Students will turn in homework assignments, (including filling out this survey), at the college Canvas page that is usually available a few days before each quarter starts.
The survey is available here for people to look at in advance of Canvas being available, or when they are thinking about enrolling in the class.
IF everyone enrolled can complete the first day assignments
before they come to class the first day,
the class can get in the water sooner.
Some potential students will need to complete the first day assignments in class the first day:
– People who are waitlisted will not get a link to the Canvas page until after they enroll, which we can’t do until the first day of class.
– People who just discovered the class and have not added, can also not access the Canvas pages before they are enrolled.
I do this survey of what people want from the class and what skills they have.
I cover the required curriculum and try to meet people’s needs as well.
Some students want a ‘get ready for lifeguard training class’, and since I am a lifeguard instructor, I can help you work on passing all the required pre-tests for a lifeguard class, either Red Cross or YMCA as well as get some practice on lifeguard skills. Some students want to get ready to learn to scuba dive or try a triathlon. Some want a review of all the strokes, others want mostly to get in shape.
Every quarter, in every swim class I teach, I videotape at least each student’s freestyle (unless you really don’t want to be taped). People tell me they learned more from seeing their stroke than from years of swim drills.
I don’t assume that anyone has been on a swim team. I teach almost everything from scratch. You don’t have to already know how to dive into a pool or do a turn. Many students will be quite at ease in deep water. Everyone should have most freestyle and backstroke basics down.
I expect that even in an intermediate, advanced or aerobic class, many of the students will not have been doing a lot of swimming recently and might be out of shape, so there is no 500 yard prerequisite swim test. I also don’t expect all the strokes from higher level swimmers, as it has been my experience that most C/D/2A swimmers don’t have a butterfly, for example.
Most intermediate, advanced and aerobic classes have students with a wide variety of skills. Sometimes people take a different level of swim class just because it is held at the right time for their schedule. Sometimes really good swimmers take intermediate because they are afraid that advanced might be too much work.
The ”questions” that you will fill out online at the Canvas webpage (when it becomes available just before the quarter starts) are:
Question 1
Describe your current skill at treading water:
I really can’t tread water much at all
I can tread water for a few seconds at a time but need to stay in standing depth water
I can tread water for 10 or more seconds at a time but prefer to stay in standing depth water
I am comfortable in deeper-than-standing depth water and can stop swimming a lap and tread water whenever I want to
I can tread water with no hands
Question 2
Describe your current ability at distance swimming:
I usually run out of breath before I can finish one width of a 25-yard pool.
I can comfortably swim one width of a 25-yard pool at a time.
I can comfortably swim sets of 100-yards (4 laps)
I can swim a mile without stopping
Question 3
Describe your current underwater swimming:
ability
I am not yet successful at doing a surface dive and swimming under water
I can surface dive down to four feet but usually come back up to the surface before I can go any distance under water
I can surface dive down to four feet and swim a couple of body lengths under water
I can surface dive down to four feet and swim about half of the 25-yard width of the De Anza swimming pool
I have previously swum under water the 25-yard width of the De Anza pool but I doubt I could do it currently
I have previously swum under water the 25-yard width of the De Anza pool and I think I could do it currently
Question 4
Describe your most recent swimming:
I haven’t been swimming for weeks
I haven’t been swimming for months
I haven’t been swimming for years
I have been able to do some swimming at least once a week
I have been swimming in the ocean recently
Question 5
Please choose one of the following as your number one priority for improvement:
Treading water
Increasing swimming speed
Increasing swimming endurance/distance
Learning strokes I don’t know yet
Improving strokes I already know
Question 6
Please choose one of the following as your number two priority for improvement:
Treading water
Increasing swimming speed
Increasing swimming endurance/distance
Learning strokes I don’t know yet
improving strokes I already know
Question 7
I have a goal of being ready to try:
Scuba diving
Lifeguard training
Triathlon or open water swim
Swim team
Any or all of the above
No specific goals beyond exercise
Question 8
Anything else you’d like from this class or would like the teaching assistants and me to know?
(this section of the online page has a space you can write an answer in, or maybe just write “no”)
Question 9
I have been previously certified as a Red Cross, Ellis and Associates or YMCA lifeguard.
True
False
Question 10
I am currently certified as a Red Cross, Ellis and Associates or YMCA lifeguard.
True
False
Question 11
I have been previously certified as a Red Cross, Ellis and Associates or YMCA lifeguard instructor.
True
False
Question 12
I am currently certified as a Red Cross, Ellis and Associates or YMCA lifeguard instructor.
True
False
