The Influence of Syllabus Tone on Student Engagement in a Wellness Course

This study examines the impact of changing the tone of a traditional syllabus to make it more learner-centered. The researchers examined a required wellness course that serves over 8,000 students per year at a large, four-year public university in the southern United States. Concerns about student progression through programs and graduation rates had prompted a number of faculty to look into ways to increase these numbers. The investigators changed the tone of the syllabus to determine if a more learner-centered document would increase the chances of students interacting with the syllabus and, in turn, increase the success rates in the course. The results indicated that few students spent sufficient time reading the syllabus to take in all the information regardless of the tone used within the document, so the tone, by itself, did not impact student success.

KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HEALTH OUTCOMES IN COLLEGE STUDENTS [Kennesaw State University]

Research has shown that science-related majors who are exposed to information pertaining to their general and physical health have a better understanding of what is needed for a healthy lifestyle compared to their counterparts in majors outside of the sciences (Ferkel et al., 2014). Previous research has shown an increase in unhealthy choices amongst young adults, specifically college students (Abraham et al., 2018). The purpose of this research is to determine the extent to which students in different majors know correct information about their health. Questions via survey will be proposed to various majors at Kennesaw State University pertaining to different health topics with the goal of comparing different majors on their health knowledge or misconceptions. After the survey, there will be a post information guide to which the answers will be given. The purpose of the post information guide is to further educate college students about the choices they make and the effect those choices will have on their body and academic success. The questions will focus on how topics such as binge drinking, nutrition, water consumption, and disease prevention. This information could help us find which body of students have the most misconceptions about health and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This information could improve incoming and current students’ outlook on health. Also, this information could improve our university’s required wellness course by helping to inform instructors about health topics that are commonly misconstrued.

A Required College Wellness Course Changes Beliefs, Attitudes, and Behaviors Related to Physical Activity

We examined effects of a required college health and wellness course on students’ physical activity (PA) attitudes and behaviors. A survey based on models of behavior change was emailed (September 2016 – May 2017) to all students at a liberal arts college. Of 408 students who responded, 217 had completed the course and 191 had not. Students who had taken the course reported more confidence in their ability to improve their physical fitness; found more encouragement from cues to action; and met recommended guidelines for weekly PA more than students who had not taken the course. Compared to males, females had less confidence in their ability to increase PA and improve fitness and overall health. Females perceived barriers to PA as more discouraging and cues to action as less encouraging. Data showed a required college health and wellness course altered students’ PA attitudes and behaviors.

Developing Online Modules for a “Health and Wellness” Course: Adapting Active Learning Strategies to the Online Environment

Active learning refers to activities that engage students in the learning process. To make the learning process more active, instructors should add opportunities for reflection. However, reflection is not limited to the classroom environment. Instruction is shifting toward incorporating opportunities for active learning through online platforms. We developed four online health topic modules—sexual health, nutrition, environmental health, and alcohol awareness—and evaluated 1,090 student responses to course content. Students provided feedback on the activities that aided in learning course content. Thematic analysis was conducted to systematically review the data and elicit meaning. Using an inductive approach to students’ feedback, we synthesized the excerpts, quotations, and entire passages from students’ open-ended responses. Three major themes constructed from the data were (a) mode of delivery of the course content, (b) applicability of the content to students’ lives and the community, and (c) structure of the modules. The design and implementation resulted in six lessons for educators: students were engaged when the content was applicable to their personal life, students valued learning about how public health affects their community, course content must provide opportunities for critical thinking and self-reflection, students valued the hybrid nature of the course, student feedback of the online modules promoted self-reflection, and students and instructors appreciated the worksheet that guided the online class.