Bachelor of Science (BS) in Physical Education Degree

Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to construct rhetorically effective communications appropriate to diverse audiences, purposes, and occasions (English composition, communication, critical reading, foreign language, sign language, etc.). Students are required to take 3 credits of English grammar or composition.

A study of the basic structure and function of the major systems of the human body, this course focuses on an in-depth exploration of the musculoskeletal and neurological systems for athletic training, health, and exercise science majors. This course also compares normal and abnormal function for more comprehensive understanding of the human body. Co-requisite: BIO-155L.

This lab is designed to complement and support the principles taught in BIO-155. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to identify and describe functions, structures, and classifications of the skeletal, muscular, and organ systems along with related disorders. Co-requisite: BIO-155.

This course is intended to provide the student with the general technical and physical skill required to teach selected sports. Students learn how to plan and organize the team sports of basketball, softball, and volleyball, and the individual/dual activities of tennis, golf, and badminton for educational settings. Students work with a variety of age and skill levels and conduct classes while ensuring participants’ health and safety. Prerequisite: PED-247.

This course is intended to provide students with the general technical and physical skills required to teach selected sports and activities. Students learn how to plan and organize teaching activities for flag football, soccer, pickleball, golf, folk and square dancing, and rhythmic movements and tumbling. Students also learn how to conduct classes while ensuring participants’ health and safety, and work with a variety of age and skill levels. Prerequisite: PED-247.

Teacher candidates are introduced to the educational needs of students with mild to moderate disabilities and their families, including the definitions, characteristics, prevalence, causes and educational approaches to these disabilities and disorders. Teacher candidates will identify preventative and responsive practices related to cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional patterns of learning and development for students with mild to moderate disabilities. Emphasis is placed on identifying appropriate times to differentiate, modify, or accommodate to support student learning. Teacher candidates also survey the special education process involving the application of various laws and regulations. Practicum/field experience hours: None. Fingerprint clearance not required.

This is an introductory course in teaching of fitness and wellness. This course provides a series of modules that encompass all of the important aspects of overall fitness and wellness by means of lecture, demonstration, and participation. Key components throughout involve instruction and application of the needs of the human body, nutritional principles and producing a personalized nutrition plan. A special emphasis is placed on instruction and practice opportunities in the theoretical and practical aspects of flexibility, aerobics, and weight training activities. Also included are assignments to create and implement lesson planning, teaching techniques, evaluation, and proficiency in fitness skills. Practicum/field experience hours: 15. Fingerprint clearance required. Prerequisite: PED-247.

This writing-intensive course is a study of the effects of exercise on the body. Topics include nutrition as the basis for physical activity; how energy is produced and utilized during physical activity; the energy delivery and vital functions of the respiratory, cardiovascular, muscular, and nervous systems during exercise; how these systems can be enhanced through training; the impact of ergogenic aids and environmental stress on performance; and the effect of exercise on body composition, weight control, aging, and disease prevention. The body's responses and adaptations to exercise at the systemic, as well as the subcellular level, are also discussed. Prerequisites: BIO-155 and BIO-155L, or BIO-201 and BIO-201L, or BIO-210 and BIO-210L. Co-Requisite: EXS-340L.

This is a course of field and laboratory experiences designed to reinforce the basic principles learned in the lecture course. Skills of measurement and evaluation, including computerized methods employed to facilitate testing, are applied to physiological and systemic principles of exercise. Prerequisites: BIO-155 and BIO-155L, or BIO-201 and BIO-201L, or BIO-210 and BIO-210L. Co-Requisite: EXS-340.

In this writing-intensive course, teacher candidates will explore multicultural education by engaging in research, communication, and ethical decision-making, focusing on developing educators' skills in creating equitable and inclusive learning environments. Through analysis of evidence and virtuous practice, the course will examine the critical role of educators as advocates for all students, empowering participants to address disparities and promote equitable opportunities for academic success. With a specific focus on the principles of multicultural education, teacher candidates will be encouraged to reflect on the influence of their own worldviews and perceptions. Emphasizing the concept of imago Dei, which sees every individual as made in the image of God, this course aims to foster culturally responsive classrooms that welcome diversity in all forms. Teacher candidates will explore strategies to effectively bridge the gaps between various diversities and academic achievement, to foster human flourishing within the educational sphere. The course blends content with practical application, highlighting the educator's role as an advocate for all students and promoting equitable academic opportunities.

This course is a survey of the Arizona constitution and government. It meets the teacher certification requirement for Arizona government.

