Principles of Sport & Exercise Psychology

The role of psychology is an increasingly important and recognised aspect of participation and performance in sport and exercise contexts. This module examines various personality and social-psychological factors that impact upon participation and performance.

The module offers a range of sport and exercise psychology topics focusing on three main areas: 1) Individual participants in sport and exercise, 2) Strategies for performance enhancement, and 3) Groups, group processes, and intergroup relations. For each topic, theories and research evidence are applied to practical examples.

Introduction to Anatomy for Sport and Exercise

This module provides students with a theoretical understanding of human anatomy. The module considers the human body in action and aims to introduce students to the integrated function of anatomical systems during physical activity and exercise. The module will incorporate both theoretical and practical elements to ensure students are given the appropriate opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of anatomy within an applied context.

Academic and Research Skills for Sport and Exercise

This module is taught in two parts: Academic skills and research skills. The academic skills component provides students with grounding in the key skills needed to be successful at undergraduate study, including, literature searching, literature review, academic writing, referencing, and presentation skills. The research skills component gives students an introduction to qualitative and quantitative research methods, including descriptive statistics.

Students will learn how to collect and interpret data using a range of approaches including questionnaires, interviews and experimental methods. The emphasis on the module is to develop student’s confidence in engaging with academic literature including the associated terminology.

Personal Development Planning (PDP) will be embedded into the program with a series of workshops which will support students in their professional development. Students will be required to engage with the PDP programme by collating credits through activities aligned with the skills required for their intended career path. In addition, LinkedIn Learning courses will also be completed to develop and enhance key digital and practical skills.

Coaching and Skill Acquisition

This module will focus on the application of skill acquisition theories in the coaching practice. Students will develop an understanding of how principles such as feedback, attentional focus and the environment can inform session design and delivery; with the view to enhancing both athlete learning and performance.

Student’s practical skill development will centre upon their ability to enhance performance through the application of skill acquisition principles. Students will be taught via a variety of lectures and seminars as well practical coaching sessions.

Principles of Sport and Exercise Physiology

Knowledge of how the different parts of the body function during physical activity is necessary to understand how humans can take part in sport and exercise.

This module examines the basic physiology of the relevant body systems. What these systems consist of, how they function and how they respond to an acute bout of physical activity will be considered. In addition to building core knowledge of sport and exercise physiology, students will acquire a set of core skills in the laboratory. This module underpins the subsequent study of sport, exercise and health, and is therefore important preparation for modules at later years.

Physical Education Theory and Practice

This module is designed to provide students with a range of knowledge and practical skill sets to equip them on their journey to delivering inspiring, engaging and impactful physical education in a range of educational levels and settings.

Physiological Assessment for Sport, Exercise and Health

This module explores the methods available to assess the function of the biological hardware relevant to sport, exercise and health. Building on core knowledge acquired at previous year, this module considers how we can measure the physiological capacity of an individual.

There will be a strong emphasis on understanding theory and gaining practical experience. Students will become acquainted with numerous methods which are used in a range of different contexts. These methods could, for instance, be used to monitor performance, prescribe exercise, evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention, or determine whether physiological function is within normal healthy limits.

Coaching Children & Adolescents

This module will focus on developing the student’s understanding of concepts and issues related to models of athlete development with particular attention paid to the notions of ‘long-term athlete development’ and ‘physical literacy’. Students will gain insight into the social, psychological and physical development of children and adolescents in both a participation and performance environment. In addition to the theory covered, students will gain experience in applying the related theory into practical coaching sessions throughout the semester that are designed to meet the needs of young children and adolescents. Focus will be given to the delivery of physical education and sport in youth sport settings in a participation in environment.

Principles of Sports Biomechanics

The purpose of this module is to introduce students to an area of study that is concerned with the internal and external forces acting on the human body and the effects of these forces on sports performance. Students will develop knowledge and understanding of mechanical principles and laws as they relate to the study of human movement and sports performance.

Strength and Conditioning

Strength and conditioning specialists or coaches help athletes to maximise athletic performance, reduce injury risk and avoid overtraining.
This module builds on the scientific principles studied in biomechanics, motor control, anatomy and sports physiology and applies them to this interdisciplinary and practical subject area. Students will study applied biomechanics and physiology within the context of strength and conditioning and learn to develop periodised, safe and effective evidence-based sport specific training programs. The module will incorporate a high practical element, with students developing practical competence in core lifts and other practical disciplines as well as theoretical understanding of the practical competencies. Where appropriate, key nutritional strategies to support training methods will be introduced.

Sport & Exercise Psychology

This module provides an overview of various sport and exercise psychology topics at an intermediate undergraduate level. The significant role of individual characteristics and social processes when designing interventions to enhance sport performance and exercise participation is explained. The module focuses on how psychology can be used by sport and exercise psychologists to enhance performance and physical activity.

Research Methods for Sport and Exercise

This module builds upon the knowledge and skills developed in the Academic and Research Skills for Sport and Exercise module. The module is designed to prepare students for their dissertation. Students will conduct a systematic literature review in a topic area related to their degree, in order to develop a coherent research question.

