Southern Utah University

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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2026

Res Methods & Stat for Ex Sci (Face-to-Face)

KIN 4020-01

Course: KIN 4020-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2026
Department: Kinesiology & Outdoor Rec
CRN: 30959

Course Description

This course is an introduction to research and statistics in exercise science. Research ethics, basic research design, and statistics will be discussed. It will follow a lecture format. (Fall, Spring) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): None

Required Texts

A course manual will be provided. 

Learning Outcomes


Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Understand how to approach and solve problems in a scientific manner.
2. Become an intelligent consumer of research.
3. Gain an understanding of basic research study design, measurement, and statistical considerations/issues within exercise science research.
4. Demonstrate a deep understanding of the research process and apply these concepts in developing a research prospectus. Specifically, students will develop a research question, perform a literature search, write a literature review, and develop a research prospectus.

Course Requirements

Attendance & Participation:  To ensure you understand and are able to apply the materials covered in this course, attendance and participation in class discussions and activities are expected. In addition, the course is designed to allow dedicated group work time. You are responsible to get all missed material, announcements, assignments, and class discussion notes from other students.  After you have reviewed the materials from other students, I am happy to clarify specific points that remain unclear during office hours.  However, I will not provide private lectures (e.g., go over every single point).  You are also expected to come to class on time. Attendance points will be reduced for any unexcused absences. Exceptions to the policy will only be made under the following circumstances: 

  • for school-related activities that are made known to the instructor PRIOR to the date of absence. 
  • for extreme medical or family emergencies when presented with proper evidence (e.g.,physician note, funeral program) within a week of being absent 
  • communication provided with the professor and approval for the absence is provided (this will occur on a case-by-case basis) 

Students are responsible for obtaining material, announcements, and/or assignments discussed during their absence.  If you are over 15 minutes late you will be marked absent. 

Examination / Quizzes/ Assignment Policies:  All assignments, quizzes and exams must be completed at the scheduled time (see tentative schedule & Canvas Calendar for specific due dates & times), unless PRIOR consent is given by the instructor. If you miss class you will not receive any credit for in-class activities and you will not be allowed to makeup any activities missed. Late submissions will not be accepted, any late submissions will receive a grade of zero. Exceptions to this policy will only be made if the student misses: 

  • for school-related activities that are made known to the instructor PRIOR to the date of absence. 
  • for extreme medical or family emergencies when presented with proper evidence (e.g., physician's note, funeral program) within a week of being absent (this exception will be made on a case-by-case basis and is not a guarantee)

Exceptions to this policy will only be made if the student misses:

  1. for school-related activities that are made known to the instructor PRIOR to the date of absence.
  2. for extreme medical or family emergencies when presented with proper evidence (e.g., physician note, funeral program) within a week of being absent.

Make-Up Work/Extra Credit: I do not offer individual make-up or extra credit assignments. In general, I do not offer extra-credit, but if an opportunity arises it will be offered to all students.

Required Extra Co-curricular Activities: There are no required extra co-curricular activities associated with this course
Student Expectations & Conduct: You are expected to be responsible for your own education by coming to class prepared in an intellectual and material sense.  Cell phone use (texting, social media, etc.), side conversations, passing notes and other similar behaviors are disruptive and disrespectful to your classmates and the instructor.  These behaviors during class time will not be tolerated. Laptops/tablets/phones are permitted for note taking purposes ONLY, but must be turned off if instructed to do so.  To create a safe learning environment, you are expected to be respectful of other students and the instructor at all times. I strongly encourage you to seek additional help from the instructor as needed and to participate with your peers in a respectful manner. You are expected to do your own work

Digital Technology Guidelines: 

During standard lectures, experimental design workshops, and critical literature appraisal sessions, this classroom operates as an analogue-first environment. To foster these advanced academic competencies, this course adopts a pedagogical framework inspired by contemporary Scandinavian higher education. This model prioritizes "high-value" technology application, deliberate analog focus, and deep, undistracted intellectual dialogue.
  • Laptops and Tablets: Must remain closed and stored inside your backpack.
  • Smartphones and Wearables: Must be silenced and placed completely out of sight. Managing personal notifications during instructional time degrades the deep cognitive focus necessary to comprehend complex statistical and methodological concepts.
  • Note-Taking: Notes must be taken by hand using physical paper and writing utensils. In a research methods curriculum, mapping out experimental frameworks, drafting operational definitions, and sketching out causal variables or data-flow pathways by hand significantly enhances conceptual mapping and long-term retention.
  • Exeptions: 
    • Permitted Windows: Laptops and tablets are exclusively permitted on pre-announced "Lab Work & Data Analysis Days."
    • Approved Activities: Device use is strictly restricted to active, computational tasks. This includes running statistical software (such as SPSS, R, or specialized Excel sheets), collaborating on group pilot study methodologies, managing database arrays, or displaying peer presentation slides.
    • The Bound: Using screens for individual, non-course tasks (e.g., personal email, social media, or unrelated assignments) remains strictly prohibited, even on data days. Screens should remain open only when actively executing a collaborative research task.

