Helena Baert

Helena Baert serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Education at SUNY Cortland, teaching core courses including EDU 255 (Basics of Effective Instruction), EDU 355 (Curriculum & Planning), PED 321 (Movement Education), and PED 515 (Technology in Physical Education). Her instructional approach emphasizes practical technology integration in physical education settings as reflected in her guiding principle: "When you go to the hardware store to buy a drill, you don't actually want a drill, you want a hole".

Her research program centers on bridging motor development theory with classroom practice through technology-enhanced movement analysis. Key interests include mastery-based learning systems, fundamental motor skill assessment, physical literacy development, and TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) frameworks. She develops innovative resources such as Fundamental Motor Skill Posters for preschool and elementary PE, while exploring applications of Plickers, Kahoot, Dartfish, and mobile apps for movement analysis.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals consistent focus on creating scalable movement analysis training through digital platforms. The 2018 CIT Conference book chapter and 2017 Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport abstract demonstrate her signature approach: developing mastery-based online modules that enable pre-service teachers to analyze fundamental motor skills across locomotor, manipulative, and stability domains using video analysis and competency tracking.

Dr. Baert leads the sustained "Making Movement Stick" research initiative funded by a $10,000 IITG grant, engaging undergraduate researchers annually since 2014. Her grant work has produced 16 online modules covering skills from dynamic balance to striking, with implementation across multiple PETE courses. She actively mentors undergraduate researchers through conference presentations at SHAPE America, NYSAHPERD, and SUNY research forums.

The "Making Movement Stick" project constitutes her primary research infrastructure, operating as a longitudinal collaboration with co-PIs Dr. Matthew Madden and Dr. Larissa True. This team has systematically developed and tested mastery-based learning modules using preschool and childhood movement videos, creating assessment tools that track progression through motor development stages while providing targeted feedback mechanisms for skill refinement.