000).
1999-2000 Baseline Program Goals:
Baseline Program Goals: originally defined as Divisional Goals-1998
This section now establishes the link between the University mission and
the Division of HPE.
The Division of Health and Physical Education will develop preprofessional students through active integration of its divisional and the
University’s mission and vision statements. This integration is demonstrated
by the dovetailing of the University Abilities and the Divisional Baseline
Program Goals. The purpose of the HPE Baseline Goals are to help foster
the development of the foundational skills that are necessary to the
development of the “total professional” in the discipline(s) of Health,
Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.
The Division builds systems for change through the following:



Through assessment and reflection, abilities and portfolios continue
to evolve.
Definitions and rubrics for abilities and skills reflect University
program objectives.
Field site visitations identify skills of effective teachers in today’s
changing classrooms.
Exit information regarding new teachers is gathered through:


Surveys of first year teachers conducted by the chair of the HPER
division.
Surveys of administrators who have hired VCSU first year teachers
conducted by the VCSU Career Planning and Placement Office.
Strengths





Valley City State University has positioned itself in a leadership role in
the application of information technology to the teaching-learning
process. The Division of HPER is substantially invested in this mission
and is actively involved with and supportive of these campus
initiatives.
The division completed an extensive program review in the spring,
summer, and fall of 2000. The steps of this process and the results
are explained elsewhere in this document.
The HPE course syllabi support both the division’s and the university’s
mission statements.
The division utilized a course assessment
instrument to confirm the faculty’s use of the division’s and
university’s goals.
The course assessments confirm that the faculty’s teaching strategies
are following the division’s goals. Those strategies are reflective of
learner-centeredness, student responsibility, and reflection for the
purpose of self-evaluation and continuous improvement.
The division’s upper level methods course provides clinical
experiences in the public school setting. The division also supervises
most of its Health and Physical Education majors. Confirmation of the
supervisor’s work is on record in the education department’s office.






All of these programs which prepare middle and secondary teachers
have been reviewed by the North Dakota Professional Standards and
Practices Board and found to be in compliance with standards.
The admissions criteria are published, generally understood, and
rigorously administered during the admissions process.
All faculty have teaching assignments appropriate to their training
and experience.
This (notebook computer) initiative certainly qualifies as one of the
strengths of the unit and of the university and the unit deserves much
of the credit for its leadership in this technological innovation.
The library resources provide adequate breadth, currency and
perspectives.
Facilities are functional and well-maintained.
Concerns




Student request for earlier and longer practicum experiences.
Difficult with only one junior/senior high school that is already
accepting our student teachers.
Updating the curriculum. Several meetings have take place over the
fall semester by the HPE Curriculum Committee and the entire HPE
faculty. The following items were utilized during the meetings: the
(present) student survey (HPE majors/minors and coaching minors
#60); the past two alumni survey results (1996 & 1998: 2000
recently sent); and the final report of the outside evaluator from our
spring/summer program review.
Additional items needed for entry and exit assessments.
Dual responsibilities of the coaches and instructors.
D. Plan for the Future
Paralleling the VCSU strategic plan, the proposed HPER curriculum
revisions, the abilities project, and the most recent alumni survey serve as
guides for future developments. Individual faculty members engage in
professional activity that supports the plan.
Division of Health and Physical Education Focus: To advance the university
mission and vision by supporting the strategic plan and by building on the
belief that competent teachers are knowledge based decision makers.
Goals and Strategies for Achieving the aforementioned focus:
The HPER Division attempts to provide opportunities for students to
maximize their learning for a lifetime by requiring digitized portfolios. See
the division’s mapping of abilities to see where and how it’s faculty provide
technological learning opportunities to its majors and minors. The division’s
faculty has adopted the notebook initiative into its course outlines. The
division supports the Abilities model (see the specific abilities listed in
another part of this report). Each faculty member updated its course
outlines in the summer of 1998 to reflect the adoption of its division’s new
objectives. One faculty member moved one of his classes to an on-line
course in the fall of 2000. Other faculty have attended workshops on
Blackboard during the spring, summer, and fall of 2000. In the fall of 1999
one faculty member made a presentation at the NDAHPERD state workshop
about the notebook initiative and its students’ work on the CD-Rom
portfolio.
Concluding their programs of study, students complete digitized
professional portfolios that document their learning and accomplishments
during their time at Valley City State University. Graduates leave as wellqualified candidates for service in their respective professions.
E. DOCUMENTATION
Valley City State University 2000-2002 Bulletin
North Dakota State Program Standards
Graduate survey results
Course evaluations
Course Outlines and Course Syllabi