KNR 164 - Introduction to Exercise Science
Observation Assignment
As noted on the first day of class, one of the main goals of this course is to help exercise science majors/minors to
explore the field including possible career paths. To help you really see what exercise science professionals “do”,
you are being asked to go out and observe them at work.
Specifics of the Assignment
1. A total of 25 hours of observation are to be completed. The hours are to be divided among the following areas:
Clinical, Fitness Industry (including Corporate, Community, Commercial), Sport Enhancement, Research, and
Pre-Professional. Some of these hours can also come from Professional Development opportunities. To assure
a diversity of experiences (while at the same time allowing some flexibility), you are required to do a minimum
of 5 hours of observation in at least 3 of these areas. The remaining 10 hours can come from any area.
2. Examples of sites for each area are included in the pages that follow. These are just examples. You are
permitted to observe at any site where an exercise science professional is working. This includes sites outside
of the Bloomington/Normal area. If you are unsure whether a site meets this requirement, please feel free to
consult with me before you do your observation (I would hate for you to waste your time). In many cases, the
site might be representative of multiple areas (e.g., the Workout Company could count as Commercial and
Sport Enhancement depending on what you are actually observing there). Nevertheless, to maximize your
chance of seeing the diversity of possible careers, you can only count hours you spent at each site in one of the
areas (some exceptions might be possible, so check with me in these circumstances). Additionally, only
situations in which you are observing can count. For example, if you teach yoga at the Rec Center, those
classes cannot count towards your observation hours.
3. You will need to contact the site and obtain permission to observe before arriving at the site. Please note that
the contact information included with the example sites may have changed. I have included a letter providing a
very brief description of the assignment and my contact information if you want to give this to the site
supervisor (see attached).
4. After the completion of your observation at a particular site, you will need to obtain the contact information
and signature of the supervisor to document the time you spent at the facility. All of this information is to be
collected on the Observation Assignment Signature Page attached to this assignment. This sheet must be turned
in on Thursday, April 10th in class.
5. You will also be asked to send a formal thank you to each of the site supervisors either by email or by regular
mail (see example Thank You Script). When you send the email, please cc’ me so that I have a copy of the
email.
6. In addition to logging your hours and obtaining a signature of the supervisor at the sites you select, you should
conduct a very brief interview with the site supervisor (or someone you are observing at the site). Below are
some sample questions you might consider asking. You do not need to ask all of these questions, but I hope
that you will talk with the individual enough to get an idea about the career path in question. I am not going to
formally ask you to write up their responses to turn in with your Observation Assignment Signature Page, but I
hope you will take advantage of these people’s experiences and knowledge. These questions can also be very
useful in the synopsis you must give in your Observation Presentation at the end of the semester.
Example Questions
 What is your title and what are your primary job responsibilities?
 What are your normal work hours? Are these typical?
 What is the salary range for people in your career?
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What specialized experiences were necessary as a prerequisite to being qualified for this career?
What academic degrees, certifications, or licenses are required to do your job?
What course work that you completed is most useful in fulfilling your job responsibilities?
What are the most satisfying aspects of your career? Are there any aspects you dislike?
What are the opportunities for advancement (salary, responsibility, and promotion) in this career?
What suggestions and advice can you give students considering a career like yours?
What are some attributes/skills/certifications/experiences that would stand out on an applicant’s
resume?
6. Finally, you are required to provide some feedback about your experiences to the rest of the students in the
class via the Observation Presentation. Each student will be responsible for providing an overview of their
observation experiences to the class. Each presentation should last a minimum of 10 minutes and a maximum of 15
minutes. Direct reading of your presentation is not permitted. An outline may be used and specific research
information or quotes may be referred to. A period of questions from the class and instructor will conclude the
presentation.
Presentation Requirements:
 Presentation should include:
o An introduction of your career interests/goals at beginning of this assignment
o A brief overview of all the sites visited for the completion of their observation hours
 For each site, please include:
 Information about the site,
 Who you did you observe (name and job title),
 What did they do during your observation, and
 Then provide some feedback about the site or the professional development
opportunity. There are no specific guidelines here. Rather, I am simply asking you to
include any interesting information (good or bad) about the site and/or your
experience. For instance, explain what you observed in the setting itself or indicate
anything interesting that you learned from talking to the ES professional you were
observing.
o Synopsis/Conclusion
 Which observation experience did you find the most beneficial? Why?
