Sport Communication TuNo

Sport Communication

Tuesday Notes (TuNo)

What a great class you'll! Thank you for making the class so interactive. I really appreciate your discussion and contributions. I wanted to leave a couple of resources here for you so you have access to what went on in class. Here you will find  

1. The long version of the syllabus
2. The course overview video
3. The assignments overview video
4. The presentation schedule

Course overview video

Assignments overview video

Action items: 

• Start preparing your presentation (especially if you present this upcoming week!). Off the top of my head, those are Destinee. Kierra, Marquis, Cedrick, and Tanner, but please double-check the presentation schedule link above. 
• Everyone must come to class having read the articles
• Everyone must come ready to discuss
• Everyone must turn in a synthesis on blackboard before class time -blackboard is coming up, thank you for your patience and grace. 
• Everyone must come ready to informally present on their synthesis. 
• Bring your best skycam and sideline cam pictures or video for show and tell. 

Good luck everyone, see you Tuesday

MS Sport Admin curriculum map

Arkansas State University's (A-State) Masters of Science in Sport Administration Curriculum Map

 

Program Learning Objectives: 

1. Demonstrate knowledge of advanced principles of the sport management field 
2. Effectively apply a variety of oral and written business and professional communication skills 
3. Demonstrate advanced understanding and competence of practicing good ethics and conduct in the intern workplace 
4. Ability to research, analyze, and interpret sport studies in order to effectively discuss current issues, challenges, professional practices, and strategies in the sport environment 
5. Perceived effectiveness in the workplace based on academic program preparation.

BS Sport Management Curriculum Map

 

Hi! Check out this video with information about A-State Bachelor of Science Sport Management's Curriculum Map. 

Program level goals: 

1. Demonstrate knowledge of fundamental sport management research, principles, strategies, and practice
2. Effectively applying a variety of oral and written business and professional communication skills
3. Demonstrate understanding and competence with behavioral expectations related to ethical good practice and conduct in the workplace

Thesis proposal

 

As our program grows, more and more students are asking to do theses.  This is awesome, and we are here to help as much as we can.  It is important for you to keep in mind that thesis spots are limited and you may have to wait a bit for a spot to open up so a professor can provide you the attention and guidance you will need through this process.  

It will also really help if you consult with the professors who have open spots about your research topic before you get your heart set on one, or you may have to wait a little longer (i.e. if you email a professor a set thesis topic s/he may redirect you to a colleague with a full agenda, so it is easier if you have an open mind and topic flexibility).  Remember this varies by program and school, so this is only my opinion of how it works in the M. S. Sport Administration at A-State. Ask your advisor for specifics on how thesis advisors are assigned in your program and at your institution. 

Once your professor and you have agreed on a topic and the proper paperwork has been filled out it is time to get to work.  Here is an outline of a proposal a kind colleague shares with her dissertation advisees that may be helpful to you as you progress through your thesis writing.  Cite your sources throughout the thesis document. 

1. Chapter 1. Introduction

• Introduction
• It introduces the topic, giving background information, citing literature as appropriate and needed
• It grabs the readers’ attention and highlights the importance of the study
• In some cases a historical overview of the topic is introduced.
• Conceptual framework
• Rational/theoretical/model based model for the study
• Historical, theoretical nature, and background of the research topic
• Includes
• Key variables under investigation
• Any believed interrelations between dependent and independent variables
• Problem statement
• Explain gap in knowledge in the current literature, not the fallacy of such
• How the proposed study will fill this gap in the literature
• Highlights the need for such a study and the specific problem that will be addressed
• Purpose of the study
• Identify the research design: Qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, ethnographic...
• Identify the population you plan to research
• Identify the research variables
• Significance of the study
• Highlight the importance of the study to address the literature gap and contribute to the field
• How will the knowledge improve human conditions?
• How will the knowledge improve policy? 
• How will the knowledge advance the filed?
• Research questions
• Bases of data collection to address the purpose of the study
• Limitations and delimitations
• Explain how you plan to control potential problems in the research design
• Limitations are factors the researcher has no control over
• Evident limitations are potential weaknesses of the study
• Delimitations are the limitations imposed by the researcher
• Key definitions
• Terms defined here should be directly related to the research and used consistently throughout

2. Chapter 2. Literature review

• Introduction
• Background of problem, literature gap, and chapter organization
• Content
• Research summary demonstrates the actual gap in the literature, not the fallacy of such claim
• Every research study included is closely related to the subject of the study
• The chapter discusses major conclusions, findings, and methodological issues of the current literature
•  The review offers a balance coverage of the literature, which may entail different points of view or outcomes
• Recent literature published in peer-reviewed journals or other scientific sources
• Older research only cited to provide historical background or theoretical grounding for the research topic/concept
• Review of the current and relevant research is extensive and in depth
• The literature review establishes a convincing basis for the proposed study
• Organization
• The chapter presents a clear, logical, and complete explanation of the major areas to be reviewed in the chapter
• The review is organized in major sections from general to specific
• The use of subheadings is logical and highlights the chapter's organization. 
• Summary
• Recap main findings of recent literature
• Reminds the readers of the literature gap to be filled by the proposed study

