General Education Annual Course Assessment Form
Course Number/Title: KIN 101, Sport in America
GE Area
S
Results reported for AY 2012-2013
# of sections 7 # of instructors 3
Course Coordinator: Daniel Murphy
E-mail: daniel.murphy@sjsu.edu
Department Chair: Shirley Reekie
College: CASA
Part 1: To be completed by the course coordinator:
(1) What SLO(s) were assessed for the course during the AY?
Fall 2012 & Winter 2013 – SLO #2: Describe historical, social, political, and economic processes
producing diversity, equality, and structured inequalities in the United States. (Assessment Data: 4
sections, 137 students)
Spring 2013 – SLO #3: Describe social actions by religious, gender, ethnic, racial, class, sexual
orientation, disability, and/or age groups leading to greater equality and social justice in the United
States. (Assessment Data: 3 sections, 113 students)
Summer 2013 – No Sections
(2) What were the results of the assessment of this course? What were the lessons learned from the
assessment?
 Fall 2012 (SLO #2) avg. across all sections - 59% of students scored 87% or higher, 93%
scored 73% or higher
 Winter 2013 (SLO#2) 51% of students scored 87% or higher, 100% of students scored 73%
or higher
 Spring 2013 (SLO #3) - avg. across sections - 41% of students scored 87% or higher, 93%
scored 73% or higher
Sections Across AY: 7 - total of 250 students
Assessment: Mastery of SLO #2 and #3 was assessed using the final research paper called “Social and
Political Actions in the Arena” (required by all instructors). The final research paper is directly focused on
describing and analyzing social and political actions. Students were asked to identify an individual or group
in sport that has been subjected to some form of oppression or injustice, being careful to outline the larger
historical and social processes that are involved, and to describe particular social actions taken by that group
in its fight for greater equality. The students were expected to incorporate at least five primary research
articles, from a number of academic disciplines, in support of their thesis. Moreover, students were
expected to outline the historical challenges of those who attempted to thwart the implementation of these
social actions as well as to relate how the struggle for equality and justice related to the larger social,
cultural, and historical contexts. The instructor makes it clear that students are to articulate how, over time,
structured inequalities in the society at large can influence and shape sporting practices.

Assignment guideline: In the paper, students should also outline the arguments made by those who
attempted to resist change. Students should attempt to tie whatever issues they raise with larger
social issues outside of sport, and describe how the actions taken by the chosen individual or group
have or have not affected American society and culture. Some suggested topics might involve
individuals or groups that have been confronted by oppressive or unjust practices/policies related to
issues of race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or age. Students are
also encouraged to draw from the entire history of American sport for this assignment.
Lessons Learned: Using the Social and Political Actions in the Arena paper as the primary measure of
successful mastery of SLO #3; 93% of the students completed the assignment with a grade of C or better.
Despite seeming to comprehend the issues related to the intersection of social inequality, sport and social
justice, some of the papers tend to focus more on bibliographic information rather than critical analysis. In
addition, the mechanics of solid research writing and integration of source material are often lacking.
(3) What modifications to the course, or its assessment activities or schedule, are planned for the
upcoming year? (If no modifications are planned, the course coordinator should indicate this.)

Throughout the semester, it seems important to discuss the expectations for the paper(s), and to highlight
how the issues that are discussed in the class are historically, politically, socially and economically situated.
Connecting these fundamental concepts to how the students’ papers should be written may be beneficial in
order to draw a direct link between comprehension and communication of ideas. Another strategy the KIN
101 instructors employ is regular discussion of pedagogical techniques. Not only do these conversations
serve a practical purpose--to exchange tips and techniques about teaching the material (what works and
what does not), but an added benefit is to foster a community of support among the instructors, thus
enhancing “buy-in” for working toward the larger aims of Area S. Lastly, the course coordinator has created
an electronic repository of resources that is available to all KIN 101 instructors.
Part 2
Are all sections of the course still aligned with the area Goals, Student Learning Objectives (SLOs),
Content, Support, and Assessment? If they are not, what actions are planned?
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Yes, all sections of the course are tightly aligned with the Area S Goals, SLOs, Content, Support, and
Assessment. This is facilitated by using a common syllabus and textbook, shared materials, and semester
meetings with all instructors. Two common assignments are required in all sections of the course: A Critical
Sport Autobiography and the final Social and Political Actions in the Arena paper. Since only three
instructors regularly teach KIN 101, coordination of the course has been uncomplicated. The instructors
meet formally and informally to share teaching strategies, discuss alignment with GE objectives, and plan
assessment of the class. A very detailed Canvas site was created that contains all course materials, which
helps to maintain the current level of consistency for new and returning instructors that teach KIN 101.
The department general education committee frequently discusses the need and value of further
harmonizing course content and assessment among instructors. The course coordinator is a member of the
KIN department GE committee, which ensures that the course is tightly aligned to overall GE goals.
In addition, all courses have integrated new media tools and digital education tools to enhance the course
experience.