|  | Feature | No.59 May 2010 |

Sport and Globalisation: Distance Education Considerations
Dion Klein
“Sport organisations which are not positioned appropriately to anticipate both the new challenges and the opportunities will be swamped by the onrushing waves of change within society. They can ill afford an attitude of `business as usual`.”
(Trenberth & Collins, 1994, p. 277)
Since 1994, many academics and practitioners warned sports organizations about changes in the sports industry including education (Klein & Jones, 2001; Thoma & Chalip, 1996; Trenberth & Collins, 1994; Van Der Smissen, 1991; Hillary Commission, 2000). Despite these warnings, how many academic institutions have embraced not only the challenges but more so the technological and global opportunities to differentiate themselves from the competition?
The rate of change has increased immeasurably in the past decade with the development of modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) including the emergence of global distance education systems (Rumble, 2000). These changes and advancements directly and indirectly impact everything we do in the future of sport including how we market products and services, how we educate, how we obtain funds, and how we even watch the game.
The developments in sport and distance education industries have grown quickly with globalisation being a common factor. No longer can sport develop in a vacuum; the industry must consider the impact of events such as the Global Financial Crisis and terrorism as well as the social trends including the ageing population and climate change. Culture in the sport and physical education context has been discussed theoretically in many academic programmes, but today it is imperative that future administrators and practitioners experience globalisation first-hand.
There has been a strong increase of the number of institutions offering distance education in various forms from traditional paper-based correspondence courses, to synchronous online courses, to Web 2.0 based e-learning, and to virtual universities utilising offshore campuses. Academics and University leaders need to take into consideration challenges when exploring various methods of delivering courses from a distance to the global marketplace.
The Globalisation of Sport
The term `globalisation` was first used in the field of economics but the process of globalisation has also deeply affected the social, cultural and technological sides of societies. People`s living conditions, beliefs, knowledge and actions are intertwined due to the globalisation process. Many people today view globalisation as a process of the world becoming increasingly interconnected. Others see globalisation as `unity` in which values are becoming more oriented to the global context. This process is greatly enhanced by online social networking (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo) (Celik & Gomleksiz, 2000).
Sport became `globalised` as early as 1877 when the inaugural cricket Test match was held between England and Australia. Today the International Cricket Council has over 100 members or countries. The most known example of globalisation in sport is the Olympics. The new Olympic movement held its first competition in Athens in 1896 with approximately 200 athletes representing fourteen nations (Wikipedia, 2010s). In 2008, over 10,000 athletes representing over 200 countries were at the Summer Olympics held in Beijing, China. As is shown, one primary example of how sport is affected by globalisation is through the internationalization of competitions and events including those at a national and local level.
Globalisation affects sport through the international diffusion of sports (Yusof & Shah, 2008). This can be seen by the number of national and international sport organisations, the growth of competition between national teams, the worldwide acceptance of rules governing specific `sport forms` and the establishment of global competitions such as soccer`s World Cup tournament and the Asian Games (Maguire, 2006).
By having a global appreciation, one gains a more comprehensive understanding of the complex reality that faces the world today. Many countries are challenged with a lack of clean water, poor education and sport facilities – all that can impact on the health and well-being of the community and the delivery of sport and recreation programmes. Even in developed nations such as Australia, regions are still challenged by remoteness and isolation.
Today there is more competition to train future sports administrators and managers due to the on-line opportunities, private training education providers, and degree programmes being outsourced to practitioners, including top executives, not only to save money, but also to add credibility to `practical` areas for future employment. By having top executives teach parts of the programme, business knowledge and experience is shared and the student`s have the opportunity to become better acquainted with the emerging business leaders in international sport (Anonymous (a), 2000).
Globalising Education with Technology
Though the world is getting smaller due to technology and easier access for travel many sport educators have only scratched the surface in providing their students a `global` experience. If educators utilised today`s innovative technologies at their fullest capacity, students would be prepared for the future of globalized sport.
The development of online education has grown tremendously over the past 20 years. Delivering courses online provides the opportunity for students and educators to collaborate with other international colleagues in order to appreciate another`s culture. Due to the emergence of Web 2.0, users can interact with each other as contributors to the website`s content, in contrast to websites where users are limited to the passive viewing of information that is provided to them. From the initial days of having an online computer-delivered lecture, tutorials and assessments using electronic mail, we now have E-Learning 2.0 technologies (which came about during Web 2.0) including blogs, collaborative software, wikis, podcasts, ePortfolios and virtual classrooms and worlds such as Second Life as part of the e-learning delivery techniques.
