Welcome to Exercise Testing and Prescription!

Intro Instructor Introduction

Hello! My name is Nicolas Clark, Assistant Professor in the Exercise Science and Outdoor Recreation Department. I'm very excited that we will be working together in the Exercise Testing and Prescription course this semester.

A little bit about my formation: I earned my Bachelors of Science in Rio, Brazil, at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, and my Masters of Science at Utah State University in Logan. I graduated with my Doctoral Degree from the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

An interesting fact about me is that I sailed professionally for a couple of years before pursuing a career in academia. My researcher interests involve fat oxidation during exercise, energy balance and assessment of energy expenditure at rest and during exercise, and overall cardiopulmonary responses to different exercise modes. Feel free to explore my professional website with some of my research publications. I have included pdf files and links to some of my most recent studies and conference presentations.

I am looking forward to getting to know you, learning about your professional aspirations, and working together this semester. This course is intended to be student-centered and hands-on, so I hope you enjoy learning by taking action. During this course, you will get to work with state-of-the-art equipment typically used in an exercise physiology laboratory. You will also learn field tests equivalent to some of these laboratory tests. That way you can use them in the future in case you don't have a Lab like ours at your disposal. Please feel free to send me a direct message via webcourses inbox if you have any questions.

Nicolas Clark, Ph.D., CSCS,*D

Activity Course Introduction

You have come a long way until you get here in EXSC - 3270 Exercise Testing and Prescription; I'm glad you made it here!!

Designing the best exercise program can be challenging; I know it! Throughout this semester, you will perform a researcher/coach/personal trainer's work, collect data on a wide variety of physiological tests, and learn how to use them in designing an exercise programs.

Tips for Success

The following expectations will help you be successful in this course. Please carefully review these expectations and follow them.

Log in to the course several times each week to check the course content, announcements, your inbox, and course discussions.
Keep up with the weekly readings and assignments. Students who keep up with the weekly reading and assignments tend to do much better than those who do not.
Would you please not miss an assignment deadline? Refer to the course schedule/calendar to ensure that you submit assignments on time. Generally speaking, late submissions will be deducted 1% every hour past the deadline.
Remember that academic integrity will be appraised according to the student academic behavior standards outlined in The Student Code of Conduct policy. Links to an external site.

Notifications

Review your Notification settings to make sure you receive course information promptly. Use this notification guide to make adjustments to your Canvas configuration.

Click on left menu bar: Account --> Notification

Instructor Communication

When you send me an inbox message, please expect a general response time of 24-48 hours. And please remember to follow email etiquette.

Generally, you will receive feedback on your graded assignments 1-2 weeks after the assignment has been submitted.

Interaction Guidelines

Online conversations/discussions will be an integral part of this course. Make sure you:

Check your inbox at least three times per week (more often is better).
Be patient. Don’t expect an immediate response when you send a message. Generally, two days is considered a reasonable amount of time to receive a reply.
Be courteous and considerate. Being honest and expressing yourself freely is very important but being considerate of others online is just as important as in the classroom.
Explore disagreements and support assertions with data and evidence. Adding a reference list with hyperlinks is encouraged.
Make every effort to be clear. Online communication lacks the nonverbal cues that fill in much of the meaning in face-to-face communication.
Be sure to post discussions on the appropriate discussion topic.
Do not use postings such as "I agree," "I don’t know either," "Who cares," or "ditto." They do not add to the discussion, take up space on the Discussions, and not be counted for assignment credit.
Do not use all caps. This makes the message very hard to read and is considered "shouting." Check spelling, grammar, and punctuation (you may want to compose in a word processor, then cut and paste the message into the discussion or message).
Break up large blocks of text into paragraphs and use a space between paragraphs. Also, consider using bold, italics, or underlining the most important parts of your text. This strategy helps guide the reader to your main points.

Participation

Your participation matters—a lot—for this course. Actively engaging, rather than passively observing, your participation is also evaluated through your ability to work effectively in diverse groups and teams and through cooperation and respect for others.

Beginner	Novice	Proficient	Advanced
Little or no preparation in advance. Lets others set and pursue the agenda. Observes passively and say little or nothing. Responds to questions. Gives the impression of wanting to be somewhere else. Attendance record is haphazard and inconsistent; may be absent or late without notice.	Moderately prepared in advance. Takes some part in setting group goals and agendas. Participates in discussions, letting others provide the direction. Occasionally introduces information or asks questions. If likely to be absent or late, informs others ahead of time and arranges to cover own responsibilities.	Well prepared in advance. Takes a large part in setting group goals and agendas. Actively participates in discussion and asks questions Listens actively and shows understanding by paraphrasing or by acknowledging and building on others’ ideas. Volunteers willingly and carries their own share of the group’s responsibilities.	All of the markers of proficient participation, plus: Draws out ideas or concerns of others, especially those who have said little. Re-visits issues or ideas that need more attention. Helps the group stay on track. Summarizes group decisions and action assignments.

Reference: Bowling Green University

Viruses and Redundancy

A virus can spell disaster. Your use of a reputable anti-virus program is highly recommended for participation in this course. AVG is a great, free antivirus program. Malwarebytes is a great anti-malware program. For a comprehensive list of software offered through UVU, click here. The software listed on this webpage includes all software available to students.

