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“Introduction to Sport and Exercise Psychology was designed to meet specific student needs either individually or within a program and is designed to transfer to other colleges and universities. KCC participates in the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI), a statewide transfer agreement for general education courses. All colleges and universities participating in the IAI agree to accept a collective “package” of IAI general education courses; transfer of courses separately is not guaranteed. For more information about IAI, go to their website at www.itransfer.org and IAI. For the transferability of courses to specific four-year institutions, go to u.select.”
Faculty Contact Information
As needed, by appointment
Dr. Betsy Keigher
bkeigher@kcc.edu OR email me through Canvas
Physical Education
Course Information
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate a basic understanding of the history and theories of sport and exercise psychology.
- Define and understanding of how personality, motivation, arousal stress and anxiety impact sport and exercise behavior and performance.
- Demonstrate an understanding of competition and cooperation, feedback, reinforcement, and motivation and reward.
- Demonstrate an understanding of group processes, such as team dynamics, cohesion, leadership, and communication.
- Demonstrate an understanding of performance improvement, which includes topics pertaining to arousal regulation, imagery, self-confidence and goal setting.
- Demonstrate understanding of other topics like psychological well-being in exercise and sport, injuries, addictive behaviors, burnout and overtraining, aggression in sport, and positive sporting behavior.
- Gain practice reading, writing, and developing opinions about, current research in the field of sport and exercise psychology.
- Welcome to Sport and Exercise Psychology Learning About Participants
- Understanding Sport and Exercise Environments
- Focusing on Group Processes
- Improving Performance
- Enhancing Health and Well-Being
- Facilitating Psychological Growth and Development
Textbook(s): Weinberg, R.S. and Gould, D. (2024). Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology (Eighth Edition). Champaign IL: Human Kinetics.
Important websites: Shapeamerica.org (formally AAHPERD); American Kinesiology Association (americankinesiology.org); American College of Sports Medicine (acsm.org); American Psychological Association (APA.org)
Supplemental Materials
You are responsible for supplemental material, provided by the teacher, posted in weekly folders on Canvas. This material may be included in testing.
Evaluation
- Assignment schedule as follows: new weekly assignments will be posted Monday of each week and due the following Sunday evening by 11:59pm. Initial discussion forum posts will be due Friday evenings and peer responses will be due Sunday evenings. If no initial post is required, the DF will be due Sunday evening. On the weeks we have an exam, they are open from Monday to Sunday.
- Assignments - each week there will be assignments that address topics, terms, or theories (some will be in the form of case studies) within each unit in the course – (5-20 points each). We will utilize the online web study guides from the textbook. We will also do a website review/evaluation, address current events, and interview a peer athlete/exerciser.
- Also included in the weekly online assignments will be reaction/position papers in which students will be asked to reflect on various areas/issues within the discipline of Sport and Exercise Psychology. After reading scholarly articles or reliable information online about topics in the discipline, students will show demonstration of understanding through explanation of terms and theories, including their personal perspectives on the topic. (10-22 Points each).
- There are 34 assignments ranging from 10-22 points, with a total point value of 399 points.
- Discussion forums – these will be used as a weekly platform to discuss topics as a group. (5-10 points each). Initial posts will be due Friday evenings and peer responses will be due Sunday evenings. If no initial post is required, then the post is due Sunday.
- There are 15 discussion forums ranging from 5-15 points, with a total point value of 152 points.
- Syllabus Quiz – Week one – 8 points.
- Exams -There will be an exam over 6 of the 7 units covered in the course (exams are anywhere from 30 points to 65 points, depending on the amount of content). There will be no exam over Unit 1 (it is only chapters 1 and 2). Exams will be taken online, and are open book/notes, but not open friend! These are not timed and are open for one week following a completed unit. These are open from Mondays to Sundays. Since they are open book/note, I expect detailed short answers!
- There are 5 exams that total 247 points
- Projects
- There are two small application/real world projects to complete this semester. They are each worth 35 points and they are both due by Sunday, April 19 – but you can turn them in earlier if you choose.
- Pace yourselves – you have all semester, but since the projects require you to reach out to another person to observe and interview (two different people!), you need to contact them early to set up the observation and the interview. I will be asking you for ideas early on so you can be thinking ahead!