Particular emphasis will be given to developing a robust rationale for the research question proposed based on a review of existing literature. Furthermore, students will propose a research methodology based on the rationale developed. The overall focus of the module is on the process of “doing research”, and this will reflect in the delivery methods used. As such, students will be encouraged to explore the suitability of different methodologies with respect to the research question asked. There will be the opportunity within sessions for students to attempt to critically review literature, and peer review research proposals. In addition to developing a research rationale and design for a proposed research project, students will undertake a range of in-class assessed qualitative and quantitative data analysis tasks using appropriate software, including descriptive and inferential statistics.

Injury Rehabilitation for Sport and Exercise Science

Sport scientists are often required to understand the implications of injury on sporting performance, how to help rehabilitate athletes who suffer an injury and the methods to help prevent injuries. This module builds on the scientific principles studied in motor control, anatomy, sports physiology, biomechanics and physiology.

Students will study applied biomechanics, anatomy, physiology and strength and conditioning within the context of sports injuries and rehabilitation. Students will gain a theoretical underpinning of the process of sports injuries, how this progresses and effects performance and they will learn how to design safe and effective mid to end-stage rehabilitation programmes. The module will incorporate a high practical element to which the theoretical understanding will be applied.

Nutrition and Metabolism for Sport and Exercise

This module investigates the function and role of dietary macro nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats and proteins, micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals, supplements/ergogenic aids and fluid consumption on sport and exercise performance.

Sport Business Development and Entrepreneurship

The module examines entrepreneurial behaviours and analyse how individuals and organisations can remove barriers to develop creativity and innovation. The module aims to provide students with the knowledge and ability to develop product and service-based businesses through careful market research, planning, management and implementation.

Sports Coaching and Training: Theory and Practice

This module investigates the different athletic needs (i.e., physical, technical, tactical, psycho-social), development and application of periodized training modalities (i.e., general preparation, specific preparation, competition, transition period) of sports. More specifically, those activities that are combined to form individual training elements with the intention to construct a training session throughout the year planning will be presented. Underpinning the presented content will be a discussion and evaluation of the latest research evidence.

Applied Sport Science

Building on the theoretical content presented in earlier years this module introduces the contemporary issues related to applying such theory into applied practice. More specifically the module will introduce the concept of mono, multi and interdisciplinary approaches within applied sports science.

Students will critically evaluate the strengths and the weaknesses of each method using a problem-based approach and on the understanding that performance is based upon a set of functionally inter-linking variables. The module will also introduce key concepts such as bridge building, restructuring and integration, all of which are recognised by CASES as crucial to the understanding of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches to applied sports science.

Adaptive Coaching Theory and Practice

This module will provide students with an opportunity to develop themselves as practitioners by progressing their coaching, teaching and communication skills. Students will focus upon their ability to apply pedagogical theory to the planning and delivery of practical coaching sessions with disabled performers; whilst also furthering their commitment to and engagement in the process of reflective practice.

Rather than coach their peers, students will work in groups to plan, deliver and evaluate a number of coaching sessions with participants who exhibit a range of learning, sensory and physical disabilities. The planning, delivery and content of the coaching sessions will be informed by a variety of physical, psychological and sociological theories, concepts and evidence. As part of the PDP provision, students will have the opportunity to engage in the practical delivery of coaching sessions to disability learners.

Working in High Performance Sport & Talent Identification and Development

This module is designed to give students an understanding of theory and concepts related to working in high-performance sports, talent identification and development. The module will focus on different high-performance sport and talent development models and the efficacy of such models in practice. Students will gain a critical understanding of key issues related to the identification and development of elite athletes, alongside the challenges of working in talent development environments and best practices in such settings.

Sports Medicine

Sport scientists and coaches are often required to work with clinical population. Thus, they are required to understand the pathophysiology and the implications of medical conditions, to ensure safe and effective exercise and training programs. This module builds on the scientific principles studied in earlier years.

Students will study anatomy, physiology, biomechanics and psychology within the context of sports medicine. Students will investigate the role of exercise in clinical conditions such as respiratory, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, metabolic and psychological.

The module will cover aspects of pathophysiology of clinical conditions and management through exercise. Also, the health benefits of exercise and the use of exercise as prevention strategy for disease will be explored, while syndromes/incidences caused during participation in sports or exercise activities will also be investigated. In addition, various topics which could require special consideration when designing training programs (e.g. environment, gender, age, nutrition and ergogenic aids) will be explored in the context of sports medicine.

Independent Study for Sport and Exercise

The independent studies module provides students with the opportunity to reflect and build upon their subject knowledge and expertise by conducting an in-depth investigation; requiring a systematic and significant application of both acquired research skills and understanding.

The investigation may adopt a variety of frameworks, typically dependent upon a combination of both the discipline and topic in question. The rationale being to avoid limiting the students to the traditional empirical research format; instead empowering them to select an investigatory design that is best suited to the conduct, completion and presentation of the study in focus e.g. an industry report or an individually focused / institutionally targeted case study etc.

Irrespective of the study framework, all work requires students to apply critical scrutiny and analysis to a diversity of appropriate theories, concepts and procedures. Such work will inevitably relate to a field of study deemed appropriate by a specialist in the area. The module offers the opportunity to develop an in-depth critical understanding alongside the refinement of both their subject and research skills.