Sponsored Content
Online learning is not a new phenomenon, but with the continuing challenges to education over the past 18 months due to Covid-19, schools and higher educational institutions have had to rethink and reimagine their education delivery model.
The Career-Related Studies (CRS) in International Sport Management, which is offered within the framework of the IB Career-related Programme, has been specifically designed by the World Academy of Sport (WAoS) and Federation University for remote delivery.
The programme has pedagogical aspects embedded throughout the design and delivery which take into consideration the specific context of an online environment. So, what is the key to building a successful online course? The answer is both usability and accessibility.
A seamless user experience provides students with the chance to focus on engaging with the learning process rather than having to learn how the Learning Management System works, i.e., ensuring that the technology enhances the learning process rather than impeding it.
“Content needs to be divided into short and accessible material with clear learning outcomes.”
For higher student engagement and flexibility, the content needs to be divided into short and accessible material with clear learning outcomes. Integrated activities are also essential for students to apply and consolidate their learning.
Furthermore, it is critical in online education that regular teacher and peer interactions occur to provide students with opportunities for communication, collaboration and development. Throughout the CRS, International Sport Management, there is constant sharing of experiences through connections to real world situations. Exclusive insights through video interviews and digitalised case studies are incorporated, which allows students to contextualise how the online content relates to the real world of sports management.
The CRS in International Sport Management is delivered holistically online and therefore anyone in the world can join the programme. From a design perspective, international mindedness is embedded across the programme to ensure all content and assessments reflect the international nature of student cohort. Delivering the programme remotely allows students to access industry leaders and bring them to the virtual classroom, which would be very rare in traditional face-to-face programmes.
The other advantage of bringing people together virtually is the access to a diversity of individuals (geography, culture, etc.,) who offer a broad and international perspective to students in both industry experts and the student peer group itself.
“If the pandemic had occurred 15 years ago, the impact on education may have been catastrophic.”
Technology has been a wonderful facilitator of educational access. If the pandemic had occurred 15 years ago, the impact on education may have been catastrophic. However, with the use of current technologies and through using a combination of both asynchronous and synchronous teaching methods, these CRS students are provided with flexible learning experiences and real-time support.
Nowadays, digital skills are ubiquitous with job ready skills. Studying in a remote context with a student cohort from around the world helps students develop these technology skills and remote collaboration to increase their chances of employability following their studies.
A key point of learning from 2020 is that online learning should not just be a modification of face-to-face learning. It needs to be carefully constructed and designed with an online pedagogy that is engaging.
“Studying in a remote context with a student cohort from around the world helps students develop skills that increase their employability.”
The first intake of students for the CRS in International Sport Management has just commenced because this design process began long before the pandemic started. World Academy of Sport asked some of the schools involved in the IB Career-related Programme what advantages it brings.
Beatrice Gillet, IB CP Coordinator at Haut-Lac International Bilingual School in Switzerland, says: “The CP is a real opportunity to develop 21st century skills, in terms of efficient communication, critical thinking and recognition of ethical aspects in problems. The CRS also gives an insight in possible careers in the area chosen by the students. Provided by our university partners, it is also an opportunity for them to get a taste of higher education.”
Jason Reagin, IB CP Coordinator at Chadwick International School in South Korea, feels that “many students in [his] school needed additional pathways to support their interests and passions and the CP was the perfect fit”.
He particularly likes “the added benefit of providing in-depth, practical opportunities for students to explore”. Both schools have recently added the CRS in International Sport Management as an option available to students.
“The online world opens up an infinite number of opportunities for these young students.”
“The CRS in International Sport Management is a wonderful opportunity for our students to get a better idea of careers within the sports industry,” says Gillet. By completing the CRS, Reagin believes that students will achieve “collaborative skills and learn to develop an understanding of work ethics and ethical dilemmas”, while Gillet mentioned the remote delivery aspect of the programme which will make students “more responsible for their learning”.
She adds: “They will develop critical thinking skills and strive to become good communicators.” Finally, Reagin anticipates that his school’s students who are part of the first cohort of the CRS in International Sport Management will “be involved in the sports industry over the long term”. Regarding her own school’s student-athletes, Gillet imagines that they “will study sport management in higher education, while pursuing their career as athletes, or even setting up a sports-related business”.
One thing is certain as the CRS in International Sport Management has shown — the online world opens up an infinite number of opportunities for these young students to have a bright future in the international world of sports. If you are interested in offering the CRS in International Sport Management to your students, please contact cp@worldacademysport.com or visit https://istudy.sport/ibcp-ism