Bringing It Altogether Final Reflection by Jessica

Many people do not believe that a quality physical education course can be delivered in a completely online environment.  I beg to differ.  I served as the SME (Subject Matter Expert) in the development of the online PE course that I teach and I would like to share some student reflections that speak contrary to what most people believe about what courses can be delivered online.

Summer Session 2015

"When I first registered for this course, I was very nervous about how it was going to be.  I never took an online course before, and I didn't really know if we were expected to know certain things about fitness.  Once the course started however, I discovered a lot of things about what I actually know, what I can learn, and what I actually can do.  I really learned a lot about myself.  This physical education course was very different for me as you actually learned material as oppose to just playing sports and different activities in my school.  I learned a lot about my health, and my lifestyle and I discovered where I can improve to be better.  This course really taught me that I can do a lot more with physical activity and fitness, than what I have always told myself I can do.  I never saw myself as athletic, and gym class always used to be a dread.  This course however, greatly taught me that it doesn't need to be that way.  You're fitness belongs to you, and it is what you make it.  I also loved that I learned physical activity doesn't have to be painful.  It doesn't have to be uncomfortable, and that I can choose what activities I decide to do.  It definitely made exercising more enjoyable.  Additionally, I also learned a lot about muscles, joints, the skeletal system, the respiratory system, and the circulatory system.  At times, I honestly thought I was in a human anatomy and physiology class with some of the activities that we were doing.  Still however, I enjoyed them and I learned so much about the human body especially since I haven't really learned too much about it since seventh grade, and even then we didn't go extremely in depth with it.

     Besides actual learning material and information, this course greatly taught me how to become more motivated and self-driven.  It taught me time management, and how to pace myself with getting work done.  I also learned that online courses require just as much effort as a normal class, if not more as the material is a bit more difficult.  For my first virtual online class, I had a great experience.  Since I am taking a few more VHS classes this summer and next year, I definitely feel like I have a better understanding of the system, and how to use different programs and perform different tasks.  I really like the flexibility of the course and being able to work on my own time, for as long as I need to.  It teaches great responsibility, and initiative.  

     My advice for future students in this course is to definitely put as much as you can into it, to get the most out of it because you really can learn a lot.  Do the work, put in a lot effort, and stay organized.  It's essential to be involved with discussions, blogs/wiki's etc.  When there is an opportunity for extra credit, take advantage of it because you'll never know when you need it.  Maintain a good relationship with the teacher, and talk to him/her because they really are here to help you in anyway that you can.  Try to attend class daily, and if you know you are going to miss a day, try to get the work done ahead of time so that you can stay on top of things.  Overall, just really do the absolute best that you can, and you will be satisfied with the results in the end."