The main advantages of Web 2.0 / E-Learning 2.0 technology is that it provides for two-way communication thereby enhancing `community`. One opportunity that few educational institutions are embracing is student-generated content for courses. The classic success story of this is Wikipedia, a multilingual, web-based, free-content encyclopedia project based on an openly-editable model where anyone with Internet access can write and make changes to Wikipedia articles. (Wikipedia, 2010) Educators could create their own in-house `wiki` so that students can add to the knowledge capital of a particular subject or topic to enhance the course.
The utilization of distance education allows educators and students to explore a new system of knowledge by applying a wide range of synchronous and asynchronous activities that aid teacher and student in breaking boundaries of space and time. It is highly encouraged that sport educators push the potential of information technologies and communications for more effective learning by utilising distance education initiatives and practices.
Many educational institutions are going online taking a blended delivery approach using a combination of online and/or correspondence with some residential face-to-face components. Education and training is shifting from the traditional classroom to the workplace, the home, the library, and even campuses as can be experienced on Second Life. “Students have the choice of learning independent of time and space. Today`s communications technologies enable a shift toward learning experiences that are asynchronous rather than synchronous, making learning available seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Learners are using networks, [including social media networks], to interact with their peers, their instructors, external experts, and information sources. They are doing it when it is convenient, not just during scheduled class times.” (Celik & Gomleksiz, 2000, p. 140)
Distance Education Considerations
Global distance education has many benefits. Students can now choose courses from a range of institutions previously closed to them due to time and space. Students are able to draw from top quality expertise and access high quality education across the world. Students can gain skills of new cultures and then distinguish between the intercultural differences. By this experience, they can understand how different cultures affect the activities of organizations and be able to demonstrate the ability of working together with the people coming from various cultures. By developing the skill of multi-sided thinking, they can gain the cultural sensitivity and learn how to behave according to cultural differences (Deniz, 1999).
Despite these benefits, there are concerns about the dangers of increased learner isolation as students learn from the screen, and not through interaction with their peers and teachers; the reduction of education to a packaged consumer good; and the globalisation of content, with a consequential loss of cultural diversity and richness (Mason, 1998).
Students, especially today`s Generation Y, are increasingly mobile using information technology in the process of globalized education and life experience. Many of today`s educators did not grow up with technology nor were taught the pedagogical theory of integrating technology into `traditional` teaching methods. Through professional development opportunities either within the University or at industry conferences, educators are now embracing the online platform to meet the needs of the students and keep competitive in the marketplace. Unfortunately, just as the online technologies and delivery are mastered, the upcoming Generation Z, or the Internet Generation (people born between the mid-1990s and the late 2000s), will expect education to be delivered via mobile technology (e.g., SmartPhones). Will tomorrow`s sport educators be prepared to meet their expectations?
Global distance education (i.e., engaging students using distance education technologies) and technological innovations make it possible to communicate via the Internet and more effectively across cultural boundaries. There are number of considerations to take into account when offering courses via distance.
Logistical and organisational problems when programmes are delivered transnationally. Time differences are the obvious issue. If a webinar is delivered at 10 00 in New York, the New Zealand based student would be attending class at 2 00 the following day. Unless educators record their sessions, some internationally based students may find it inconvenient to `attend` class.
Sometimes distance education does not meet the needs of disadvantaged sectors of society. Not everyone has access to high speed Internet broadband as is available in the developed world. Dr. Ekwow-Spio Garbrah, Chief Executive Officer of Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization, stated that well over 70 percent of Commonwealth developing countries, especially the rural communities, were still not connected to the information super-highway. This presents a major challenge as educational institutions promote distance education (Osuagwu, 2010). The cost of accessing computer and the Internet may be much higher relative to disposable incomes. The ICT disparities raise the very distinct danger that globalized distance education will challenge equity, and focus instead on those market sectors that can both afford the technology and afford to buy the products that the technology brings to market. When designing e-learning courses, consideration must be taken how content-rich is the course especially when using video and audio.
The development of online education has also raised issues on the copyright implications of electronic text and intellectual property. Most educators know that they are permitted to use “10% of a copyrighted work or 1000 words, whichever is less” for `Fair use` (Section 107 Copyright Law, U.S Copyright Office). Though people have plagiarized works long before the rise of the Internet; the Internet just makes it easier to copy and paste. As each country has different copyright laws, it is difficult and expensive to take legal action across international borders as well as monitor.
