General OverviewThe BSc (Hons) Sport Coaching at UWS aims to support current and aspiring coaches to further their career goals by developing their understanding of the pedagogical, practical skills that underpin athlete development. Practical skills are underpinned by multi-disciplinary coaching science (e.g., psychology, sociology, physiology, biomechanics) to ensure students have a holistic, scientific understanding of their role.
The programme is a structured four year full-time programme. Level 7 introduces students to the core areas that inform coaching practice and follows a common structure with the BSc (Hons) Sport Development undergraduate programme. At Level 8 students undertake additional Coaching modules with accompanying science-based modules to develop their understanding of the coaching process. Levels 9 and 10 allow students to specialise in the sciences that underpin coaching and to further understand the broader context of coaching environments.
This degree has been developed to deliver up-to-date practical and professional skills underpinned by appropriate academic theory to produce graduates who are ready for the workplace, or if appropriate, have the skills to further and extend their education in the area of academic research. The philosophy adopted by the programme team has been to produce a degree that follows current best practice, and is cognisant of national and international agendas in sport. The programme has been developed to be vocationally and academically focused, to provide a range of transferable skills. The teaching approach is student-centred with learning taking place in an active, supportive, participatory, and context-specific environment. Students will be given support to develop an autonomous approach to their learning as they progress through the programme, with the balance between independent and directed learning remaining appropriate to the level of study.
A central objective of the programme design is to produce graduates who are ready for the workplace, therefore professional and practical technical skills feature strongly in some modules. The team acknowledges the challenges of providing students with workplace environments and experiences within an academic set-up but believes that with the modules chosen, it will successfully allow students to integrate what they learn at university with what they will experience in industry, be that locally or nationally but with the intention of also providing skills required at international or globally recognised employment outlets.
Students wishing to continue their studies will be able to undertake a range of postgraduate programmes within sport and related subjects such as physical education, sports coaching and sport psychology. Graduates of the programme have gone on to become Active Schools Co-ordinators, Professional coaches, Sport Scientists, Sport Business owners, and teachers.
The School’s overall aim for all its provision is to enable students to develop the graduate skills that will enhance their employability and anticipate the skills needed to support industry. To that end, the approach to curriculum design and development is core to the longer term strategy of the School. It provides a model which is: • Learner focussed • Responsive to a demand-led skills agenda • Fit for developing partnerships within the institution, with industry and the wider HE sector Is based on the following principles: • The student learning experience should be consistent with University policy with respect to equality and diversity and in relation to students with disabilities. • The student learning experience should include e-learning where appropriate. The school is implementing an e-portfolio system for students. • The student learning experience should be designed to meet the needs of each individual student including those from different social and academic backgrounds, cultures, and levels of ability • The student learning experience should be appropriate for developing the specific knowledge, skills, and competences required of each subject area as defined by the learning outcomes of the modules • The degrees should continue to have strong emphasis on employability, PDP, and transferable skills, in line with internal and external benchmarks, policies and initiatives The learning and teaching strategy is designed to help students master the learning outcomes and also to allow them to demonstrate their highest level of competency. Many of the modules contain learning outcomes that are practical in nature. Here students will acquire practical knowledge and understanding through a variety of activities that simulate workplace practices and procedures. This promotes gradually increasing student autonomy and active learning, and supports differing learning styles that allow students to apply both knowledge and practical skills at progressively higher levels throughout the programme. The theoretical aspects of the programme are developed through more traditional lecture and tutorial settings. This approach enables students to engage with theories, concepts and principles in a critical and evaluative way and to develop their own critical, analytical and reflective skills as they progress through the levels of the programme. The aim is to foster in students the range of graduate attributes that will prepare them for their future career and study options, therefore the focus is on developing a broad range of both practical and academic skills.
The programme delivery makes use of a range of teaching and learning methods suggested in the QAA benchmark statement which include: • Tutor-led lectures • Tutorials and seminars • One to one interaction • Practical workshops and exercises in a simulated work environment • Small group teaching and group project work • E-learning (Moodle) • Peer learning through discussion of colleagues work • Independent learning • External work experience (work related/based learning) A range of assessment methods are utilised that are appropriate to the level and subject, and taking into account developments in the Coaching science sector, higher education, and advances in technology. Learning outcomes are assessed by a variety of methods aimed at enhancing the student experience. These methods include, but not inclusively, the following: group and individual work, multiple-choice exams, reflective practice reports, essays, open-book exams, poster presentations, oral presentations, case study deconstruction, programme planning, debate & discussion, reflective learning logbooks, seen question examinations, research production, and journal article reviews. Work assessed through presentations and oral exams will be required to be videotaped in order to allow for both internal and external moderation. Students are expected to undertake independent study both to supplement and consolidate what is being taught in formal classes. Much of the teaching is supported by the Moodle virtual learning environment (VLE) and other online materials developed by staff. The framework provided to students for independent study diminishes as students become increasingly more autonomous in their learning. The assessment strategy is in line with the QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Sport. This states that assessment must be appropriate to the intended learning processes, the learning context and needs and stages of progression of the students. To ensure these requirements are met, assessment methods on the programme comprise a range of techniques. The assessment spread and type is also important for the student experience and this is reconsidered on an annual basis.
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