 What is the most important thing that you learned from this experience?
 Did this experience add or detract from the area of ES that you were thinking of going into?
How?
 Closing remarks/thoughts regarding the experience
 On day of presentation, each student must turn in:
o A printed copy of the PowerPoint presentation (multiple slides per page please)
o A printed Reference page using APA format (if any references are used during the presentation)
 PowerPoint presentations must be emailed to the instructor (dqthoma@ilstu.edu) before class begins on the
day of your presentation. PowerPoint slides must be PC compatible
7. Your grade for the Observation Hours and Observation Presentation are worth a total of 100 points (which is
worth 22% of your final grade for the course). Grades will be based on the following criteria:
Observation Hours
Documented completion of hours in the appropriate categories.
40 pts.
Completion of all required thank you letters to the site supervisors.
10 pts.
Total
50 pts.
Observation Presentation
Followed assignment guidelines
20 pts.
Quality of presentation materials and delivery
10 pts.
Provided analysis regarding observation assignment
20 pts.
Total
50 pts.
8. Other comments. Please be professional at all times and in all aspect of these observations. This includes things
such as dressing appropriately and being respectful of others’ time (e.g., calling ahead to schedule, being punctual).
Your interactions with these exercise science professionals will reflect on ISU and the Exercise Science program
as well as you as a future professional (i.e., this is a chance to start networking for internships and future
employment).
POSSIBLE OBSERVATION SITES
KNR 164 – Introduction to Exercise Science
Note: The contact people and information (e.g., phone numbers, web site) change frequently at many of these sites. This is the most updated information
I have based on previous students who have observed at these locations. Please let me know if any of the information has changed and I will update the
list for the rest of the class. You are also free to complete these hours outside of the Bloomington/Normal area.
CLINICAL
These are typically hospital-based programs/sites, where injured/diseased populations are the primary clientele.
Cardiac Rehab (Clinical) Sites/Contacts:
1. BroMenn Cardiac Rehab
BroMenn Health Care
1302 Franklin Ave.
Normal, IL. 61761
Joni Wolf
www.bromenn.org
268-5531
2. OSF St. Joseph Cardiac Rehab
2200 E. Washington
Bloomington, IL. 61701
Lynn Carpenter, RN, 662-3311, Ext. 2654
http://www.osfstjoseph.org/cardrehab.html
3. OSF St. Francis Cardiac Rehab (Peoria)
530 Glen Oak Ave.
Peoria, IL.
655-2386
4. Methodist Medical Center Cardiac Rehab (Peoria)
FITNESS INDUSTRY
These sites include a variety of health promotion and fitness-based facilities. The sites can further be broken down
into Corporate (facilities exclusively serving a business’ or company’s employees), Community (community-based
facilities or programs open to all citizens, such as Bloomington/Normal Parks and Rec.), and Commercial (forprofit facilities that are available to members) sites.
Health Promotion/Wellness Sites/Contacts:
1. BroMenn Health Promotion
268-2492
1302 Franklin Avenue
www.bromenn.org
Normal, IL. 61761
2. ISU Health Promotion
2540 Campus Box 310
Student Services Building
Illinois State University
Normal, IL. 61790-2540
438-7273
www.shs.ilstu.edu/hpo
3. ISU Wellness Program
Campus Box 1300
Illinois State University
Normal, IL. 61790-1300
Nikki Brower, M.S.
www.hr.ilstu.edu
438-8845
4. IWU Wellness Program
Shirk Center
302 E. Emerson
Bloomington, IL. 61701
Jeremy Spencer
http://www.iwu.edu/~wellness/
556-3334
5. OSF Center for Healthy Lifestyles
2200 E. Washington St.
Bloomington, IL. 61701
Sheri Gatto, M.S.
661-5154
http://www.osfstjoseph.org/chl.html
6. Methodist Medical Center Wellness
(Peoria)
Brad Stoetzer
672-5901
http://www.methodistmedicalcenter.org/services/other.asp#wellness
7. OSF St. Francis Wellness Services
(Peoria)
www.osfsaintfrancis/org
8. StayWell Health Management
(Caterpillar, Inc. Peoria)
Krisann Calhoun
309-675-6448
www.staywellhealthmanagement.com
683-5809
Community/Corporate/Commercial/Private Sites/Contacts:
1. Blair House Retirement Center
Vickie Kramer
2.
