Ninth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

In an international university environment, teaching sport management in an integrated instructional and assessment context requires important pedagogical considerations. Instructors must systematically build a curricular foundation based on time released mentorship. This includes concomitant exposure to theoretical and pragmatic experiences both in and out of the classroom. This foundation facilitates the integration of sport knowledge and experience with business knowledge and experience through in-depth development of learning cycles. Ultimately, this requires integration not only at the theoretical level, but also at the practical teaching/assessment level. Once established, this integrated process creates opportunities for authentic experiences, reflection, and analysis. Unfortunately, cases of sport management classes that focus on superficial knowledge without a pedagogic framework are all too common. This presentation explores the success of an integrated sport marketing curriculum that accommodates the needs of international students (i.e., ECTS, AACSB accreditation), and that concomitantly meets the needs of high-level Japanese students (MEXT). Additionally, this presentation elucidates four major issues/questions surrounding the teaching of sport management: (1) bridging the gap between theory and pragmatic practice, (3) determining how to assess sport management learning, and (4) determining how to make learning and competence visible. Overall, this presentation highlights and tracks 10 subjects through an integrated back-and-forth process of cycle-based learning over a 15-week semester. Pre and post course focus groups combined with individual structured exit interviews are supported through the tracking of student assignments. This paper offers the opportunity to discuss the potential positives for building an integrated assessment environment for sport management courses.