My name is Coral Minton. I have taught at a California Community College since 1992. I wrote this digital text as an online supplement for a Women’s Health class in the Kinesiology and Health Sciences department at Cuesta College. In 2018 I went through a training to set up my class to teach online. I realized I needed to set up content. There are plenty of general health textbooks but most did not pick up nuances particular to women. The Women’s Health text we used for several years became obsolete with a limited electronic presence. I realized there wasn’t much in terms of digital support materials for instructors. Coincidentally, as I developed skills for the online teaching environment, I was contacted by a publisher and with their help, I wrote a digital textbook to for Women's Health. It took 2 years to pull information together and get it published online. This text is still an ongoing project. I have had good feedback from students who have enjoyed being able to access the text on a variety of devices. Many have been able to listen to the content as well.  This book can be printed out as a set of PDF files for those that like to flip the page and take notes. Go to “Menu” in the upper right corner and click on “Print”. At the end of each chapter I have embedded quizzes which can be modified. I have also set up boxes in each chapter where a student could enter answers in a workbook format as they study for essay questions. Integrating these features into Canvas is still a work in progress.

I believe interactive learning is key. Most students go to the internet for information. I have links embedded to references and credible sources for additional information. Some have find this to be distracting, and others have found this to be helpful. There is the risk of outdated connections and images. Please let me know if something isn’t working. Most of sources are cited peer-reviewed articles, medical organizations, research institutions, government health websites or non-profits with emphasis on the condition or topic matter. As a student I found that if I looked at more than one resource, I developed a better understanding of the topic. I invite students to look at source information.

My background did not start in the health sciences field. Originally from the San Francisco East Bay, I graduated from Chabot College in Hayward, CA where I took my first health class. I transferred to Cal State Hayward now known as Cal State East Bay and earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration. My focus was on Personnel and Industrial relations which includes collective bargaining, labor law and employment benefits. I have worked as an accountant and as a Health Benefit Administrator (HBA). The HBA position handled employee benefits including helping employees with medical claims. We reconciled between their doctors and their insurance company. Through this work I gained good insight regarding health insurance frustrations. I worked for a group of Ophthalmologists (eye doctors), accounting in a Fitness club facility, and at CPA firms.

My career in education began by coaching springboard diving at a local high school. Coaching led me to Cuesta community college and then over to Cal Poly. Between seasons and my accounting work, I ran a USA diving club program and served as a board member for USA Diving. I returned to graduate school at Cal Poly and earned M.S. in Kinesiology. Initially I wanted to learn about teaching fitness to children. I studied motor learning and motor development. Neurology and movement patterns was my focus. I later completed an Adult Education teaching credential online with CSU San Bernardino so I could work in fitness with older adults. This led to learning about gerontology and how an online class works. My work now involves older adult fitness with students are in their 60’s-80’s. Many are former educators. They have helped me learn about the fitness and health issues older folks face. Diet and exercise are the keys to wellness for this group. We work around a variety of conditions so folks can exercise at a level that suits their ability and keeps them socially active. I have learned that for many, the key to fitness includes a social component.

My entire background has helped me become an effective health instructor. I know that body image issues in a swimsuit sport run deep. I have seen bias and discrimination in both the sport and business world. I have worked with professional women juggling the responsibilities of parenting vs. career advancements (or in many cases a static status). Recently, my Cuesta students have learned about women’s health issues that factor into homelessness, gender identity, incarceration, and ethnic differences. Recent projects include a focus on addiction factors within the drug epidemic specific to women and abortion legislation vs statistics. These are areas where I am building more content in the text.