This course prepares students for teaching physical education to middle grade students. Concepts introduced in PED-420 will be further developed and applied to the middle grade student to enhance personal health skills, general and specialized motor skills, sports and fitness skills, and lifetime activities. Topical areas include content area literacy, curriculum, assessment, data driven instruction, teaching strategies and methods, classroom engagement and management, and learner analysis for K-12 physical education teachers. Practicum/field experience hours: 15. Fingerprint clearance required. Prerequisite: PED-275.

This course is an analysis of human movement, integrating knowledge of the skeletal, muscular, and neurological systems with the effects that gravity, friction, internal and external forces, and the laws of motion have on their functions. Topics include biomechanics of human bone, joint, and skeletal muscle; structure and function of the upper extremity, lower extremity, and spine; concepts of linear and angular kinematics and kinetics as applied to human motion; equilibrium and stability on land; and motion through a fluid medium of air or water. Also included is the application of these factors to various types of physical skills. Prerequisites: BIO-155 and BIO-155L, or BIO-201 and BIO-201L, or BIO-210 and BIO-210L. Co-Requisite: EXS-335L.

This laboratory course is designed to apply the anatomical, kinesiological, and biomechanical principles learned in the lecture course to human body movement. Movement of all of the major joints of the body is analyzed by relative and absolute joint position and muscle action, and biomechanical terms such as linear and angular kinematics, friction, work, power, energy, and torque are applied to human motion. Prerequisites: BIO-155 and BIO-155L, or BIO-201 and BIO-201L, or BIO-210 and BIO-210L. Co-Requisite: EXS-335.

This course is designed to present the student with the necessary information to develop a plan for identifying, evaluating, and implementing program planning for all children with disabilities. Special topics include implications of legislation that affects children with special needs, due process and the IEP, guidelines for inclusiveness and modification of activities for inclusion, characteristics of normal and abnormal motor functioning and development and behavior management techniques. The types of special populations and their specific needs are presented, and methods and techniques are developed for teaching the exceptional child in motor activities. Practicum/field experience hours: 15. Fingerprint clearance required. Prerequisite: PED-247.

This course prepares students who desire to teach at the secondary school level. Topical areas include how students are assessed and classified, curriculum and instructional organization of classes and selection of appropriate methods, strategies, and materials. The course also examines teaching styles, techniques of effective student engagement, and implementing instructional activities that meet NASPE standards. Special topics involve use of technology in physical activity, content area literacy, data driven instruction and physical learner analysis of secondary school students. Students are encouraged to develop strategies for promoting an active lifestyle, lifetime activity, inclusiveness, responsibility, cooperation, and diversity. Practicum/field experience hours: 15. Fingerprint clearance required. Prerequisite: PED-275.

This course is a study of the methods and procedures of teaching health. Resources, aids, and agencies are studied and methods for implementing group processing skills and conducting values-based education are reviewed and practiced. Also included are assignments to create and implement lesson planning, teaching techniques, and assessment for the topics of mental health, substance abuse, sexuality and family living, environmental health, nutrition, aging spirituality and death, and personal health. Health assessment topics include an overview of statistical tools, tests and measurements in health and physical education, producing valid and reliable tests, data analysis techniques for test evaluation, test construction assessment, and interpretation of test results. Practice teaching assignments and presentations are included. Practicum/field experience hours: 15. Fingerprint clearance required. Prerequisite: PED-275.

The student teaching experience includes practical/clinical classroom experiences in a school setting with elementary students, grades K-6. Teacher candidates are required to fulfill a full-time 8-week internship experience in a classroom with a certified, experienced teacher. All aspects of instruction are addressed, including effective presentation of movement, sports and fitness skills, strategies and assessments of student learning, student engagement and classroom management, integration of technology and content area literacy, curriculum and learner analysis for elementary physical education teachers. The internship includes the opportunity to utilize applicable content standards for elementary students, including Arizona Professional Teacher’s Standards, and Physical Education Teacher Education Standards of the national association Shape America, and to integrate these within the classroom. Practicum/field experience hours: None. Fingerprint clearance required. Prerequisites: Successful completion of all courses in POS and content area; senior status; a 2.8 GPA; successful completion of state mandated basic skills and content area exams or Praxis I® (Basic Skills) and Praxis II® (Content Area); and approval and placement by Office of Field Experience. Arizona residents will be required to take the Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessment (AEPA) or the National Evaluation Series (NES). All paperwork for student teaching must be submitted by the due date the semester prior to student teaching.