Back up your files using cloud storage services; technical issues can and will happen. These problems do occur and are really inconvenient; however, they are not a valid excuse for failing to get your work in on time. Store your documents using your preferred cloud service to minimize the impact of such events.

Explore Course Overview

The following is intended to summarize the components for this course. Would you please read and review the syllabus for further details about each course's readings, assignments, and exams listed below? Keep in mind that these activities are intended to be completed in the order presented under the modules page. Likewise, if you click next at the end of this page, you will review the initial module's first readings and course activities. Before every face-to-face (F2F) meeting, you are expected to complete the module's activities as indicated. The different types of activities are listed below. If you get lost, you can always click on the Modules link in the course navigation menu and select the appropriate content area or click on the Continue the Course button on the home page.

Course Activities

Readings: each module is first presented with objectives and reading about the topic in question. Remember to read these before completing the following activities, the concept checks.

Concept Checks: each module's reading is followed by a concept check. Concept checks are quizzes aimed to test your knowledge of the reading material provided for each module. Fear not! You can take each concept check three times.

Online Discussions: for each module/week, you will be expected to post a response to the question and respond to at least two other students deliberating the topics in question.

Laboratory Activities: laboratory activities will be completed weekly unless otherwise noted. To complete these, you will need the Laboratory Activity Sheet (in pdf or printed) and follow the data collection steps listed for each Laboratory Activity module.

Exams: there will be two, individual, closed book, online exams.

Creative Project: you will prepare one creative project. You may work individually or in a group (three maximum). This project will test your mastery of learning new assessments and developing an exercise program.

Suggested Books

ACSM’s Exercise Testing and Prescription adapts and expands upon the assessment and exercise prescription-related content from ACSM’s Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 7th Edition, to create a true classroom resource. Fully aligned with the latest edition of ACSM’s flagship title, ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, this practical resource walks students through selecting and administering fitness assessments, using Guidelines to interpret results, and drafting an exercise prescription that is in line with Guidelines parameters.
ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription is the flagship title from the American College of Sports Medicine, the prestigious organization that sets the standards for the exercise profession. This critical handbook delivers scientifically based standards on exercise testing and prescription to the certification candidate, the professional, and the student. This manual gives succinct summaries of recommended procedures for exercise testing and exercise prescription in healthy and diseased patients.
Laboratory Manual for Exercise Physiology, Second Edition, written by G. Gregory Haff and Charles Dumke, will be the required book for this course. The revitalized second edition comprises 16 laboratory chapters that offer a total of 49 lab activities. Each lab activity supplies step-by-step procedures, guiding those new to lab settings so that they may complete the procedures.
Advanced Fitness Assessment and Exercise Prescription, Eighth Edition provides a comprehensive physical fitness appraisal and customized exercise prescription. The text synthesizes research and practice with concepts and theories from exercise physiology, kinesiology, measurement, psychology, and nutrition to clearly convey how assessments from physical fitness testing inform the design of individualized exercise programs.

Prominent Journals and Related Publications

The Strength and Conditioning Journal, (impact factor: 2.060) is the professional journal for strength coaches, personal trainers, physical therapists, athletic trainers, and other health professionals working in the strength and conditioning field. The journal's mission is to publish articles that report the practical applications of research findings and the knowledge gained by experienced professionals.
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, (impact factor: 2.973) The editorial mission of The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (JSCR) is to advance the knowledge about strength and conditioning through research. A unique aspect of this journal is that it includes recommendations for the practical use of research findings. While the journal name identifies strength and conditioning as separate entities, strength is considered a part of conditioning. This journal wishes to promote the publication of peer-reviewed manuscripts which add to our understanding of conditioning and sport through applied exercise science.
ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal, (impact factor: 1.172), this bimonthly journal for members of ACSM's Alliance of Health and Fitness Professionals, responds to the practical information needs of fitness instructors, personal trainers, exercise leaders, program directors, and other front-line health and fitness professionals.
Sports Medicine (impact factor: 11.136) bridges the gap between science and practice in promoting exercise and health and in the scientific assessment, study, and understanding of sports performance. Regular features include sports injury prevention and treatment, exercise for health, drugs in sport, and recommendations for training and nutrition.
Frontiers in Physiology/Exercise Physiology, (impact factor: 4.566) covers all aspects of exercise physiology on the response to acute exercise as well as the adaptation to exercise training programs from the molecular and cellular level to individual systems and extending to the integrated multi-systemic response of the intact organism in both humans and animals.
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, (impact factor: 5.411) flagship monthly peer-reviewed journal, is the leading multidisciplinary original research journal for members. Each issue features original investigations, clinical studies, and comprehensive reviews on current sports medicine and exercises science topics.

Getting Started Assignments

- Complete Getting Started and Laboratory 1 modules before the first Lab meeting. It contains:

Support Have Questions or Need Help?

General Course Questions: If you have general questions about this course, please consult the syllabus or contact me via inbox.

Technical Issues: If you are having technical issues, please get in touch with UVU Canvas support

Connect: You can use the "Student Lounge" for connecting with other students.