Teaching Sport Philosophy Online: a Case Study in Italy

Teachers and educators have raised many concerns about teaching philosophy online. They worry that the nonphysical human interaction required in the on-line, computer-based, way of communication could alter the dialogic, interpersonal, and relational nature of philosophy. Starting from this, we analyze a particular case in which open sources were used for teaching sport philosophy to a group of Italian sport sciences university students. Our aim is to show that teaching philosophy online is as effective as face-to-face teaching. Moreover, the teaching and learning of philosophy online encourages reflection, critical thinking, and the development of learning communities by fulfilling students’ educational needs and giving them the opportunity to organize their learning time and adapt it to their needs. This is a particularly relevant issue in an emerging contemporary philosophical field such as the philosophy applied to sport. Modern day sport lacks critical and philosophical reflection. Thus, the diffusion of a discipline such as the philosophy of sport through new technologies of teaching and communication not only encourages and fosters the critical analysis of sport as a social practice, but also benefits those students who would not have access to face-to-face education.