Field experience requirement for kinesiology undergraduates

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Supervised practical experience

SPE forms and resources

Directed study

Directed study resources

The kinesiology experience requirement provides an educational tool whereby students complement their academic preparation with direct practical experience. The effort to combine productive work experiences with an intentional learning component is a proven method for promoting academic, personal, and career development.

Students must receive instructor approval and be registered for their field experience before the hours or experience can be considered applicable to the degree. Students should pursue a minimum of three different, 3-4 credit, experiences.

Experience/Course Options

General Registration Information for Experience Credits

The course instructor must approve an experience before a student can register for credit. In turn, a student must be registered for the experience before the hours spent participating in the experience may count toward academic credit.

Student participation in an experience will take place during a specific academic term: fall, spring or summer semester. For each term that a student would like to participate in an experience, they must register for credit that term.

The timing of the experience in relation to the student’s academic program should be based on the technical and academic skills needed to be successful in the experience.

Students are only eligible to register for an experience after they are formally admitted into the kinesiology major. It is recommended that students have completed the following courses before registering for experience credits:

  • KIN 1871 - Survey of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport
  • Human Anatomy
  • Human Physiology

Terms of Experience Arrangement

In the event of dissatisfaction, either or both the supervisor and the University of Minnesota student may request termination of the experience. The dissatisfied party must notify the other party of the issue(s) and make a good faith attempt to resolve the problem(s). If the parties agree that satisfactory resolution cannot be reached, the experience will be terminated.


Supervised practical experience - KIN 3696

Benefits

Participating in SPE is a critical part of our educational experience and provides students with countless benefits. Some critical reasons to participate in multiple SPE opportunities include:

  • Testing and narrowing potential career choices in real-life situations.
  • Gaining excellent on-the-job experience while building one’s skills and résumé
  • Learning management styles, work climate, standard protocols and professional terminology
  • Networking with employers and leaders in the kinesiology field
  • Connecting classroom theory to the practical world of work
  • Gaining leads for full-time career positions

How to find a SPE

Students must consider their immediate and long term career goals when preparing to research SPE opportunities. They will want to find a position that will be appropriate to their interest, abilities, academic preparation, and future goals. SPE at different sites during a given term is permitted.

Students should utilize existing personal networking contacts including:

  • Professional organizations and clubs
  • Family, neighbors, friends, classmates, and colleagues
  • Current and past coworkers and employers
  • Faculty, advisers, and teaching assistants
  • Student organizations and clubs

Students should begin their search for SPE opportunities by following the steps listed below:

  • Research career options and identify ideal roles/responsibilities/positions in relation to personal interests and major.
    Questions to ask:
    • What do you want to be doing in 10 years?
    • What opportunities would you like exposure to before you get out in the real world?
    • What type of experiences and skills will you need in order to land your dream job?
  • Contact organizations/agencies that have people in these *ideal positions* and conduct information interviews with people in the organizations.
    Questions to ask:
    • What type of experiences and education does someone have to have to be qualified for these *ideal positions*?
    • What opportunities are available for students to shadow, be mentored/supervised by the individuals in these *ideal positions*?
    • Are they any openings for opportunities and what is the application process?
    • What are the terms of these positions and what would expect from the student?
    • How would a student benefit by participating in this opportunity?
  • Students should narrow their search and make appropriate arrangements to secure the position. Questions to ask:
    • What are you looking for in a supervisor?
    • What are you looking for in an experience?
    • What experience relates to your major and long term goals?

Qualifying agencies or sites for supervised practical experiences

The University will consider any agency that can meet the following criteria:

  • Is part of the kinesiology industry or allied health delivery system
  • Demonstrates willingness to provide the supervision and type of experience required by the individual student
  • Has professional and supervisory staff capable of supervising the student (For therapeutic recreation sites the agency supervisor must be a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist)
  • Provides adequate access to resources necessary to delivering kinesiology or allied health services
  • Is within reasonable proximity to the campus
    Note: The location of the practicum site is not limited to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Students may choose sites located anywhere within the state or country. If a student chooses to fulfill the practicum requirement in an agency located outside the metro area, she or he should keep in mind the following:
    • Practicum experiences located outside of the metropolitan area require more effort and coordination to arrange. Students will need to begin this process early - at least a full semester before the practicum or experience takes place.
  • Is capable of providing information required by the student
  • Is capable of conducting an orientation program for the student
  • Offers a range of programs and services in relationship to the student's professional objectives
  • Maintains a standard of operation as determined by the philosophy and orientation of this agency
  • Demonstrates a willingness to accommodate the student's career objectives in setting up the practicum experiences
  • Accepts the student as a professional, contributing member of the staff

The practicum experience is student-centered, therefore every agency is not appropriate for all students.

Once a site and supervisor have been identified, the student should work with the site supervisor to develop learning goals and objectives for the term.

The student should contact their faculty adviser to find out what the registration procedures entail. Most faculty advisers will have proposal forms requiring personal contact information, site contact information, goals/objectives, etc.

Once the SPE and site have been approved by the faculty adviser, the student should receive a permission number to register for the credit under the adviser’s course section. If you will be registering for your experience credits after the second week of the term, you must fill out a petition form in order to register. This form can be found at
www.onestop.umn.edu/onestop/img/assets/9061/OTR172_Petition.pdf and is also available in 220 Cooke Hall.

