OATdb Archive

2014 - 2015

Kinesiology MA

Goal
Research Skills And Practices
MA Kinesiology – Sport and Human Performance and Sport Management students will be able to demonstrate appropriate research skills and practices.

Objective
Research Skills/APA Formatting
M.A. Kinesiology – Sport Management students will be able to format references in scholarly works in the correct APA format.  

Indicator
Research Skills/APA Formatting Mastery
A rubric developed by the program faculty will be used to assess students' research skills regarding properly formatting references using APA. Students will be distributed a comprehensive list of references. Students must follow APA format when formatting these references. Students must use the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) for proper formatting. Students must organize these sources into a 'References' page similar to what you would see at the end of an article or research manuscript.

Criterion
Research Skills/APA Formatting Assignment
Students must correctly format a comprehensive list of references in APA style, 6th edition with 90 percent accuracy on the first evaluation. This list will include references from a wide range of resources and the information provided will challenge students to seek out additional information about each resource.


Finding
Research Skills / APA Formatting Assignment Results
The criterion for 90 percent accuracy was met by 11 of 12 students.  The single student falling below the criterion scored 85% on the APA style reference mastery.


Action
Research Skills / APA Formatting Assignment Action
The criterion will be maintained since the students approached mastery of the skills. The goal will be to have 90% accuracy on the first evaluation.

Objective
Research Ethics
Students in the Kinesiology MA -  Sport and Human Performance Program will demonstrate knowledge of appropriate research ethics.


Indicator
Research Ethics
Students will complete CITI ethical research training required by Sam Houston State University IRB.  This training is completed one time and is good for 5 years.  Students will be required to submit documentation of completed training each semester.


Criterion
Research Ethics Measure
100% of Kinesiology MA -  Sport and Human Performance Program students will complete CITI training.  Documentation will be submitted in KINE 5374, KINE 5367, and KINE 5395.


Finding
Research Ethics Measure Results
For 2014-2015, 27/29 (93%) of Sport and Human Performance students met the criterion.

Action
Research Ethics Measure Action
Students did not meet the goal target. The importance of the training will be re-emphasized in all classes.

Objective
Research Proposal Development
Students in the Kinesiology MA- Sport and Human Performance Program will create an appropriate research proposal.

Indicator
Research Proposal Development
Students will write a research proposal evaluating the current literature, identifying purpose and hypotheses, detailed methods, and expected findings on a topic of their choice.  A rubric developed by program faculty will be sued to assess student's proposals.


Criterion
Research Proposal Development Measure
80% of the students in the SHP program will earn at least 80% on the research proposal in KINE 5374.

Finding
Research Proposal Development Measure Results
For 2014-2015, 6/7 (86%) of Sport and Human Performance students met the criterion.

Action
Research Proposal Development Measure Action
Students met the goal target. The assignment will be retained and refined to continue to improve students’ research skills.

Goal
Basic Statistics Interpretation
M.A. Kinesiology – Sport Management students will be able to interpret basic statistical findings that address descriptive statistics (i.e., descriptives), group differences (i.e., analysis of variance (ANOVA), prediction (i.e., simple and multiple regression), and nonparametic statistics (i.e., Chi-square).  

Objective
Basic Statistics Interpretation
M.A. Kinesiology – Sport Management students will be able to interpret basic statistical findings that address descriptive statistics (i.e., descriptives), group differences (i.e., analysis of variance (ANOVA), prediction (i.e., simple and multiple regression), and nonparametic statistics (i.e., Chi-square).  




Indicator
Basic Statistics Interpretation Mastery
Assignments developed by program faculty will assess students’ ability to correctly interpret statistical findings that emerge from analysis conducted in SPSS. Students will be distributed a dataset and will be asked to execute different methods of analysis to address appropriate research questions. Students will then complete written assignments that address each particular type of analysis, which then be evaluated by a rubric developed by program faculty.

