Applied Improvisation in the Sport Management Curriculum

Abstract

Despite the incorporation of a range of engaged learning strategies within sport management education, many sport industry employers still perceive sport management graduates as lacking the soft skills needed to be successful in such a dynamic industry (Keiper et al., 2019).  The authors suggest applied improvisation (improv) as a pedagogical tool to address this skills gap.  “Applied improv” describes the application of improvisation principles outside of the theatre setting (Dudeck & McClure, 2018). Applied improv in the classroom has been presented as an emerging learner-centered approach to instruction (Skinner et al., 2022) that has the potential to meet classroom objectives while simultaneously developing students’ communication and soft skills. Many proponents of applied improv in the classroom environment tout its ability to facilitate communication and collaboration while building participant confidence, especially in human services disciplines (e.g., Chan, 2021; Gao et al., 2019; Hoffmann-Longtin et al., 2018). Using constructivism as a theoretical lens, this commentary explores the existing body of applied improvisation literature to provide recommendations for pedagogical applications within the sport management curriculum to address the employability skills gap of entry-level sport employees. The application of the current review will assist sport management educators in developing curricula and coursework while providing a foundation for future empirical studies on the efficacy and outcomes of applied improv within the sport management curriculum.