Contact: Monty Jones, (512) 499-4363

Date: June 14, 2000

UT System News Release

Graduate Kinesiology Degree Gets
Physical in Cyberspace

AUSTIN -- Coaches worldwide can now clear the hurdle of higher education. In a unique collaboration, the science of people in motion has teamed with the technology of distance education, and the result is a master’s degree in kinesiology that can be completed entirely online.

Beginning this fall, four University of Texas System institutions will offer this degree on the desktop with two others contributing additional Web-based coursework. This program, the first of its kind in Texas, means physical educators do not have to physically be present in class to earn an advanced degree.

The need for graduate degreed professionals in the field of kinesiology is indisputable. The challenge is how coaches (typically on the field in the evenings) can fit night school into their schedule. A master’s degree is finally achievable with the flexible schedule of online courses. Courses run semester to semester, but students determine when during the day, or week, they choose to study.

“Accessibility is a key, positive feature of the online kinesiology program,” says Dr. James Schwane, chair of the Department of Health and Kinesiology at U.T. Tyler.  “Time and distance will no longer be barriers to the pursuit of graduate study.”

With this flexibility, students beyond the boundaries of Texas are taking notice of the online degree program.

“We have an interesting case in Tyler of a young man who started the program onsite this spring,” says Schwane.  “He had previously taught in Kuwait and it now appears he will be returning there within the year.  He can complete his master’s degree online from Kuwait.”

Dr. Lois Hale, chair of the Department of Behavioral Science at U.T. Permian Basin, agrees that the appeal of the online program is far-reaching.  She has been speaking to students applying from across the United States, in addition to the more distant shores of Japan and Trinidad.

The cultural diversity of the students will create a global classroom, but as interesting will be their varied professional backgrounds.

Dr. Sue Mottinger of the Department of Health and Kinesiology at U.T. Pan American has just admitted a student working as a certified coach for the U.S. Olympic Committee and U.S. Olympic Triathlon.  A triathlete himself, the student wants the graduate degree in kinesiology to advance his career and his understanding of how to best train Olympic athletes.  

Another student works not in sports and fitness, but as an ergonomist.   He applied for the program with the belief that a better understanding of the body in motion would assist his profession more than another series of industrial engineering courses.

The online students are also assured of the highest quality course.  

“I’m excited about the improved accessibility of the online program,” says Schwane, “but I’m even more excited about the quality of instruction in the online program.” 

Hale adds,  “You can do most anything online that you can in a traditional class.  Faculty can even do some things that they seldom do in on-site courses including: pre-assessing of skills and knowledge; re-teaching of materials; providing for individual differences in learning rates, learning styles and past experiences, and better facilitated interaction between students.”
Students in the global kinesiology classrooms will access their courses via the UT TeleCampus, the U.T. System’s central service and support unit for distance education.