The university has always educated students on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Every students is required to take Health and Physical Education courses every semester.
Chief Academic Officer Dr. Kathaleen Reid-Martinez said many students already used the trackers, so instead of manually logging their data, the school decided in January to mandate Fitbit technology.
"For ORU, the primary goal is to provide a convenient and efficient way for students and faculty to work together to ensure students attain their physical fitness goals," says Reid-Martinez.
This new policies raise many questions, for example, whether this requirement prioritizes able-bodied students. Reid-Martinez said the school customizes a fitness program based on the students’ needs.
With this program, students are required to walk 10,000 steps per day to meet 150 active minutes per week, says Mashable. ORU defines "active minutes" as "an activity that raises a student’s heart rate to a range of 60%-80% of their maximum heart rate."
Not only does this program force students to exercise and take health course, but students are also required to purchase the Fitbit tracker.
Is forcing students to buy and monitor themselves the right way to educate students on health?
©2016 The Bakersfield Californian (Bakersfield, Calif.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