3. Chapter 3. Methodology

• Introduction
• Briefly state the problem being investigated, purpose of the study, and significance. 
• Describe the organization of the chapter
• Research questions
• Exactly as listed in chapter 1
• Research design
• Specify research method: Experimental, quasi-experimental, correlational, causal-comparative, quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, or another research design. 
• Explain method choice (why this and not another?)
• Explain how the method fits the research purpose
• The variables mentioned in chapter 1 are operationalized in chapter 3. 
• Population
• Target population precisely defined
• Sample selection method is specified, along with the approximate number of participants to be included in the sample. 
• Instruments
• Describe all the instruments in great detail
• Information for each instrument includes reliability and validity
• Scale scoring needs to be described as well if applicable
• Include instruments in the appendixes, but a reference to the appendix is included in this section. 
• Data collection
• Describe the method of data collection in great detail
• Data analysis
• Methods of statistical analysis that will be used to answer the research questions are described throughly
• Ethical considerations
• Demonstrate ethical concerns are addressed, particularly in reference to planning, conducting, and evaluating research. 
• Care is taken for participants to fully understand the nature of the study and that their participation is voluntary
• Include a statement about how the confidentiality of the data collected will be maintained at all times, and identificaiton of participants will not be available during or after the study. 

Pro tips: 

1. Your thesis must follow A-States theses and dissertations format. You can find it at the A-State theses and dissertations website. 
2. Theses normally take two full semesters to complete (16 weeks each). If you are a student in our 7-week per term online program we will do our best to get you finished in two terms (7-week terms). However, finishing a thesis before the end of the term does not guarantee you will be graduating on that term as A-State has form and thesis final manuscript deadlines that are way early than the end of a term. You can see the academic calendar at the registrar's website and keep that in mind. 

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Congratulations to my wonderful peer Dr. Amany Saleh for a great dissertation opening session for her Educational Leadership doctoral students, and the biggest thanks for allowing me to share her outline resources with my thesis students. 

Social media competencies

I love teaching Sport Comm and Sport Marketing, and I get to do it again in person and online. What a treat. In my quest for new information to spruce up course content, I found a very interesting article.  The topic was sport management graduates' social media competencies. 

I have had tweeter assignments on my courses for years.  It seems that to best serve the industry professionals and to better position A-State sport management graduates in the dynamic job market, I need to add Instagram assignments.  This will give students a more holistic social media experience while in the sports comm class. 

The takeaways from the article were that intercollegiate athletics social media professionals 1) use Twitter for live updates, Instagram for visual impact, and Facebook is falling out of favor.  2) They value hands-on experience managing brand social media, and personal social media is not a proper substitute for this.  3) Their recommendations for preparing students include creating a strategic social media plan where they create informative and entertaining content, or putting the students in situations where social media goals are revenue related. 

This was a wonderful article that inspired new assignments for my sports comm course.  I look forward to implementing my newly designed assignments into the course this fall.  What's your favorite sport organization to follow on social media and why? Let me know in the comments. <><

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Pate, J. R., & Bosley, A. T. (2020). Understanding the skills and competencies athletic department social media staff seek in sport management graduates. Sport Management Education Journal, 14(1), 48-51. doi:10.1123/smej.2019-0032

Help wanted

Cool research opportunity alert! Ok, this is more like a "your professor is geeking out alert", but it's ok. I embrace my geekiness. I will be collecting data this Fall (2020) on a research project with high schoolers, and I get to work with 2 wonderful students who are interested in doing research for up to 100 hours at $10/hr. 

Ideally you will be an undergraduate student with a GPA of over 3.25 willing to continue the research after this semester, for which you and I will apply for additional funding. Graduate students who are interested in applying for external funding and plan on doing a thesis on this topic will also be considered. 

Just as a reminder, my research revolves around sexual harassment in sport.  This topic has made some of you blush in the past (me included), so this may be a great opportunity to push your (our) boundaries a little bit while you help me push society's. If you are interested please contact me at cbenavides@astate.edu to let me know. Include research assistant on the subject line; your name, id number, major, classification, and GPA in the body of the email.  I will be in touch by mid-September. 

Have a great Fall everyone <><

Passion counts twice

Ken Coleman has a popular podcast about loving what you do and doing what you love.  I find the idea of the sweet spot fascinating.  He defines it as the crossroads between your talents (what you do best) and your passion (what you love to do most).  I strive to help my students find their sweet spot early and then identify a path to reach it.  One quick starting points is the 16-personalities quiz. We start there and then it takes countless hours of thinking, reflecting, discussing, and soul searching; and that's only half the battle.  The half I can somewhat help with. 

The other half is all you.  You are the only one that can walk the road set before you, determine if it is worth it.  Deep down you know if you want it bad enough.  You may not have what it takes yet, and that is ok.  If your sweet spot is worth it to you, you will find a way.  Your education will fine tune your talents, you have the passion. For putting in the hard work of not giving up on your dream check out this TED talk on grit. There is a book to go along with it, and our library has it. Check it out!



Author and speaker Angela Duckworth defines grit as passion + perseverance. Put another way, caring about something enough to keep trying long enough to make it happen.  So let me say it again, you may not have what it takes right now, and that is ok. If your sweet spot is worth it to you, you will find a way. Keep trying, and if that doesn't work, dig deep and try again (and again...).  Keep equipping yourself with what you need to get to your sweet spot and do what you love for the rest of your life.  Keep plowing. There is no stopping on the road to greatness.  There is resting, but not stopping.  If you want to know your grit score, check out this handy online quiz and let's talk about it at our next meeting, or leave your comments for discussion below.  Get after it! <><