KINES 414 Off‑Campus Handbook – Strength & Conditioning Minor
FIELD EXPERIENCE PRACTICUM GUIDELINES
Interns are to identify and propose an off-campus practicum site for approval that meets the following
requirements.
- Each practicum proposal will be evaluated and modified as needed by the clinical coordinator and the
Strength and Conditioning (S&C) minor committee. In order to meet timelines appropriately. It is
recommended that students submit their proposed sites well before deadlines to accommodate time
needed for changes. - Current or past work placements cannot be used unless evidence of showing a shift to a leadership role,
new learning objectives, and experiences beyond the scope of previous internships is documented, e.g.,
letter of support from supervisor. - Development of a working knowledge of concepts vital to strength and conditioning is a part of your
practicum. At the end of your practicum hours, you will need to pass a practical exam based upon the
competencies assigned to your practicum. You will have one chance to retake the exam if you fail. An
incomplete will be a part of your transcript until this exam is complete. A date for your exam will be
decided upon between you and the clinical coordinator. - Weekly logs and assignments will be completed on Blackboard. As a part of an off-campus credit
experience, Blackboard will function as our virtual classroom. Please have a plan for consistent online
access throughout this practicum. Loss of internet access, etc. will not be an excuse.
PRACTICUM PROPOSAL
The intern must submit a practicum proposal prior to starting practicum hours. This is an agreement between
the site supervisor and the student, as to the expectations, hours, and goals of the practicum. The student is
responsible for bringing his/her three learning goals to this meeting for discussion. This signed form is due by
email to the S&C coordinator the semester prior to beginning the practicum.
Practicum requirements: 120-150 hours of clinical experience that is correlation with the educational material of a strength and conditioning professional. Please be aware that the practicum experience should not go beyond this hour range.
- Description of site
- Intern expected roles, responsibilities, and dress code
- Weekly plan of work schedule
- Date of first/last day of practicum
- Description of how the practicum is connected to the profession of Strength and Conditioning. Ask your
site supervisor about their professional history. What is their professional history? It is important to
understand the hard work involved in reaching their current leadership role. Please include the education/certifications of your site supervisor, as a part of the description. - Identified responsibilities of the student during the practicum. Please include three feasible learning
outcome goals during this given opportunity. - List and describe any other experiences student has had outside of Bohler gym in the strength and conditioning environment. How will this experience be unique to your learning of the strength and conditioning profession?
We agree that the practicum hour requirement (120-150 total), goals, and experiences from list above are
defined and attainable.
PRACTICUM DESCRIPTION
Course Description
This 3 credit weekly course offers a clinical experience within the Strength and Conditioning minor. This opportunity will allow students to observe resistance training techniques, programming and education for the individual client, including a variety of settings. Students participating in this practicum will be at an off-campus site with a supervisor approved by the Strength and Conditioning Minor Committee. Students within this practicum will need to abide by the Strength and Conditioning Student Program Handbook, as well as the site supervisor’s expectations and rules. In addition to the internship experience, students will progress in their knowledge of strength and conditioning, focusing on the basics of lifting and spotting techniques, through weekly assignments and communication with the clinical coordinator.
Course Objectives
The objectives of the practicum are that the student demonstrate:
- Professionalism
- To assist agencies in the creation of knowledge and to improve the working environment in a capacity that is consistent with the agency mission.
- To become familiar with the administration, supervision, and day-today operations of the facility and programs in which they are working.
- To work under supervisory personnel and follow designated guidelines and conditions prescribed.
- To become more aware of the variety of current issues and trends in the field of strength and conditioning.
- To network and collaborate with entities who seek to achieve common goals.
- Application of Learning:
- To apply academic training to the real world settings with hands on experience
- Evaluation and assessment:
- Demonstrate ability to apply the strength and conditioning skill set.
- To evaluate own strengths and weaknesses within the strength and conditioning professional setting.
- Intern for the site supervisor a minimum of 120 hours, and a maximum of 150 hours.
WEEKLY LOGS
You will provide logs that explain what you have been doing and submit them to the Blackboard class site
every week. These logs will serve as a way for us to keep in contact with you about what you are doing and
learning, and will allow us to send you feedback to facilitate your professional growth. Regardless of the number of hours that you have completed in those weeks please submit them every week. There will be lots of free rows within this log and you do not need to use them all. Using the template on Blackboard you will provide a daily summary of the hours you have worked and a brief description of the key activities performed. Please make sure that you highlight key activities that stood out, lessons learned, or questions that you have for your supervisor. Make sure that you fill out each row and column. By keeping weekly and a running total of hours we can make sure that you are on track!
Example Logs
| Week One. Jan 10th-17th | Time | Hours Worked | Key Activities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 8:30- 9:30 a | 1 | Prepped the work area for the day- basic cleaning and set up of equipment |
| 9:30- 12:00p | 2.5 | Aided supervisor with material distribution and data collection. | |
| 1:00- 5:00p | 4 | Assisted in program design, site selections, and participant recruitment. This was really interesting as I had not done this before. I also realized just how much work went into it all. | |
| Tuesday | 8:00- 11:30a | 3.5 | Met with a patient who was 102 years old. We talked a lot about her health over the years. She told me all about….This experience stood out to me because… |
| 12:00- 5:00p | 5 | Spent the afternoon observing lots of patients get treatment. I was not really sure when to ask for help and when I should just get on with the task. Should I just go and ask for help or see what they think of the work at the end of the week? | |
| Wednesday | And so on… | ||
| Week One Total Hours: | 40 | Total hours so far = 40 |
WEEK ONE ASSIGNMENT – GETTING STARTED
LEARNING/OUTCOME GOALS
Part A
Formulate a list of goals for yourself during the field experience. In order to do this, you might ask yourself the following questions: How do you want to be different at the end of the experience? What experiences or skills do you want to acquire? Remember: Goals are very general and simplistic.