When developing a course for distance learning that has a global context, you need to take into consideration a number of factors. Content needs to be localised. As a majority of educational information is generated by the United States, much of the content is not relevant for many nations, especially developing nations. Symbols and images can be interpreted differently in various countries. Though English is used as a first or second language in nearly one hundred countries, there is a trend to adopt international or global English as the chosen format for the written word. This is not much of an issue for traditional English-speaking countries, “but for non-native English speakers who learn English one way, these cultural specificities add on another layer of difficulty and are not easy to translate into other languages” (King, 2010). The difference between British English and American English may not seem significant but there are a series of cultural differences in how British people use their language and how the Americans use theirs. Therefore, when writing curriculum, one needs to take into account country specific vocabulary as well as being cognizant that there can be different meanings for the same word.
Devising an appropriate approach to enable distance education courses to be delivered globally across different cultures and integrating the actual needs of the student within his or her native country is an issue that affects content, pedagogy, and assessment. Andrea Edmundson stated that globalized e-learning needs to be culturally accessible so that all learners are able to achieve the same learning outcomes regardless of their country or culture of origin. (Horne, Tomlinson & Whannel, 1999). Therefore, when considering to offer international sport education, it is imperative that you have representatives from each country involved in the project to give input regarding the relevance of the content and assessment. When teaching sport management using a case study of an NCAA Division I University Athletic Director is somewhat meaningless to a student in Australia. There is no intercollegiate sports system in Australia that is comparable to the United States.
Summary
Sport education needs to be interdisciplinary and put into an globalized framework so that students can achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the complex reality that faces the world today. Because of technological advances and globalisation, sport educators must consider delivering education by distance. Institutions that have not responded to the changing needs of the market will lose clients. Most importantly, educators, when designing curriculum must consider blended learning approaches and include various ethnicities and genders while being culturally sensitive.
Wayne Gretzky, Canada`s famous ice hockey player, believed his success was in the anticipation of where the puck would be. The success of today`s educators as well as academic institutions lies in knowing where the technology will lead the delivery of education for the future.
References
Anonymous (a). (2000, February). Creating a university to train tomorrow`s leaders. HR Focus [On-line]. Retrieved on May 3, 2010 from http://www.global.umi.com.
Celik, V., & GÖMLEKS?Z, M N., (2000). A critical examination of globalisation and its effect on education, F?rat University Journal of Social Science. Cilt: 10, Say?: 2, Sayfa: 133-144, ELAZI?-2000. Retrieved on May 4, 2010 from http://web.firat.edu.tr/sosyalbil/dergi/arsiv/cilt10/sayi2/133-144.pdf.
Deniz, N. (1999). Global Education. (Global E?itim). ?stanbul: Türkmen Press.
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Trenberth, L, & Collins, C. (1994). Sport Management in New Zealand: An Introduction. Palmerston, New Zealand: Dunmore Press.
Maguire, J. (2006). Sport and Globalisation. In J. J. Coakley and E. Dunning (Ed.), Handbook of Sports Studies (pp. 356-369). London: Sage.
Mason, R. (1998). Globalising education. Trends and applications. London, Routledge.
Osuagwu, P. (2 March 2010). Over 70 Percent Commonwealth Nations Not Connected - CTO Boss, Ekwow-Spio Garbrah. Retrieved on May 2, 2010 from http://allafrica.com/stories/201003020988.html.
United States Copyright Office. Retrieved on May 5, 2010 from http://www.copyright.gov.
Van der Smissen, B. (1991). Future directions. In Parkhouse, B. (Ed.), The Management of Sport: Its Foundation and Application (pp. 381-404). Chicago: Mosby.
Wikipedia (2010). Retrieved on May 5, 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1896_Summer_Olympics.
Yusof A & , Shah P M (2008, November) Globalization and the Malaysian Sports Industry, Research Journal of Internat?onal Stud?es, Issue 8. Retrieved on May 6, 2010 from http://www.eurojournals.com/rjis_8_10.pdf.
Contact
Dr. Dion Klein
The WISE Academy Pty Ltd
Belconnen, Australia
Email: drdion@thewiseacademy.com.au

http://www.icsspe.org/