The online Physical Education program at Canisius College celebrates its 10th anniversary this fall. The program, founded by Timothy Sawicki, PhD, in the fall of 2006 was the first program offered completely online at the college. More than 500 graduate students from 26 different states and eight different countries have graduated from the program.
Sawicki began the concept for the program in 2000, offering the first online course at the college. The course was created in 2000 because many of the physical education graduate students coaching and teaching all day were not able to attend night classes. The first course, created as a stand-alone website (no LMS system) had more than 40 graduate students enrolled.
The college began seeking online education opportunities and approached the graduate program in physical education. With the help of administration, the program began the development phase in 2003. By the fall of 2006 two courses were being offered to an excited 29 students.
Two more courses were added for the spring 2007 semester and were offered along with the original two. Eventually, 25 physical education graduate courses were brought online. The enrollment climbed to 73 students in 2007, 106 students in 2008, 128 in 2009 and more than 150 graduate students in 2010. At its peak in 2011, program enrollment reached 168 students and generated more than 1,000 credit hours per semester.
Visit the Canisius College Online Physical Education on LinkedIn to connect with 60 alumni of the program to share work-related messages. Canisius College administrators, faculty and students who were all involved in the program, share in the 10th Anniversary celebration of the online Physical Education graduate program.
Submitted by: Tim Sawicki, PhD, associate professor, kinesiology
