Curriculum Innovation

Beyond the basic curriculum

As a sport management major, you will complete a four-course sequence that scaffolds the mindsets and methods of human-centered design, also known as design thinking, to equip you with a framework to be a creative problem solver and innovator.

Following the IU Indianapolis Principles of Learning for Undergraduate Students, the sport management curriculum at IU Indianapolis prepares you to become a Communicator, Innovator, Problem Solver, and Community Contributor.

Innovating the Sport Management Curriculum at IU Indianapolis

During your first year, you take part in a First-Year Experience Seminar that enables you to develop a sense of belonging and allows for a quick and easy transition into college life.

Through the IU Indianapolis Bridge Week, you have the chance, the week prior to the start of the semester, to meet people, ask questions, and adjust to college life before your first class gets underway. 

During Bridge Week, you experience design thinking for the first time as a student studying sport management in a rigorous activity called the Jag Challenge. Students take a space and use design thinking to find a problem, develop a solution, and pitch to stakeholders on campus.

During your first year, you will complete an introductory course that ties a design thinking micro-project into the fundamental curriculum to get you to understand the mindset and method of design thinking while solving a common problem in the sports industry.

After completion of the micro-project in the introductory course, you will then enroll in a course entitled Management Principles in Sport. Building on the project from the introductory course, you will undertake a series of projects during the semester that put you in hyper-focused positions in the design thinking method. 

A microproject in empathy is followed by a case study guiding you to the true problem in a space. Once you learn and understand these steps, another case study is inserted to ideate a solution before undertaking an intense project that ties all steps of the design thinking process together. The semester culminates in an end of semester presentation and pitch. 

Students use the methods and mindsets taught in the prior three classes and apply them in a semester-long project with an industry partner.

Recaps from previous Senior Capstone courses describing methods and solutions:

Spring 2024 Capstone - Mudsock Youth Athletics

Fall 2023 Capstone - Special Olympics Indiana

Spring 2023 Capstone - IU Indianapolis Athletics

Fall 2022 Capstone - Indiana Sports Corporation

Spring 2022 Capstone - Long-Term Program Development in Youth Sports

Fall 2021 Capstone - Grand Park Sports Campus

Spring 2021 Capstone - Reimagining Sports Ticket Sales

FieldX

In the capstone class, students complete a Sports Innovation Curriculum developed at IU Indianapolis and used by other programs.

Published Case Study

Using Data Analytics to Create a Digital Strategy That Drives Engagement and Views on Social Media

Published Case Study

Innovate Sports Officiating With Design Thinking

Published Teaching Innovation

Published journal article on how to teach with design thinking in the classroom.

Focus on High-Impact Practices

In addition to the emphasis on innovation, the IU Indianapolis sport management curriculum in the Department of Tourism, Event, and Sport Management emphasizes the delivery of resume-ready experiences within the curriculum using engaged learning and high-impact practices:

First-Year Experience

EPortfolio

Capstone Courses & Projects

Service & Community-Based Learning

Internships

Project-Based Learning Taxonomy

Curriculum Innovation

Speaker Series

Innovation Sprints

SHHS Studio