Experiential education

The Department of Kinesiology is home to some of the longest-running experiential learning opportunities for students at Brock.

Placements range from athletic injury management, to supporting children and youth participation in inclusive and adaptive physical activities, providing seniors and individuals with spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, and amputations with exercise programs specific to their individual needs, and more.

These opportunities help to bridge the gap between academic learning outcomes and transferable employment experience.

If you are considering a career in any of these areas, one of our experiential learning opportunities can help you develop the skills and competencies to achieve your goals.

Types of Opportunities available

The Department of Kinesiology is unique in that most of our courses have an Experiential Learning component attached to it. For many of these opportunities, students don’t even need to leave campus.

Brock University has one of the best Athletic Therapy Clinics in Canada, providing sports medicine and athletic therapy services to inter-university athletes with sport injuries. The Clinic provides student therapists with practical knowledge and clinical experience working with varsity teams that can be used and immediately applied to the coaching,

This opportunity requires completed application for either KINE 4P80/4P81– Clinical Practices/Assessment in Athletic Therapy. See course calendar for more infoteaching and health care professions.

Bridging academic and community health innovations, the Brock‐Niagara Centre for Health and Well‐Being is dedicated to enhancing quality of life among individuals with chronic disease by focusing on disease management and the related social and health complications.

Kinesiology students are critical to the success of our Senior Fit and Power Cord exercise programs.
The Brock-Niagara Centre provides the opportunity for students interested in pursuing careers in rehabilitation, medicine, physiotherapy and other healthcare related professions with the chance to develop professional skills in dealing with specific populations in real-life situations.

The Children’s Movement Program has helped to facilitate children’s physical, cognitive, and social skills through an inclusive movement-based program for more than 20 years. This experiential learning opportunity combines theoretical knowledge with real life application to assist students as they progress through their studies and develop their own capacity as they work with children ages 1-12.

Brock Sports Performance (BSP) offers expertise and quality performance to our varsity athletes, elite level teams, up-and-coming local athletes from the Greater Niagara Region, as well as professional and National-level athletes from across the country.

BSP provides students with practical knowledge and strength and conditioning experience by working with varsity teams that can be used and immediately applied to the coaching, teaching and health care professions

Inclusive and Adaptive Physical Activity

Many of Brock’s Inclusive and Adaptive Physical Activity programs have won several awards for their service learning and pedagogical approaches. These programs are specifically focused on the needs of the participants and are constantly improving and making modifications to meet the needs of its participants. Students who are interested in making a contribution to their community and who want to go on to become teachers, school administrators, nurses and more, will find these programs offer great opportunities for learning and mentorship.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Movement Camp has been in operation since 1996 and offers a developmentally appropriate movement education–based embedded curriculum. This opportunity is designed for students specifically interested in teaching or working with children and youth. The strategies learned by working at this camp will be transferrable to any teaching profession.

Campers in this program typically require 1:1 and 2:1 facilitated instruction. As a result, students will develop skills including organization, behaviour and conflict management, leadership, problem-solving and adaptability.

This experiential education site includes community service learning pedagogy.

Undergraduate and graduate students from across all faculties and departments on campus may apply.

Brock Niagara Penguins offers swimming, wheelchair basketball and a Boccia program for youth and adults with a physical disability.
This experiential learning opportunity provides students with exposure to para-sport by working with youth and adults with physical disabilities in a recreational setting.

Students will develop leadership skills critical in fostering a healthy and caring community, as well as enhanced learning of physical barriers to sport and recreation. A range of opportunities are available.

Confident Healthy Active Role Models (CHARM) program is an adaptive physical activity and life skills development program that employs a Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) approach and works with youth who are underserved in Niagara’s typical educational environments.

Students will support youth who attend weekly modified physical activity sessions that blend body expressive and art expressive activities to better meet the needs of the individual while providing meaningful opportunities for physical activity.