Examples: At the conclusion of my practicum experience I will know/experience
- Be more confident in my cues and instructions when supervising form during strength and conditioning exercises.
- Learn the anatomy of the human body like the back of my hand.
- Become creative when it comes to developing daily routines.
- Learn how to properly design a work-out program for specific goals including amount of sets/reps and correct order that exercises need to be initiated.
ORIENTATION
Part B
Describe your orientation to the agency/institution. Include at least three positive elements about the process. Also include issues of concern, if they exist. Describe your feelings about your initial orientation to the agency.
Part C
Please include the signed practicum proposal document with this assignment.
ASSIGNMENT – 60 HOUR MIDWAY EVALUATION
Summarize and evaluate your experiences thus far in your internship.
- Is this experience what you expected? Explain.
- Is this experience meeting your needs? Explain.
- Is the supervision you are receiving adequate? Explain.
- What contributions are you making to the agency?
- How can the internship experience be more meaningful? What can you do to make it so?
- What do you perceive as being your strengths at this point? What are your weaknesses?
- From assignment #1, what goals have you met?
- What goals remain? Which of these do you expect to be able to meet?
- Are there any goals you do not expect to be able to meet? Comment on these.
- Are there additional goals that you want to add? Why do you feel these are important?
ASSIGNMENT – STUDENT FINAL EVALUATION OF PRACTICUM
Date:
Student’s Name:
Agency:
DIRECTIONS:
Please rate your internship experience according to the following professional opportunities. Fill in the appropriate number for each.
- No opportunity
- Below Average
- Average
- Above Average
- Excellent
Opportunity to take an active role with clients was part of my practicum.
Diverse work experiences, interesting interactions, and unique locations were part of my practicum.
Learning new skill sets and practicing those skills was part of my practicum.
I utilized my personal education, background and training for my practicum experience.
DIRECTIONS:
- In regard to preparedness for the practicum experience. What classes and previous experiences were most useful?
- What types of classes or learning experiences would you have better prepared you for the practicum?
STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING MINOR AGENCY FINAL EVALUATION OF STUDENT
(will be sent electronically to site supervisor the last week of your practicum)
Date:
Student’s Name:
Agency:
Agency Practicum Site Supervisor:
THIS EVALUATION SHOULD BE BASED ON THE STUDENT’S PERFORMANCE AT THE COMPLETION OF EACH SEMESTER, AND SHOULD BE USED TO EVALUATE WHETHER THE STUDENT IS WHERE THEY SHOULD BE, AND ALSO AS A GOAL-SETTING TOOL FOR THE NEXT SEMESTER.
PART A
DIRECTIONS:
Please indicate by a check in the appropriate space the description which best fits the student. Check only one space for each quality. Students will be graded on a scale from 1-6.
- No opportunity to observe
- The student does not meet the basic requirements
- The student does work which is acceptable, but needs close supervision
- The student does a good job and requires little supervision
- The student does a good job and requires no supervision
- The student is doing an exceptionally outstanding job
Please check in the following four areas:
- Administration of Facility Maintenance Tasks
- Administration of Client Exercise Instructions
- Independent Work
- Community or Client Relations
- Overall Professionalism
Comments:
PART B
- Appearance: is the student well groomed and appropriately dressed for his or her time in the weight room?
- YES
- NO
- NEEDS WORK
- N/A
- Attendance and punctuality: is the student present during assigned times and on-time for all shifts?
- YES
- NO
- NEEDS WORK
- N/A
- Motivational skills: does the student make an effort to motivate athletes and maintain a positive training environment?
- YES
- NO
- NEEDS WORK
- N/A
- Self-motivational skills: is the student self-motivated and able to work well without direct supervision?
- YES
- NO
- NEEDS WORK
- N/A
- Judgment skills: does the student follow the chain of command and know their role as a student volunteer?
- YES
- NO
- NEEDS WORK
- N/A
- Dependability: can the student accept responsibility for his or her actions in the weight room
- YES
- NO
- NEEDS WORK
- N/A
- Reliability: can the student be relied upon to complete tasks on time and in a professional manner?
- YES
- NO
- NEEDS WORK
- N/A
- Professional relations: is the student able to work with a variety of sports, genders and ethnicities?
- YES
- NO
- NEEDS WORK
- N/A
- Professional relations: does the student represent the strength and conditioning department in a positive manner inside and outside of the weight room environment?
- YES
- NO
- NEEDS WORK
- N/A
- Professional development: does the student show active interest in all work assignments and take every opportunity to learn when possible? Do they ask questions and show interest in learning about program design?
- YES
- NO
- NEEDS WORK
- N/A
- Communication skills: is the student able to take directions and critique, both positive and negative, well?
- YES
- NO
- NEEDS WORK
- N/A
- Communication skills: is the student able to convey ideas and express thoughts clearly and concisely?
- YES
- NO
- NEEDS WORK
- N/A
- Communication skills: does the student provide advance notification (oral or written) of problems that may arise or when they won’t be there for their shift?
- YES
- NO
- NEEDS WORK
- N/A
PART C
PLEASE COMMENT ON THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
- Strengths of the student intern:
- Improvements that can be made for next semester or upon graduation:
- Goals for the next semester or graduation (What you think their next step should be):
- Additional comments or concerns: