Course

Foundations in Physical Education, Recreation & Coaching

Faculty
Science & Technology
Department
Sport Science
Course code
SPSC 2210
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15 weeks
Max class size
35
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
Fall
Winter
Summer

Overview

Course description
This course presents a number of topics related to the fields of physical education, recreation, and coaching. Topics include the role of physical education, recreation, and coaching in today’s society; the delivery of physical education, recreation, and coaching services in Canada; and the issues, trends, and practices related to physical education, recreation, and coaching. As a part of this course, students have the opportunity to apply for the designation of 'trained status' in specific modules with the Coaching Association of Canada's (CAC) National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). This application with CAC will incur additional fees.
Course content
  • Physical and health education
    • Physical and health education core topics
    • The art of teaching
    • Planning for physical and health education
    • The future of physical and health education
  • Recreation
    • Recreation and leisure core topics
    • Recreation and leisure services
    • Recreation and leisure activities
    • The future of recreation
  • Coaching
    • Making ethical decisions
    • Planning a practice
    • Teaching and learning
    • Designing a basic sport program
    • Basic mental skills
  • Physical education, recreation, and coaching ideals
    • Humanism
    • Ideal self-image
    • Play theories
    • Intrinsic motivation
    • Flow experiences
Learning activities

Class time will be used for lectures, groups discussion, case studies, and field and/or video observations. Self-study via print or online materials and online discussions will occur outside of class time.  

Means of assessment

Assessment will be in accordance with the 51Ç鱨վ Evaluation Policy. The instructor will present a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester. Evaluation will be based on the following:

PE, recreation, and coaching worksheets or workbooks 10-30%
Quizzes 0-30%
Test(s) 0-30%
Individual and/or group projects 10-30%
Participation 10-30%
Total 100%

Note: Students will need to receive a grade of D or better in the course to be eligible to receive the designation of 'trained status' in the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) module(s) embedded in this course.  

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • reflect on the role physical education teachers, recreation leaders, and coaches have in promoting and educating students, participants, and athletes on the value of healthy lifestyles;
  • create and analyze sport, game, fitness, and health-promoting activities (e.g., lesson plans, unit plans, sport programs, etc.) to meet the needs of diverse populations (e.g., Indigenous peoples, seniors, youth, etc.);
  • critically analyze concepts and issues pertaining to physical education, recreation, and coaching;
  • integrate the concept of physical literacy into physical education, recreation, and coaching;
  • practise facilitation skills to lead small group discussions on various physical education, recreation, and coaching topics.
Textbook materials

Consult the 51Ç鱨վ Bookstore for the latest required textbooks and materials. Sample textbooks may include:

  • Graham, G. (Current Edition). Teaching Children Physical Education: Becoming a Master Teacher. Human Kinetics.
  • Karlis, G. (Current Edition). Leisure and Recreation in Canadian Society. Thompson Educational Publishing, Inc.
  • Martens, R. (Current Edition). Successful Coaching. Human Kinetics.

To receive the designation of 'trained status' in specific NCCP modules, students will be required to purchase supplementary materials online, directly from viaSport. Students will incur a cost associated with these additional materials.

Requisites

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from 51Ç鱨վ to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the .

Institution Transfer details for SPSC 2210
Athabasca University (AU) AU APST 2XX (3)
Coast Mountain College (CMTN) No credit
College of the Rockies (COTR) COTR KNES 2XX (3)
Columbia College (COLU) No credit
Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) No credit
North Island College (NIC) NIC EXW 1XX (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) No credit
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU PHED 2XXX (3)
Trinity Western University (TWU) TWU HKIN 350 (3)
University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) UBCO HMKN_O 2nd (3)
University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) UBCV KIN_V 345 (3)
University of Northern BC (UNBC) No credit
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV KPE 2XX (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC EPHE 143 (1.5)
Vancouver Island University (VIU) VIU KIN 2nd (3)

Course Offerings

Winter 2026

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
0
Remaining seats:
35
On waitlist
0
Building
New Westminster - North Bldg.
Room
N1220
Times:
Start Time
12:30
-
End Time
14:20
Section notes

SPSC 2210 001 - Registration is restricted to Sport Science Diploma and Bachelor of Physical Education and Coaching students until December 1st, 2025.