Fitness Quest
2203 Eastland Drive
Bloomington, IL
664-8595
3.
Four Seasons Health Club
904 Four Seasons Road
Bloomington, IL. 61701
663-2022
www.4seasons-club.com
4. Gold’s Gym
11 Currency Dr.
Bloomington, IL. 61701
661-4653
www.goldsgymbloomington.com
5.
ISU Recreation Services
Campus Box 2781
Illinois State University
Normal, IL. 61790-2781
Ask for Assistant Director
www.rec.ilstu.edu
6.
Ladies Workout Express
2409 E. Washington St.
Bloomington, IL. 61704
665-0221
7. Town of Normal: The Seniors Program
Normal Community Activity Center
1110 Douglas St.
Normal, IL 61761-6410
454-8900
438-8197
888-9099
www.normaltownship.org/Senior/index.html
8. Westminster Village Retirement Center Janice Kiper
663-6474
9. Crossfit
662-5678
Chad Hobbs
10. Workout Company
419 Kays Drive
Normal, IL. 61761
11. Riverplex (Peoria)
Mitch Smith
www.theworkoutcompany.org
454-2582
http://www.peoriaparks.org/facilities/RiverPlex/group_exercise.html
12. Eastside Fitness Center (Peoria) http://www.cityofeastpeoria.com/eastside/fitness_center.cfm
SPORTS ENHANCEMENT
These programs/sites focus on training clients to enhance sport performance. Other examples here might be
coaching or sport psychology consulting.
Sports Specific Training Programs:
1. ISU Strength and Conditioning
Jim Lathrop
438-7065
2. IWU Strength and Conditioning
Mike Wagner
556-3341
3. Sports Enhancement Center
2406 E. Empire
Bloomington, IL. 61701
Nate Henry
663-9300
Mitch Smith
www.theworkoutcompany.org
454-2582
4. Parisi Speed School
Workout Company
419 Kays Drive
Normal, IL. 61761
RESEARCH
This category includes working with exercise science faculty members and/or graduate students on various
research projects.
ISU Faculty Conducting ES or Related Research:
1. Tony Amorose
ajamoro@ilstu.edu
2. Dale Brown
dbrown@ilstu.edu
3. Anna Miles
aimiles@ilstu.edu
4. Kristen Lagally
kmlagal@ilstu.edu
5. Kevin Laudner
klaudne@ilstu.edu
6. Kelly Laurson
klaurso@ilstu.edu
7. Steve McCaw
smccaw@ilstu.edu
8. Peter Smith
pjsmit2@ilstu.edu
9. Dave Thomas
dqthoma@ilstu.edu
10. Mike Torry
mtorry@ilstu.edu
11. Noelle Selkow
nselkow@ilstu.edu
438-8590
438-7547
438-1872
438-3229
438-5197
438-7082
438-3804
438-3553
438-5307
438-7501
438-1875
sport and exercise psychology
exercise physiology
exercise psychology/behavior
exercise physiology
athletic training/sports medicine
exercise physiology
biomechanics
motor behavior
exercise physiology
biomechanics
athletic training/sports medicine
PRE-PROFESSIONAL
These sites include clients are working with exercise science professionals who have gone on to receive advanced
training in health-related profession such as PT, OT, or Chiropractic.
Physical Therapy/Chiropractic
1. BroMenn Physical Therapy/O.T.
BroMenn Health Care
1302 Franklin Ave.
Normal, IL. 61761
Sue Siebring, P.T.
Jina Sunday, O.T.
268-2490
268-5367
2. McLean County Orthopedics
2502 E. Empire
Bloomington, IL. 61701
Rick Bauersfield, P.T.
663-6567
3. NeuroOrtho Rehab Clinic
808 Eldorado Rd.
Bloomington, IL. 61704
John Becker, Ex Physiologist
www.norc.ws
661-0232
4. Easter Seals/UCP
303 N. Hershey Rd. Suite 2B
Bloomington, IL. 61704
Kory Kaeb, P.T.
(Pediatric Physical Therapy)
663-8275
5. Eastland Chiropractic
Dr. Susan Mitchell
662-8418
6. Illinois Healing Center (at Gold’s)
Dr. Shawn Meyer, Dr. Joe Espisitio 665-0777
Chiropractic
7. OSF St. Joseph Rehabilitation Services
Center for Health at Ft. Jesse
2200 Ft. Jesse Rd. Suite 230
Normal, IL. 61761
Polly Masemore, Cindy Johnson
661-6260
(Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy,
Industrial Rehab (C.O.R.E), Aquatic Therapy)
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
This category is designed to give students a chance at completing various professional development opportunities.
