Guest post by Louise So, Fitness & Wellness Faculty

Did you know that GCC is a silver-level Exercise is Medicine campus? For the past four years, we have received this recognition because we offer a variety of health and fitness opportunities for students and employees on campus.

Examples of EIM activities include: Fitness centers, group fitness classes, campus walking maps, Lunch and Learn workshops, the annual health fair, Wellness Wednesday newsletters, Exercise Science and Nutrition Club events and Employee Wellness Committee hikes.

For this Summer Grant, I decided to create a Canvas module that could be used by faculty in classes where the topic of Exercise is Medicine might be relevant.

The purpose of this Exercise is Medicine on Campus module is ultimately to help with student success. Students who exercise regularly are better able to control stress and have better outcomes in the classroom. I wanted to provide helpful guidelines for students on how to become active while attending GCC and for life beyond the college campus.

The most challenging part of this 10-hour project was figuring out how to keep it simple. How do you provide just enough information, keep it interesting, and not overwhelm someone?

Having a good outline was very helpful for me. The day I committed to the project, I jotted down a brief outline, hid it in a folder on my desk, and then simply pondered on it for a few weeks. Ironically, I came up with my best ideas while I was exercising on the stationary bike or swimming in the pool.

Once my Canvas sandbox was ready to go, I entered my data from my initial list and added a few ideas as I developed the plan. I initially had it set up as a mini-course, but after a helpful meeting with Meghan, I realized that it would be hard for an instructor to add a “course” to their course. So, I went with the module instead. I started condensing my topics and developing pages that combined many of my original topics.

I wanted to make sure there were plenty of graphics, activities, and videos to keep the viewer engaged. I provided interactive work for planning and goal setting, and some motivational videos that capture the importance of being active.

I spent considerable time digging for the best resources for on-campus exercise and nutrition information. I wanted to make sure to meet the EIM guideline of encouraging students to take advantage of campus resources that are already in place.

Upon completion of the module, the participant can take a short quiz that is intentionally educational in design. The questions are not that hard and serve as a reminder to many of the benefits of exercise and how to make it happen.

Overall, I am happy with how it turned out and I look forward to continually tweaking the module for many years to come, as health guidelines are updated and faculty offer feedback on how to make improvements.

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