Module SPRT1321: Critical Skills for Sport and Exercise Sciences

Department: Sport and Exercise Sciences

SPRT1321: Critical Skills for Sport and Exercise Sciences

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To assist students in their transition and adaptation to Higher Education.
• To equip students with the critical academic skills required for Higher Education and the multi-disciplinary study of sport and exercise sciences (Interpersonal Skills; Personal Effectiveness; Verbal Communication and Presenting Skills; Information and Research Skills; Literacy and Written Communication Skills; Critical Thinking and Problem-solving; Numeracy; Digital Skills).
• To provide students with a background in academic conventions and expectations related to writing and communicating within the multi-disciplinary study of sport and exercise sciences.
• To develop students' abilities to work individually and to work collaboratively to undertake specific tasks, achieve wider academic goals, and develop their personal effectiveness, interpersonal skills, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• To increase students' awareness of, and reflection on, their skills, competencies and abilities in relation to the academic study of sport and exercise sciences.
• To increase students' understanding of the value of studying sport and exercise from multi-disciplinary perspectives.
• To introduce students to the identification of employability skills and career planning.

Content

• The purpose of this module is to provide an introduction to the critical academic skills required in Higher Education and more specifically the multi-disciplinary study of sport and exercise sciences. The module will introduce students to the range of critical skills, competencies and ways of thinking required to succeed in both Higher Education that are also transferable to the workplace. Students will gain an opportunity to engage in self-reflection, action planning and reviewing and to develop their academic skill set. The module will incorporate a range of teaching and learning methods, including staff-led content, interactive group-based activities (including a field trip), and directed activities and study tasks using a blend of in-person and online content and delivery.

Learning Outcomes

• Upon successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
• Demonstrate an awareness of the critical academic skills required in Higher Education and more specifically the multi-disciplinary study of sport and exercise sciences.
• Demonstrate knowledge of their existing skill set, learning styles, and future skill development needs for the multi-disciplinary study of sport and exercise sciences.
• Undertake self-reflection and identify strategies to improve their critical skills and academic performance in the sport and exercise sciences.

• Demonstrate competency in communication skills for the social and natural scientific study of sport and exercise.
• Demonstrate competency in numeracy skills for the social and natural scientific study of sport and exercise.
• Source, interpret and present literature, evidence and data for the social and natural scientific study of sport and exercise.

• Upon successful completion of this module, students will have demonstrated competency in:
• Interpersonal Skills; Personal Effectiveness; Information and Research Skills; Literacy and Communication Skills; Critical Thinking and Problem-solving; Numeracy; Digital Skills

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching and learning will be through a combination of in-person and online staff-led content, interactive group activities (e.g. during field trip and seminars), directed independent and group-based activities, and independent preparation and study tasks related to the development of academic critical skills and competencies, such as: writing (essays, reflections); sourcing, presenting and referencing information and data; numeracy; verbal communication; group work; and independent learning.
• Summative assessment will be two assessed components that will comprise: 1) a Reflective Portfolio to demonstrate students' development and acquisition of critical academic skills and competencies; 2) a literature review essay. The Reflective Skills Development Portfolio will comprise a series of reflective proformas via PebblePad. Completion of this will also require two meetings with the students’ Academic Advisor and required attendance at a course provided by Durham University’s Academic Skills Centre.
• Formative assessment will allow students to develop, demonstrate and gain feedback on competencies in searching for and referencing academic literature.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Submission of a report on a Literature Search Strategy and formatted reference list (450 words).

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University