This experiential opportunity is well suited for individuals who embrace teaching and learning, are community service oriented, and who can commit to planning, developing and implementing weekly activity programming. In return students, will develop leadership skills, behaviour and conflict management, problem-solving and adaptability to accommodate diverse learning styles for individuals and groups.

Saturday Supporting Neurodiversity through Adaptive Programming (SNAP) is a developmentally appropriate movement education – based embedded curriculum offered to teens and transition-aged youth on the Autism Spectrum in the Niagara region.

This experiential learning opportunity works with teens and young adults ages 13 and up. Students are paired with the same participant for the duration of the semester, to plan and facilitate individualized movement programming that builds on the week before, encouraging a progression of movement repertoires. Students are responsible for creating and implementing programming in both the aquatic and gym environments.

Participants in this program typically require 1:1 and 2:1 facilitated instruction.

Supporting Neurodiversity through Adaptive Programming (SNAP) is a developmentally appropriate movement education – based embedded curriculum offered to children and youth with disabilities in the Niagara region.

Operational since 1994, SNAP is the largest and longest running experiential education opportunity at Brock University.

In collaboration with the school boards and a number of disability services organizations, SNAP offers 1:1 facilitated instruction in physical activity contexts Thursday mornings between October and April with 100 students visiting campus for each session.

In an active-play, buddy-system environment, students will develop skills including organization, behaviour and conflict management, leadership, problem-solving and adaptability.

Experiential Learning Resources

To participant in any Experiential Learning course through the Department of Kinesiology you will need to complete four forms including, the Student Declaration and Safety Checklist to ensure all requirements are met.

Please contact your Experiential Learning Coordinator for more information.

*These courses require completed application and permission from the instructor. Please note enrollment is limited.

Course name:

  • KINE 3P99/4P99/4F91 Advanced Topics in Kinesiology and Physical Education (Thesis/Project)
  • KINE 4F16 Power Cord
  • KINE 4P12 Senior Fit
  • KINE 4P80/4P81 Clinical Practices/Assessment in Athletic Therapy
  • KINE 4P89 Internship in Clinical Kinesiology

Here are some of the documents needed:

Many Kinesiology courses and experiential learning opportunities put students in close proximity to children, youth and vulnerable populations. As such, a police record or vulnerable persons screening may be required.

To determine is a completed screening is required, contact your Experiential Learning Coordinator.

If a vulnerable sector clearance certificate is required for one of your courses or placement, here’s what you need to know:
The original certificate is due by the start of each term. Failure to produce this certificate can jeopardize participation in the course.

  1. Be sure to check the requirements of your course in advance as police checks can take at least 6 – 8 weeks to be processed, and sometimes longer.
    • For courses starting in September, it is recommended you begin your clearance in June or July.
    • For courses starting in January, it is recommended you begin your clearance in September or October.It is the student’s responsibility to monitor timelines to ensure the clearance certificate is completed on time.
  2. If a check is required, you will need to apply for a new police check EVERY SIX MONTHS TO A YEAR depending on the agency, as the police check can often be no more than 6 months old at the beginning of your course or placement.NOTE: The costs associated with the provision of the criminal record check and any appeals are the responsibility of the student.
    Police records checks must be:

    • Dated no older than six months prior to the beginning of the course/placement
    • Include a vulnerable sector screening (please note that some services, such as BackCheck.com do NOT include a Vulnerable Sector Screening and therefore cannot be used)
    • Be issued through your local police station in your hometown
    • An original copy (not a photocopy) may be required
  3. We recommend you make an extra copy of your records check.
kinesiology lab

Kinesiology Calendar

Learn more about degree requirements and course information in the current Kinesiology Calendar.

Brock Students

Physical Education Calendar

Learn more about degree requirements and course information in the current Physical Education Calendar.

Important Dates

Stay on schedule and be sure you don’t miss any deadlines

Brock Experiential Education

Gain a competitive edge! Learn more about Brock University’s Experiential Education

Contact Us

Demi Toms
Experiential Education Coordinator, Kinesiology
Office WC_A 295
Phone Ext 5876
dtoms@brocku.ca