Group Work: The final project in this course requires group work, including group assignments throughout the semester intended to help generate the final project deliverables. The group work will follow an individual group-generated group contract that every group member will be held accountable to. Confidential peer feedback will be collected for every group project and heavily weighted for points of each project. If every person does the work equally, as a team, then no points will be removed. However, poor effort or lopsided individual work on group projects will be penalized (i.e., points reduced) at the instructor’s discretion. 

Acceptable and Unacceptable Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): The limited use of generative AI (ChatGPT, BingAI, Dall-e, etc.) is permitted in this course for the following types of activities: brainstorming and refining your ideas; fine tuning your research questions; finding information on your topic; drafting an outline to organize your thoughts; and checking grammar (note: in the event generative AI is used to assist in these approved instances, please ensure to provide an "acknowledgement" at the end of the assignment that indicates that it was used and how it was used). The use of generative AI is not permitted in this course for the following types of activities: impersonating you in classroom contexts, such as using the tool to directly compose assignment content; completing group work that your group has assigned to you; writing a draft; writing entire sentences, paragraphs or papers to complete class assignments, etc.. Any work generated by AI, outside the acceptable uses provided above and/or without the proper acknowledgement requested above, will be considered plagiarized work and a violation of SUU Policy 6.33: Academic Integrity
Links to an external site.. This could result in a failing grade or other disciplinary actions.
When in doubt about permitted AI usage, acknowledgement, etc. please ask  the instructor for clarification.
When applicable course assignment submissions will be checked using the University plagiarism software. 

Class Website & Web Requirements: An internet connection, a web browser (Google Chrome, Firefox, etc.) and access to the Canvas course will be required for you to successfully complete this course. Canvas will be used and updated as the semester progresses.  You are expected to check Canvas on a regular basis in order to view updates and/or possible changes to the course.  It is your responsibility to be familiar with the tentative schedule (corresponding readings, assignments, etc.).   Additionally, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view some of the files used in this course and Google Chrome. You can download free copies by visiting  Adobe and Google.

Course Outline

1. Quizzes: Quizzes will consist of multiple-choice answers. Quizzes will mostly consist of information from recent lectures and material from required readings.
2. Exams: There will be one Mid-term exam. The exam will consist of multiple choice and true/false questions. Exam date is listed as tentative, exact date will be announced one week prior to the exam.
      • Exams that are late will NOT be accepted. Please plan accordingly!  (This includes unforeseen last minute technical difficulties) Exams will NOT be available after the assigned due date. Because of the limited time available, you must be familiar with the content in order to finish in the allotted time.
3. Group and  Individual Writing Assignments: You will have the opportunity to perform in-class and outside-class assignments designed to help you apply concepts we learn throughout class. More details on every assignment will be provided closer to due dates. Also, students, in groups, will learn scientific writing skills by performing writing assignments which are designed to help you generate each piece needed in your final research proposal.
4. Final Group Project (Written Research Proposal & Presentation): The writing assignments will help students (in groups) apply the concepts taught throughout the course to develop a final research presentation written proposal and an oral presentation of the proposal. More details on the final proposal and presentation will be provided closer to due dates. Students are required to schedule a consultation with the Writing Center prior to written proposal submissions. Further, are encouraged to schedule a consultation/ practice with the Speech & Presentation center prior their research proposal presentation.

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work


All assignments, quizzes and exams must be completed at the scheduled time (see tentative schedule & Canvas Calendar for specific due dates& times), unless PRIOR consent is given by the instructor. If you miss class, you will not receive any credit for in-class activities and you will not be allowed to make up any missed activities. Late submissions will not be accepted, any late submissions will receive a grade of zero. Exceptions to this policy will only be made if the student misses: 

  • for school-related activities that are made known to the instructor PRIOR to the date of absence. 
  • for extreme medical or family emergencies when presented with proper evidence (e.g., physician note, funeral program) within a week of being absent 

Attendance Policy

Due to the large group work component of this class, daily attendance is expected, and attendance points will be reduced for any unexcused absences. Exceptions to the policy will only be made under the following circumstances: 

  • for school-related activities that are made known to the instructor PRIOR to the date of absence. 
  • for extreme medical or family emergencies when presented with proper evidence (e.g.,physician note, funeral program) within a week of being absent 
  • communication provided with the professor and approval for the absence is provided (this will occur on a case-by-case basis) 

Students are responsible for obtaining material, announcements, and/or assignments discussed during their absence.  If you are over 15 minutes late you will be marked absent. 

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.