University of Houston's Wii Performance class hopes to attract students who need to exercise their body after beefing up their minds.
After school districts were considering alternatives to physical education classes by getting kids fit through Konami's Dance Dance Revolution, the trend appears to be connecting to colleges too. University of Houston opened a new sports class this semester called PEB 4197, which seems like a typical class until you read its title, Wii Performance.
Shockingly, the idea for the class came from two administrators at the University. Charles Layne (chairman of the Department of Health and Human Performance) and Randi Weintraub (program manager) concocted the idea after seeing the buzz around Wii Fit. The class, which uses a racquetball court and 10 Wii stations with Wii Balance boards, isn't a replacement for the school's physical education programs but a way to introduce students to activities like yoga and Pilates. Wii Performance students will be required to 20-30 minutes of Wii Fit sweat time each week, for which they'll earn one credit hour.
Sports students may be attracted to more traditional or competitive sports but with growing waistlines and an increase of health issues that can benefit from a good daily or weekly sweat, University of Houston may be the first but if successful, won't be the last school to use the class as a way to add fitness into student life.
Source: NPR
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