Transcript Teaching a Short Course in Sport Psychology

A SHORT COURSE IN
SPORT PSYCHOLOGY
Diane L. Finley, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Prince George’s Community College
University of Maryland University College
The Background
of the Short Course
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University of Maryland University College’s
mission is to serve the working adult
Courses are offered in many “alternative
delivery systems”
Courses are given via distance formats, are
given on Saturday and Sunday and on weekends
One-credit courses were developed to promote
psychology and provide 1 credit “fill-ins”
The Set-Up
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UMUC offers many 1 credit courses on special topics
These 1 credit courses meet for 2 consecutive Saturdays, 8
hours per Saturday
There are no enforced prerequisites
Courses tend to be enrichment-oriented rather than core
learning oriented.
Course evaluation procedures must include 50% writing
Faculty are encouraged to require students to complete a takehome exam to meet this requirement
The Challenges
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Covering the entire field of sport psychology in 16 hours
Need to choose which topics will be covered
Students come without necessarily having completed
Introduction to Psychology – they do not understand all of
the basic concepts
Maintaining student interest for an 8 hour class
Incorporating active learning
Finding an appropriate textbook
The Solutions
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Use of Van Raalte/Brewer APA reader
Careful choice of topics to avoid those that
require prerequisite knowledge (e.g. behavioral
learning)
Liberal use of group work and inventory-type
activities
Videotape clips and role plays to demonstrate
techniques
Solutions, cont.
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Heavy emphasis on application of
techniques to many situations
Application oriented take-home exam
Web enhanced “classroom”
For information, contact:
Dr. Diane Finley
Prince George’s Community College
301 Largo Road
Largo MD 2774
301-322-0869
[email protected]
academic.pg.cc.md.us/~dfinley