Innovation in sports courses in Italy increased participation

The Full Fit and Functional Training workshops taught within the Healthy Living Program, which transitioned from asynchronous to synchronous sessions during the first semester, were a huge success in terms of student participation and motivation.

Milton Inostroza, director of Transversal Programs, the unit that oversees the Healthy Living Program, recalled that, due to limitations arising from the pandemic, in 2020 teachers would send out an exercise routine during the week, students would record their performance, and then upload the content to Educandus.

He explained that in order to make participation in the course more attractive and encourage physical activity, especially in a context of health crisis, the methodology was modified this year, obtaining a more than satisfactory response from young people.

“100% of the participants had their cameras on during the routines the teachers were defining. They logged in to the session. We had high attendance (100%), and a strong connection between faculty and students, who were raising their concerns online. Problems were corrected immediately,” he explained.

Poll

The director of the Healthy Living Program, Cristian Santos, emphasized that more than 78% of those who participated in the courses acknowledged that they helped them physically and psychologically cope with the pandemic.

"Doing these types of activities not only helps them prevent non-communicable diseases, but also the psychological aspect, which is very important for good academic performance, since they face it with less stress," commented the teacher, who reported that in light of these positive results, the number of places for the second semester was increased.

In this regard, he noted that while the workshops are a space for recreation, they are also a space for "educating through movement, which is very important. We are focused on health prevention; these students will go out and share this knowledge with their work communities or families."

Professor Santos emphasized that specialized support has been provided for individuals with special needs. "There are teachers who work individually with them," he added.

Interschool selections

It's worth mentioning that, during the distance learning period, members of the sports teams participate in weekly training sessions with program instructors, with the goal of encouraging and maintaining performance for when in-person classes resume.

Furthermore, in the case of the Inter-School Tournaments, virtual challenges have been implemented, using technology to generate different types of competitions and challenges, "whose objective is to contribute to the comprehensive development of students through various sports disciplines, incorporating these activities into the student's daily routine," concluded Cristian Santos.