Below is a list of courses normally offered by HKR. We do our best to offer 2-3 distance-based courses each semester so students can complete the program in 6 semesters. Courses vary each term depending on instructor availability.

HKR 6002 - Action Research
This course introduces students to action research as a research method to be used as part of program evaluation and research designed to initiate change in practice. Processes and procedures for conducting action research will be addressed, resulting in the development of an action research plan.

HKR 6003 - Culture and Society
This course covers the underlying concepts, principles, historical development, theory, and current practices of health promotion in Canada. The complexity of factors that affect the health of Canadians will be covered, such as disease, healthcare delivery systems, politics, environment, geography, food security, and culture. Students will be introduced to strategies that pertain to health promotion of individuals and communities addressing physical and social health determinants. The focus of the course is not only on “how to do” health promotion but also on “how to think” about the conceptual, ideological, and political issues which underlie health promotion practice in Canada.

HKR 6110 - Physical Education, Recreation, and Sport Management
The course is designed to provide graduate students with an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a physical education administrator from both a theoretical and a practical perspective and to acquire the information required to become effective managers/administrators in the areas of physical education, recreation and sport management. The course scope will encompass introducing and critically examining the managerial theories, major concepts, skills, best practices and attributes necessary to organize and function effectively in the administration/management environment and relating these to your current lived experiences! Best practices in the areas of leading, planning, special events, availing of human capital, fundraising, fiscal responsibility, organizing, managing, conflict management and coordinating will be explored with an intent to ensure practical applications will result.

HKR 6111 - Canadian Delivery Systems in Physical Education, Recreation, and Sport
This course is designed to gain a thorough understanding of the Canadian Delivery Systems responsible for physical education, recreation, and sport. Through examination of the structures, processes, and issues associated with the Canadian Delivery systems, students will be prepared to evaluate related constructs within those systems.  The course will also help students understand the impact of the various relevant frameworks that presently guide the physical education, recreation, and sport delivery systems in Canada.

HKR 6120 - Curriculum Development in Physical Education
This course is designed to provide graduate level students with an opportunity to explore and identify a number of current curriculum developments in the general context of physical education. From this perspective, the course will focus on some of the theoretical and practical elements employed in teaching practices in today’s educational climate. A primary focus is to critically discuss curriculum theories and materials that serve to shape, bind, and define our notions of physical education. This will be achieved through extensive reviews and discussion of such documents as materials are assigned for weekly reading and review. Students are expected to locate other relevant articles and research papers on curriculum, teacher education, and sport pedagogy in completing course assignments. Students are expected to utilize a number of databases to locate course materials and documents and to participate in presentations and discussions related to curriculum developments and teaching in physical education.

HKR 6121 - Leadership
This course is a basic introduction to leadership by focusing on what it means to be a good leader. The emphasis in the course is on the practice of leadership. The course will examine topics such as understanding leadership, recognizing leadership traits, engaging people’s strengths, understanding philosophy and styles, attending to tasks and relationships, developing leadership skills, creating a vision, establishing a constructive climate, listening to out-group members, handling conflict; addressing ethics in leadership and overcoming obstacles. As you progress through the semester, try to remember that in the absence of leadership, organizations, businesses, governments, and other important societal institutions cannot perform efficiently or effectively. Leadership, therefore, is critical to society’s well-being. The course is designed to provide a foundational understanding of leadership thinking, practices, and identity.

HKR 6122 - Comprehensive Community and School Health
This course is offered online and is an introduction and exploration of the Comprehensive School Health (CSH) framework for the purpose of improving overall school wellness. The CSH approach is a community development process that can be applied in schools as well as within a variety of organizations and alternate settings. The emphasis in the course is on the why behind the CSH approach as well as how it can be applied, specific to context. The course will examine topics such as multidimensional wellness, CSH as a culture, essential conditions for implementation, literacies in wellness, leadership and role-modelling, sustainability, building relationships, the systemic connectivity of CSH, social determinants of health, framing initiatives, addressing gaps and issues of inequity. Flexible workshops are scheduled as the course progresses, where students connect readings and address how the CSH approach can be implemented specific to their current or desired professional context.

HKR 6123 - Coaching and Long-term Athlete Development
Through this course, students will gain an understanding of current knowledge of systematic long-term athlete development models in Canada and overseas and the research findings on which these models are based. The tension between athletic and educational objectives for student athletes will be investigated, and the impact of the professionalization of coaching within and outside the education system will be explored.

HKR 6124 - Adapted Physical Activity
This course acquaints students with the nature of adapted physical activity from a variety of perspectives, including sport, recreation, and physical education. We will also have an opportunity to discuss the relationship between disability and the impact on sport, recreation, leisure, and physical education.

HKR 6126 - Positive Youth Development
This graduate-level course examines the principles and practices of Positive Youth Development in physical education. Students will learn about the role of physical activity in promoting positive outcomes in various domains of youth development and evidence-based practices for creating positive, inclusive learning environments, designing developmentally appropriate activities, and promoting youth engagement and leadership. By the end of the course, students will be prepared to apply this knowledge to promote positive youth development in their own professional contexts.

HKR 6127 - Activity Over the Lifespan
This course explores the role of activity across the lifespan (childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and late adulthood). The course provides a basic understanding of the aging process (physical, cognitive, emotional, and social aging) and focuses on the theoretical frameworks of aging and lifespan as well as social and psychological theories as they apply to activity across the life course. Students will learn about the contribution of physical education, sport, leisure and recreation, and exercise to humans' well-being and healthy aging across the lifespan.

HKR 6201 - Foundations of Sport Psychology and Mental Training Techniques
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the delivery of sport psychology techniques and enhance their existing understanding of mental training. In the first part of the course, the focus is on The Practice of Sport Psychology, including the fundamentals of counselling, assessing clients, and intervening with clients. The second part of the course targets Mental Skills Training, such as anxiety, concentration, and imagery.

HKR 6410 - Sport and Society
This course provides an examination of the sociological concepts that relate to the study of sport in today’s society. The course will examine the meaning and role of sport and the sometimes complex, controversial, and contradictory nature of sport that sometimes confronts those involved in this pervasive activity. We will also attempt to gain an understanding of the relationships between sport and the various social systems –such as economics, the mass media, religion, politics, education and other spheres of social life.

HKR 6500 - Introduction to Research in Physical Education
This course addresses current research methods related to physical education. Topics include an overview of research paradigms, the nature and purpose of research, the research process, ethics and integrity in research and sampling issues. Students undertake reading and evaluation of methodological approaches, debates and reports within physical education. The theoretical background and applications of qualitative and quantitative research will be introduced.

HKR 6600 - Contemporary Issues and Trends
This course examines the latest developments, trends, and issues in human kinetics and recreation, including emerging technologies, new research findings, and changing societal norms. Through readings, discussions, and hands-on projects, students will explore current topics such as the role of physical activity in disease prevention, the impact of technology on physical activity behaviour, and the growing demand for inclusive and accessible recreation opportunities. Students will also develop critical thinking skills to evaluate and assess new trends and research in the field.

HKR 6730-6739 - Individual Reading and Research
Individual reading and research courses are developed to meet the specific needs of each student.