Student Responsibility

  1. Research, identify, and secure a position that directly relates to long-term goals and to the study of kinesiology.
  2. Create goals and objectives for the SPE period that are clear, attainable, and will enhance one’s academic program.
  3. Contribute proactively and appropriately toward the organization’s mission utilizing skills and knowledge gained through one’s academic curriculum.
  4. Notify faculty adviser in a timely manner of any problems related to the SPE.
  5. Maintain appropriate and sufficient health, accident, disability and hospitalization insurance throughout the internship period.
    Note: The student is responsible for the costs of such insurance and for the expenses not covered by it; the University has no obligation to provide such insurance. The student assumes full responsibility for any undisclosed physical or emotional problems that might impair his/her ability to complete the experience.
  6. Maintain appropriate and sufficient personal vehicle insurance.
    Note: If the students uses his/her personal vehicle for the benefit of the site, School of Kinesiology has no liability for personal injury or property damage that may result from that use. The student must rely solely on his/her personal vehicle insurance coverage and on any insurance coverage provided by the site.
  7. The responsibilities and circumstances of an off-campus SPE may require a particular standard of professional decorum. The student is expected to understand and conform to the site’s standards. In addition, the University of Minnesota Student Conduct Code applies to the student throughout the internship period.
    Note: It is important to the success of this internship and the continuance of future internships at this site that the student maintains a standard of conduct that would not compromise the integrity of the University of Minnesota. Should the faculty adviser decide that the student must be terminated from the internship because of conduct that might bring the program into disrepute or the SPE site into jeopardy, that decision will be final and may result in the student’s loss of academic credit.

Think *big picture*. Ask questions about projects and how it relates to the organization and the field of kinesiology.

On-site Supervisor Responsibility

Supervisory participation in the SPE demonstrates interest and commitment to the student’s growth and development in the field of kinesiology and to their future as a kinesiology professional.
Supervisory responsibilities include:

  1. Encourage and support the learning aspect of the student’s experience.
  2. Orient the student to the organization and its culture, including standards of professional decorum.
  3. Communicate organizational policies and standards to the student.
  4. Confer with the student and his or her faculty representative as requested, and monitoring the student’s progress.
  5. Develop educational goals and objectives that identify specific performance expectations and objectives with the student for the SPE.
  6. Provide adequate supervision for the student and assign duties that are career related, progressive, and challenging.
  7. Provide opportunities for decision-making and risk-taking experiences.
  8. Introduce the student to the professional and support staff.
  9. Provide the opportunity, if feasible, for the student to observe or jointly participate in interviews, meetings, training sessions, conferences, etc.
  10. Provide equipment, supplies and space necessary for the student to perform his or her duties.
  11. Provide safe working conditions.
  12. Ensure that no regular site workers are displaced by the student.
  13. Notify faculty adviser of any changes in the student’s work status, schedule or performance.
  14. Provide written appraisals of the student’s performance as requested by the faculty adviser at the end of the term.

Faculty Adviser Responsibility

  1. Encourage the student’s productive contribution to the overall mission of the organization.
  2. Certify the student’s academic eligibility to participate in the SPE.
  3. Establish and communicate guidelines and standards for the conduct of its SPE course.
  4. Serve as adviser to the student, assist in setting learning objectives, monitor the progress of student, and evaluate the student’s academic performance.

Setting Goals and Objectives

The student should develop goals and objectives based on the three points listed below:

  1. Application of academic concepts
  2. Skill development
  3. Personal development

Hour/Credit Ratio

45 hours learning and working are required per 1 credit earned. The hours that count toward the credit are those spent pursing the goals and objectives the site supervisor, student and faculty adviser developed. This does not include making coffee, folding towels, or other roles that anyone can fulfill.

SPE Forms and Resources

Directed Study - KIN 3993

Benefits

Directed Study gives undergraduate students an opportunity to work with faculty and graduate students on research, scholarly, or creative activities. In most instances, students assist with faculty scholarship, but in unique situations, student carry out projects of their own under the supervision of faculty. The topic selected for the directed study should lead to new learning, discovery or growth for the student and contribute toward the student’s academic program.

  • Great preparation for students interested in graduate school
  • Learn material not covered in an existing course
  • Work closely with faculty whose interests match yours
  • Learn how to conduct research using various methodologies Graded A-F vs. S/N

How to find a Directed Study

Students interested in Directed Study should educate themselves on the research interest the kinesiology faculty and their graduate students are pursuing.
To learn more about faculty research areas, go the following website: cehd.umn.edu/kin/faculty .
To learn more about the research labs the faculty manage, go to the following website: cehd.umn.edu/kin/research .

Once an appropriate faculty member and research topic has been identified, students should contact that faculty member to see if they (or one of their graduate students) would be interested and willing to take you on as a directed study student. This conversation should take place at least one semester in advance. Students should note that faculty will be looking for students who are highly motivated, capable of working independently and already have some sophistication about the topic area. Students are encouraged to approach faculty with a worked-out proposal that focuses on the learning they seek through the directed study.

Keep in mind that this is a voluntary activity on the part of the faculty. Approach them well prepared and with due regard for their time. Do not approach a faculty member requesting directed study credit simply because you need some credit hours that semester.

Hour/Credit Rario and Grading

Faculty will determine the credit/hour ratio on a case-by-case basis, but the ratio should be no less than 30 hours/1 credit. Students can request to be graded A-F or S-N.

Directed Study Resources

  • Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
    UROP is designed to give undergraduate students and faculty members the opportunity to work together on research, scholarly, or creative activities. It provides financial support, in the form of a stipend and /or expense allowance, to over 400 students a year while they assist with family scholarships and carry out projects of their own under the supervision of faculty.
    www.urop.umn.edu
  • McNair Scholars
    A post-baccalaureate achievement program meant to generate higher-level academic and research skills.
    cehd.umn.edu/students/Trio/McNair

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Last modified on November 13, 2009