Criterion
Statistics Interpretation Assignments
Students must correctly complete each of the statistics assignments attached to this objective with 80 percent accuracy. There will be a total of four assignments that address descriptive statistics (i.e., descriptives), group differences (i.e., analysis of variance (ANOVA), prediction (i.e., simple and multiple regression), and nonparametic statistics (i.e., Chi-square). In each case, the expectation is that the student will achieve a minimum of 80 percent mastery on each assignment, not a cumulative 80 percent on the four assignments.


Finding
Statistics Interpretation Assignments Findings
A total of 12 out of 12 students (100%) scored 80% or higher on all statistics assignments indicating mastery of Basic Statics Interpretation.

Action
Statistics Interpretation Assignments Action
Since 100% of the students exhibited 80% or higher mastery on the different statistics assignments, the goal will be moved to 85% for the next cycle. This will help promote continued improvement on the assignments and subsequent learning of statistical techniques.

Goal
Cumulative Professional Development
M.A. Kinesiology – Sport Management students will be able to use their acquired knowledge, skills, and experience in a field experience setting.


Objective
Cumulative Professional Development
M.A. Kinesiology – Sport Management students will be able to use their acquired knowledge, skills, and experience in a field experience setting.    

Indicator
Cumulative Professional Development Mastery
Students will be able to demonstrate professional competency in an applied setting. Students will engage in a variety of assignments including monthly blogs, weekly internship logs, and a cumulative reflection paper in order to demonstrate summary professional development. The cumulative portfolio is evaluated via a rubric established by program faculty. Students’ cumulative performance will also be evaluated by their internship site supervisor via a rubric established by program faculty.

Criterion
Site Supervisor Evaluation And Professional Portfolio
Students’ final internship evaluation from the site supervisor must reach a minimum of an 85 percent rating. Additionally, the professional portfolio and all accompanying assignments presented by the student must also attain a minimum of an 85 percent rating.


Finding
Site Supervisor Evaluation And Professional Portfolio Finidngs
A total of 100% of student interns for 2014 - 2015 (N=12) scored an 85 percent rating or higher on their final site supervisor rating. A total of 100% of student interns for 2014 - 2015 (N=12) also scored an 85 percent rating or higher on their professional portfolio assignments.


Action
Site Supervisor Evaluation And Professional Portfolio Actions
The 85% criterion will be retained for the next reporting cycle for both measures. One student exactly met the criterion on the site supervisor evaluation, leading to the recommendation that the level remain consistent for 2015-2016. Should the 85% criterion be exceeded on both measures in 2015-2016, the program may look at moving the criteria higher.

Goal
Professional Preparation
The Kinesiology MA -  Sport and Human Performance Program will emphasize the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are need by professions in sport and human performance.


Objective
Exercise Physiology Content Knowledge
Students will demonstrate appropriate knowledge in exercise physiology.

Indicator
Exercise Physiology Content Knowledge
Students will take quizzes in exercise physiology covering energy transfer, energy expenditure, the pulmonary system, the cardiovascular system, the endocrine system, and environmental factors.


Criterion
Exercise Physiology Content Knowledge Measure
80% of students in the SHP program will score at least 80% on each of the quizzes in Advanced Exercise Physiology.

Finding
Exercise Physiology Content Knowledge Measure
For 2014-2015, 1/9 students (11%) achieved the criterion.

Action
Exercise Physiology Content Knowledge Action
The goal of 80% on all quizzes was not met. Faculty will emphasize the need to adequately prepare for quizzes and the academic standards required for graduate school to help students achieve the 80% target on all quizzes. Additionally course instruction will continue to be refined to improve student learning.

Objective
Biomechanics Content Knowledge
Students will demonstrate appropriate knowledge in biomechanics.

Indicator
Biomechanics Content Knowledge
Students will complete quizzes in biomechanics covering forces, linear motion, angular motion, work, power, and energy, torque, fluid mechanics, internal biomechanics, and the application of biomechanics.


