Sophia Learning
HLTH1011: Health, Fitness, and Wellness (ACE
recommends 3 credits)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Each of us makes health decisions regularly, such as selecting the foods we eat, choosing an active or a
sedentary lifestyle, or navigating how to manage a stressful day. Small health choices can add up to larger
impacts over time, where ideally, those choices move us positively toward maintaining or improving our health
and wellness. In this course, you will learn and apply knowledge from a broad range of topics in health, fitness,
and wellness. You will learn to make informed decisions about your lifestyle choices and move further toward
being your best self. You will identify a physical wellness goal and apply your knowledge of training principles
and exercises by creating a SMART goal and a fitness plan. The content is intended to be interesting and
relevant for learners studying natural sciences or preparing for non-STEM careers while also providing clear
information to provide a strong foundation for STEM majors for the student considering a more focused health,
physical education, or fitness, major that requires an introductory health, fitness, and wellness prerequisite
course.
COURSE EFFECTIVE DATES: February 2024 - Present
PREREQUISITES: No prerequisites.
LENGTH OF COURSE: This is a self-paced course. Students may use as much or as little time as needed to
complete the course.
ACE LEARNING EVALUATIONS RECOMMENDATION: In the lower-division baccalaureate category, 3 semester
hours in Introduction to Health and Wellness (ACE ID: SOPH-0080).
GRADING: This is a pass/fail course. Students must complete 13 Challenges (formative assessments), 5
Milestones (summative assessments), and 1 Touchstone (project-based or written assessments) with an overall
score of 70% or better.
Challenges Points Possible
Challenge 1.1: Introduction to Health and Wellness 7
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Challenge 1.2: Mental Health 5
Challenge 1.3: Stress 5
Challenge 1.4: Sleep 6
Challenge 2.1: Nutrition Basics and Dietary Guidelines 6
Challenge 2.2: Food and Energy Balance 4
Challenge 2.3: Body Composition and Body Image 4
Challenge 3.1: Physical Activity and Fitness 5
Challenge 3.2: Training Principles 6
Challenge 3.3: Exercise Plan 5
Challenge 4.1: Substance Use & Addiction 6
Challenge 4.2: Cardiovascular Health 4
Challenge 4.3: Physical Health and Disease Prevention 7
Total 70
Milestones Points Possible
Milestone 1 69
Milestone 2 42
Milestone 3 48
Milestone 4 51
Final Milestone 90
Total 300
Touchstones Points Possible
Touchstone 3: SMART Physical Wellness Goal and Fitness Plan 180
Total 180
Grand Total 550
Touchstones are projects that illustrate comprehension of the course material, help refine skills, and
demonstrate application of knowledge. Read further for information on the touchstones in this course:
Touchstone 3: SMART Physical Wellness Goal and Fitness Plan (180 points): Students will create a SMART
goal for themselves in the domain of physical wellness based on improving a health-related or skill-related
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component of fitness. They will also apply the FITT principle to the three main types of physical activity to
create a 7-day personalized fitness plan and detail how to maintain and assess their progress.
For more general information on assessments, please visit the Student Guide located on the course dashboard.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:
1. Correlate dimensions of health and wellness, including the roles of mental health, stress, and sleep.
2. Distinguish basic elements of nutrition, including nutritional guidelines, appropriate eating patterns, and
principles of body composition.
3. Demonstrate the basic elements of physical fitness and exercise planning.
4. Compare key components of health and lifestyle habits that impact long-term wellness.
OUTLINE OF MAJOR CONTENT AREAS
Unit Competencies Major Topics
1. Health and Determine dimensions of health and wellness with Dimensions of Health and
Wellness application on global, national, and personal levels. Wellness
Examine cognitive, behavioral, and psychological Well-Being Models
factors that affect mental health and well-being. Health Disparities
Examine stress, and the stress response, including Wellness Assessment
causes, effects, and management of stress. Psychology and Well-
Describe the importance and functions of sleep, Being
including sleep disorders and lifestyle factors Mental Health
impacting sleep.
Psychological Disorders
and Suicide
The Stress Response
Effects of Stress on Health
Managing Stress
Functions and Stages of
Sleep
Sleep Deprivation,
Disorders, and Hygiene
2. Nutrition, Recognize basic elements of nutrition, including Elements of Nutrition
Energy Balance, dietary guidelines, foodborne illness, and food Dietary Guidelines
and Body Image safety.
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Analyze individual dietary needs including hydration, Food Labels and Food
energy requirements, and our relationship with food. Choices
Recognize appropriate body composition and Foodborne Illness and
methods to obtain healthy eating patterns. Food Safety
Importance of Water
Dietary Assessment
Nutritional Planning
Resources and MyPlate
Body Composition
Eating Disorders
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
3. Physical Activity Distinguish the foundational elements of physical Physical Fitness
activity and methods of appropriate exercise. Physical Activity
Examine the basic training principles for physical Guidelines
fitness. Health and Skill-Related
Organize an effective exercise plan to achieve Fitness
fitness goals and avoid injury. Cardiovascular Training
Principles and Assessment
Resistance Training and
Assessment
Flexibility, Mobility, and
Assessment
Cardiovascular,
Resistance, and Flexibility
Training Exercises
Injury Prevention, Safety,
and Recovery
Your Exercise Program
4. Health Distinguish key factors contributing to drug use, Addiction, Substance Use,
Decisions and types of drugs, and treatment options. and Substance Abuse
Your Best Self Identify key components of cardiovascular health Health Effects of Common
and disease prevention. Drugs
Compare key components of physical health and Treatment Approaches for
disease prevention, including healthcare choices, Addiction
and the relationship between human health and the The Cardiovascular
environment. System
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Common Health
Conditions and Prevention
Infectious Diseases
Complementary Medicine
Humans and the
Environment
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