Dr Dan Bishop – School of Exercise and Sports Science – Associate Leturer – Staff Profile

This video within this blog was originally taken from the Future of Blended Learning Conference held on the 24th March 2021. Below you can find the abstract for the session plus the corresponding video.

Abstract

Sports science is a practical subject that requires students to develop theoretical knowledge, skills and expertise and apply this to different scenarios and problems. As students develop their understanding of the subject area it is important that they can communicate their knowledge and understanding to a variety of audiences. A module on the MSc Sport Science uses a negotiated syllabus and assessment requiring students to plan, develop and deliver a workshop to sports coaches or athletes on a specific discipline of their choice. The module outcomes aim to develop the student’s ability to communicate sports science concepts for coaches and athletes to use and implement in their practice. Prior to Covid-19 this was a successful approach valued and commended by students and external examiners.

The lockdown and social distancing requirements prevented the students from being able to deliver their workshops to Gifted and Talented Athletes, posing a problem to the assessment strategy. Working with the student cohort the students developed a series of digital online modules for young athletes to use to support their training and competition. This shift from a practical workshop to an online module enabled the students to be assessed against the module learning outcomes and develop essential skills in communicating academic and theoretical concepts. The presentation will showcase the module and assessment strategy as an alternative format to traditional models of education and how the switch to digital formats provided unintended benefits for the students.