Criterion
Biomechanics Content Knowledge Measure
80% of students in the SHP program will score at least 80% on each of the quizzes in Advanced Biomechanics.

Finding
Biomechanics Content Knowledge Measure
For 2014-2015, 1/11 students (9%) achieved the criterion.

Action
Biomechanics Content Knowledge Action
The goal of 80% on all quizzes was not met. Faculty will emphasize the need to adequately prepare for quizzes and the academic standards required for graduate school to help students achieve the 80% target on all quizzes. Additionally course instruction will continue to be refined to improve student learning.

Goal
Problem Solving/Critical Thinking Skills
The Kinesiology MA -  Sport and Human Performance Program will emphasize problem solving and reasoning skills.


Objective
Research Evaluation
Students will demonstrate appropriate evaluation of peer-reviewed research.


Indicator
Research Evaluation
Students will write a paper evaluating the current state of the literature on a topic of choice.  A rubric developed by program faculty will be used to assess students evaluation of the research.

Criterion
Research Evaluation Measure
80% of students in the SHP program will earn at least 80% the evaluation paper in KINE 5367.

Finding
Research Evaluation Measure
For 2014-2015, 9/9 (100%) Sport and Human Performance students achieved the criterion.

Action
Research Evaluation Action
Students met the goal target. This assignment will be retained with refinement to raise the standards to continue to improve the students’ ability to critically evaluation research.

Objective
Knowledge Base Comprehension
Students in the Kinesiology MA - Sport and Human Performance Program will demonstrate appropriate synthesis of current literature.

Indicator
Knowledge Base Comprehension
Students will write a paper synthesizing the current literature on a topic of choice related to exercise physiology.  A rubric developed by program faculty will be sued to assess students' synthesis of the research.


Criterion
Knowledge Base Comprehension Measure
Criterion: 80% of students in the SHP program will earn at least 80% on the synthesis paper in KINE 5367


Finding
Knowledge Base Comprehension Measure Results
For 2014-2015, 7/9 (78%) Sport and Human Performance students achieved the criterion.

Action
Knowledge Base Comprehension Measure Action
Students did not meet the goal target. The assignment will be refined with an increased focus on effectively synthesizing sources.

Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement Significant improvement was noted for student performance on the statistics assignments as was student performance on the APA assignments. The revisions to assignments and the use of additional learning methods helped promote better attainment of the stated criteria. There was also fairly stable movement forward on the capstone assignment, which may provide the justification to move the criterion forward in 2015-2016.
Plan for continuous improvement The MS in Kinesiology (Sport and Human Performance) and the MS in Sport Management were approved in 2015. As a result, the MA in Kinesiology will need to be retired and replaced by the two new degree tracks. Specific information for the plans for each individual degree are provided below:

Sport and Human Performance (SHP) program faculty will re-emphasize the academic standards for graduate school and continue to refine instructional techniques and content delivery in the online environment to improve student learning. Many students achieved an 80% average on the quizzes, but they did not achieve an 80% on each individual quiz. Students have demonstrated some level of proficiency in the area of appropriate research skills; however, retaining these goals for the time being is important to continue to improve the research abilities of SHP students. The assignments will be reviewed by faculty to determine if adjustments are needed. The SHP faculty will continue to emphasis the important of research ethics training (CITI training) and retain submission of training verification in most courses. Each of these goals is targeted at a long term increase in the quality of education SHP students receive. As these were all new goals for the 2014-2015 assessment cycle, the goals will be retained for at least the 2015-2016 assessment cycle. However, the specific objectives will change due to the 2 year cycle of course rotations.

For Sport Management measures, program faculty will continue to focus on applied research skills in order to promote continued development. The advances in performance on the APA formatting assignment and the applied statistics assignments will continue to be a focus to help provide students with a sound research base. Additionally, since the prior programs are now two freestanding degrees, additional objectives for the program can be developed. Previously, an emphasis was placed on objectives, indicators, and criteria that generalized to both tracks. The two degrees will now allow more specific development of objectives that are unique to each degree.

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