The exact nature of the experiences will depend on opportunity. Some possibilities include obtaining certifications
(e.g., CPR, First Aid, fitness instructor), attending professional workshops and or conferences (e.g., Club Industry,
IAHPERD), attending departmental speakers or recent 398.11 presentations, and so on. I encourage you to check
with me to determine whether the experience adequately counts in this category and to figure out the appropriate
hours and forms of documentation.
ILLINOIS STATE
UNIVERSITY
School of Kinesiology
And Recreation
TO:
Facility Director/Exercise Science Professional
FROM:
David Q. Thomas, Ph.D., FACSM
RE:
Student Observation Hours
151J McCormick Hall
Campus Box 5120
Normal, IL 61790-5120
Telephone: (309) 438-5307
dqthoma@ilstu.edu
Thank you for considering the request of an ISU Exercise Science student to observe at your place of
business/employment. The student is enrolled in a course entitled: Introduction to Exercise Science. One of the
course requirements is for a student to accumulate 25 hours of observation in a variety of settings where exercise
science or related professionals work. If allowed to observe in your facility, the student is not to perform any
hands-on activities unless you request her/him to be an active observer. Rather, she/he is simply to observe you
and your employees during a typical day. The student may spend as little as one hour at your site, or may request
to spend more time. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
David Q. Thomas, Ph.D., FACSM
Professor of Exercise Science
School of Kinesiology and Recreation
Campus Box, 5120
Illinois State University
Normal, IL 61790-5120
office: 309.438.5307
dqthoma@ilstu.edu
Example Thank You Script
As noted in the assignment instructions, you are to send a formal thank you letter to the supervisor at each of the
sites you observed (this excludes any professional development experiences). The thank you messages can be sent
either via email or by regular mail. If the message is sent via email, please include me as on the CC line (my email
is dqthoma@ilstu.edu). If you are sending a letter via regular mail, please include a copy of the letter you sent
along with your Observation Hours Signature Page (due on Thirsday, April 10th). I would encourage you to send
these messages as soon as you have completed your observations at a particular site.
TO:
[insert name of site supervisor]
FROM:
[insert your name]
RE:
Student Observation Hours
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to observe at [insert site location] on [insert dates] as part of my
course requirements for the Introduction to Exercise Science course am I taking at Illinois State University. I, and
the entire exercise science program, really appreciate having the chance to explore potential career opportunities in
real world settings. Please feel free to contact me or my professor, Dr. David Q. Thomas (dqthoma@ilstu.edu, 309438-5307), if you have any comments or questions.
Sincerely,
[insert your name]
OBSERVATION ASSIGNMENT SIGNATURE PAGE
KNR 164 – Introduction to Exercise Science
Student’s Name: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CLINICAL
Location
Contact
Person
Phone
Number
Email
# Hours
Date(s) of
Observation
Supervisor’s Signature
Email
# Hours
Date(s) of
Observation
Supervisor’s Signature
Email
# Hours
Date(s) of
Observation
Supervisor’s Signature
FITNESS INDUSTRY - CORPORATE
Location
Contact
Person
Phone
Number
FITNESS INDUSTRY - COMMUNITY
Location
Contact
Phone
Person
Number
FITNESS INDUSTRY - COMMERCIAL
Location
Contact
Phone
Person
Number
Email
# Hours
Date(s) of
Observation
Supervisor’s Signature
SPORTS EHNANCEMENT
Location
Contact
Person
Phone
Number
Email
# Hours
Date(s) of
Observation
Supervisor’s Signature
Phone
Number
Email
# Hours
Date(s) of
Observation
Supervisor’s Signature
RESEARCH
Location
Contact
Person
PRE-PROFESSIONAL
Location
Contact
Person
Phone
Number
Email
# Hours
Date(s) of
Observation
Supervisor’s Signature
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Given the diverse nature of these experiences, I ask only that you provide some documentation of your participation. This might include a name and
signature, a certification of completion, a registration confirmation, etc.
Location/Event
Brief Description of the Experience
# Hours
Date(s) of
Documentation Included
Observation
Total the number of hours observed across areas: