Alternatives to physical education tests A previous post reported on the reduction in the number of swimming tests or other physical education assessments which formed part of graduation requirements at US universities. Now Inside Higher Ed has a report on another university, Notre Dame, “a sports juggernaut”, which is making the shift too: The university … Continued
Now Inside Higher Ed has a report on another university, Notre Dame, “a sports juggernaut”, which is making the shift too:
The university announced last week that freshmen will soon have to take two graded, one-credit courses on topics like wellness, academic strategies and spirituality instead of having to complete a year of physical education courses – for which there are a range of options – and pass a swim test.
An end to all this?
The new first-year program, in place by fall 2015, will try to fill gaps in “student socialization,” “cultural competency” and independent learning with 250-student lecture courses and smaller breakout sessions in residence halls, according a report from the committee that recommended the change this month.
As a result of the shift, the department of physical education and wellness instruction – which includes about 13 non-tenure-track faculty – will close. The provost’s office will “work closely with those impacted to explore other opportunities for on-campus employment and to develop appropriate transitional strategies,” according to the report.
The report also refers to a recent study on the decline in required physical education at US universities from almost all having it as a graduation requirement down to just 39%. To those of us in the UK, where to the best of my knowledge no university has such a requirement, this still seems like remarkably large proportion. I have to say though I do think the alternative being introduced by Notre Dame sounds very interesting indeed.