- There are two small application/real world projects to complete this semester. They are each worth 35 points and they are both due by Sunday, April 19 – but you can turn them in earlier if you choose.
- 1. Social Reinforcement Field Observation – In this project option, you will observe a coach, teacher, therapist, or exercise professional during instruction and then code their behavior (specifically tracking their use of various kinds of positive and negative reinforcement) using the Coaching Behavior Assessment System (CBAS). You will then write a short synopsis evaluating the instructor’s behavior. See the assignment sheet in Canvas. 35 points
- 2. Qualitative Analysis of Flow – In this project option, you will conduct a 20 minute interview of an athlete or former athlete about the concept of flow (or being “in the zone”) and their experiences with flow. After reading about flow, ask the athlete to think of a time when she or he was totally involved or absorbed in an athletic experience (or when s/he felt in the zone), when everything came together to allow the athlete to have an optimal performance, among other questions. See the assignment sheet in Canvas. 35 points
- Together, the two projects total 70 points.
Total course points (TENTATIVE) – 876 points
Health Careers
Dean, Brad Wood; 815-802-8815; M107; bwood@kcc.edu; Division Office – W102; 815-802-8800
Course Policies
- First and foremost, it is essential that you speak with, or email, me if you ever have any questions or concerns – I am here to help! Let me know if there is anything going on in your life that is preventing you from completing work. I am willing to work with you BUT you MUST reach out to me – and it can’t be in the last week of class J
- Students are responsible for information contained in the textbook, assignments, and supplemental materials (i.e additional notes provided by instructor, articles, audio recordings, and websites). Materials are provided that both enhance what is in the text and introduce concepts not in the text. Since we do not meet face to face, it is imperative that you read and listen to all assigned materials. It is expected that by completing the reading assignments, you will not only be successful in the course, but be able to participate actively.
- Since Canvas is our course medium for announcements, assignments, discussion forums, exams, lecture notes, grading, and supplemental information postings, you must be comfortable with the system. Remember to complete the Canvas Passport to Online Learning!
- You are expected to check Canvas daily for announcements or emails. Since this is the only way to communicate in the course, you must become a daily visitor. Otherwise you could miss pertinent information for which you are responsible. Please contact me if you need assistance.
- I will reply to most emails within 24 to 48 hours during the work week and weekends (I am actually a pretty quick responder, so I typically get back to you fast!).
- Assignments should be completed and turned in on the date and time assigned. Assignments/exams are due on Sundays by 11:59PM. Discussion Forums are due on Fridays (initial post) and Sundays (peer response). If there is no peer response required, the DF is due Sunday.
- Exams are required in this course, but they are more of a culminating assignment using your materials – no stress! Students who do not take the exams during their scheduled times will receive a grade of "zero" on the exam. Exams are available at the end of each unit for one week (Monday through Sunday), and there is no time limit.
- Remember basic Netiquette guidelines (adapted from The Core Rules of Netiquette by Virginia Shea):
- The golden rule your parents and your kindergarten teacher taught you was pretty simple: Do unto others as you'd have others do unto you. In cyberspace, we state this in an even more basic manner: Remember the human. Be kind in your comments and responses and remember your classmates are people with feelings.
- You will be judged by the quality of your writing so be attentive to spelling and grammar. Pay attention to the content of your writing and that your thoughts are clear and logical. Share what you know, but if you discuss anything that is not your own idea, you must list the resource. I do not want to see posts that look like texts. You must write in complete sentences!
- Be pleasant and polite. Don't use offensive language, and don't be confrontational for the sake of confrontation.
- If someone makes a mistake -- whether it's a spelling error or an unnecessarily long answer -- be kind about it. If it's a minor error, you may not need to say anything. Even if you feel strongly about it, think twice before reacting. If you do decide to inform someone of a mistake, point it out politely and preferably by private email rather than in public.
- ADA Policy: As stated in the KCC Students with Disabilities Handbook: Kankakee Community College shall provide that no otherwise qualified person with a disability shall, solely by reason of disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity engaged in by the college as required by Section 504 of the rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with disability Act of 1990.
