Graduate Profile: Kevin
UT Permian Basin Graduate
Current Job: Teacher and Coach
UTTC: What made you decide to pursue your master’s in Kinesiology? That’s a change from teaching Social Studies…
Kevin: I wanted to be a PE teacher since I was in high school but my college work led to degrees in criminal justice and psychology which translated into a career as a Social Studies teacher. I’ve been teaching for eight years. When I was ready to work toward a master’s degree I wanted to do something that would give me career options - not just a raise – so I went back to my sports roots.
North Pole is a pretty good drive from most universities except University of Alaska Fairbanks. What were your options for traditional on campus programs?
University of Alaska Fairbanks (about 12 miles from North Pole) ended their on campus PE program several years ago. I was born and raised in Fairbanks and got my undergraduate degree from UA Fairbanks. As a little local point of interest our valley has the highest temperature extremes in the country. In the summer we have 24 hours of daylight and 90 degree days. In the winter we have only an hour or two of sunlight a day and temperatures of -50 every year.
My other choice here was University of Alaska Anchorage – 357 miles away. They only offer PE in their undergraduate degrees.
Obviously there were some concerns about commuting to campus for you! Why did you choose UTTC’s Kinesiology program?
After looking on and off for about two years I decided the UTPB online master’s in Kinesiology was my best option. There was the convenience of the online format and this program gave me the ability to add the PE endorsement to my teaching certification without having to start over on another bachelor’s.
I coached varsity high school boys’ basketball until my son was born three years ago. Since then I opted for the much shorter season of the 8th grade boys’ basketball, but I’m looking forward to getting back to the high school coaching soonest possible.
How did the online format work with your schedule?As a parent, spouse and coach you had a lot on your plate already.
My method was to take one class per semester while I was teaching 8th grade and then take two courses each summer. It worked pretty well for me as I was able to do my work from my home computer. It was still hard – there were times when things piled up and it was still a pain to have a list of class assignments to take care in addition to everything else in my life, but commuting to an actual class would have been infinitely more complicated and I probably never would have earned the master’s. It took me three and half years.
Congratulations. How has this credential changed your career?
Until recently I’ve taught 8th grade U.S. History. Since getting the master’s and PE endorsement last year, I have an improved schedule of three PE classes and two History classes, and I love the mix. The advanced degree gave me immediate confidence in my PE position plus the endorsement allowed an almost immediate transition into my new field.
Students come into the online classroom with different perspectives and expectations. Were there any aspects of learning online that were different that what you expected?
The amount of peer learning and cooperative learning was surprising. I was picturing a lot more individual work – self-paced like correspondence I suppose. I like cooperative learning as a teacher and as a student, so that was a pleasant surprise. It was good to see a lot of different perspectives of the topics we covered.
I expected the scheduling to be pretty flexible, and it was and it wasn’t. In hindsight, I think the structure of deadlines I found was a good thing for me.
Obviously this degree program helped you steer your career to a place you’d rather be. What else did you take from this experience?
I think I am definitely a different PE teacher because of the material I experienced through this program. I never lose touch with the ‘big picture’ goal of any good PE program – create life long healthy and physically active people.
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