Thanks to a grant from the Apple Community College Alliance, students who take PED 115, Fitness Center, at Paradise Valley Commuity College in Phoenix, Ariz., have access to HyperCard-based MacFit to help them in their physical development.
Co-developed by lead Fitness Center faculty member Karen Watkins and Computer Technician John Wagner, MacFit uses digitized pictures and color in a HyperCard stack to demonstrate exercises for specific muscle groups and provide background information on the physiology of the exercises. In the development of MacFit, Watkins and Wagner also used Pixel Paint for coloring the muscles, plus Computerized Professional, Canvas, and Canon Zap Shot Camera. Watkins utilized HyperCard, while Wagner worked on the more technical programming.
MacFit was in development for a year before it was actually implemented last year in Fitness Center, a two-credit course of open labs and exercise available between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. Students are advised to exercise three times a week for a semester total of 34 hours.
In the beginning of the semester, an instructor goes over MacFit for first-time users, who are then able to use the program as needed. Throughout the semester, the 1,000 students enrolled in the class can use the Macintosh that runs MacFit or other software available for assignment purposes or for personal use, in addition to working out.
The class can be taken for a letter grade or for credit/no credit. One-third of the students taking it for a letter grade are required to complete five assignments out of a choice of 17 by the end of the semester. Three assignment examples include: developing an individualized weight training program on MacFit, attending a wellness lecture, or analyzing the student’s diet on other software.
MacFit contains the Muscle Man Card, which shows the front and back views of the muscles. Students can click on a body part and read the name of the muscle group along with details of several exercises for that body part. For instance, students would see choices of five machine exercises and five dumbbell exercises for each body area. They could then advance to a sequence of still video shots to view proper use of equipment. In addition, students have the option of learning which muscles a selected exercise works and have access to either a printout of specific exercises or an exercise program.
MacFit includes information on safety in exercise, muscle origins, insertions, and functions of muscles to the skeleton. MacFit makes the class more self-sufficient while providing an additional resource and allowing students to develop more individualized programs. MacFit also saves time for both the instructors and the students and allows the students to work at their own pace.
For more information, contact Karen Watkins, Paradise Valley Community College Fitness Center, 18401 N. 32nd St., Phoenix, AZ 85032; (602) 493-2765.