- Academic Integrity Policy and Code: Students are reminded that cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any student detected of cheating or engaging in plagiarism on any exam or paper, or participating in any other form of academic dishonesty, will receive the appropriate sanctions which can include a failing grade (“F”) for the course. Please see the academic integrity policy in the KCC catalog as well as on the web.
http://www.kcc.edu/students/academics/Pages/regulations.aspx
- Use of AI Tools: This course permits you to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as chatbots, text generators, paraphrasers, summarizers, or solvers, to get guidance on assignments, as long as you do so in an ethical and responsible manner. Essentially, you can think of these tools as ways to help you learn but not to entirely create work for assignments like discussion board posts, essays, presentation slides, and so on. AI is more like your tutor or TA, not a replacement for your independent thinking.
This means that you must:
- Not use AI tools to replace your own thinking or analysis or to avoid engaging with the course content.
- Cite or explain any AI tools you use. Provide the name of the AI tool, the date of access, the URL of the interface, and the specific prompt or query you used to generate the output.
- Cite any AI tools you use properly, following APA citation (see below):
- OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
- Be transparent and honest about how you used the AI tool and how it contributed to your assignment. Explain what you learned from the AI tool, how you verified its accuracy and reliability, how you integrated its output with your own work, and how you acknowledged its limitations and biases.
- You are accountable for any mistakes or errors made by the AI tool. Always check and edit the output before submitting your work. If you discover any inaccuracies or inconsistencies in the output after submission, notify the instructor immediately and correct them as soon as possible.
- Using AI tools in an unethical or irresponsible manner, such as copying or paraphrasing the output without citation or transparency, using the output as your own work without verification or integration, or using the output to misrepresent your knowledge or skills, is considered a form of academic dishonesty and will result in a zero grade for the assignment and possible disciplinary action. If you have any questions about what constitutes ethical and responsible use of AI tools, please consult with the instructor before submitting your work.
- Exams and the Health Newsletter project must be completed independently, with no AI, and, I will indicate on other assignments if AI is not allowed – this is a work in progress as we navigate an academic world with AI.
DO NOT COPY AND PASTE FROM SOURCES!! Once you find material for your assignments, read it and put it into your own words and reference the source from which you found it. I often randomly check, and if plagiarism is found, then you will either receive a zero for the assignment, or depending on each individual case, be asked to redo it.
All students are expected to behave in a reasonable, responsible and professional manner during this course. Remember that part of your academic preparation involves learning to think and behave like a professional. Your individual behavior and performance reflects on you, as well as, the entire Kankakee Community College community.
Tentative Course Calendar – dates and items are subject to change
*Each unit after Chapter 1 will take approximately 2-4 weeks to complete, depending on content. Exam dates are TENTATIVE – if I change the dates (ONLY by making them later), I will notify the class with plenty of time.
Unit 1 – 1 week Welcome to Sport and Exercise Psychology! Chapters 1 and 2 |
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Unit 2 – 3 weeks Learning About Participants Chapters 3 - 5 |
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Unit 3 – 3 weeks Understanding Sport and Exercise Environments Chapters 6 - 8 |
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Unit 4 – 3 weeks Focusing on Group Processes Chapters 9 -11 |
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Unit 5 – 3 weeks Improving Performance
Chapters 12 – 17 |
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Unit 6 – 2 weeks Enhancing Health and Well-Being Chapters 18 – 22 |
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Unit 7 – 1-2 weeks Facilitating Psychological Growth and Development Chapters 23 - 25 |
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College Policies, Resources and Supports
For information related to the Student Code of Conduct Policy, Withdrawal Policy, Email Policy, and Non- Attendance/Non-Participation Policy, please review the college’s Code of Campus Affairs and Regulations webpage, which can be found at catalog.kcc.edu under the Academic Regulations & Conduct Guide.
KCC offers various academic and personal resources for all students. Many services are offered virtually, as well as in person. Please visit Student Resources - Kankakee Community College to access student resources services such as:
- Clubs and organizations
- Counseling and referral services
- Office of disability services
- Student complaint policy
- Transfer services
- Tutoring services, etc.
The materials on this course are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course. Further information regarding KCC's copyright policy is available at https://kcc.libguides.com/copyright.
|Course syllabus/calendar is subject to change.