Sports Coaching with Disability Sport BSc (Hons)

Teaching and Learning

You are taught through a combination of interactive workshops, lectures, seminars and practical's. We aim to provide a learning context that will explore the full potential of all participants and encourage excellence in both theory and practice. The expertise of the staff includes sports coaching and teaching, match analysis, biomechanics, exercise physiology, sports psychology and sports development. Interactive workshops take a variety of formats and are intended to enable the application of learning through discussion and small group activities, often with a guest speaker or elite level Paralympian athletes.

Seminars enable the discussion and development of understanding of topics covered in lectures, and the coaching science practicals are focused on developing subject specific skills and the application of key theories and concepts in regard to working ethically effectively in a range of disability sporting environments.

In addition, meetings with personal academic tutors are scheduled on at least 4 occasions in the first year and three occasions in each of the other years of a course, however, meetings can occur at any time under the discretion of the Tutor.

You have an opportunity to undertake a semester long placement in the second year of the course, supervised for agreed projects by a work-based mentor and a University tutor.

You will be involved in a range of practical problem based scenarios, which will include coaching peers, external clients, SEND children and adults and grassroots to elite level pan disability sports players. There is also a chance to undertake a work placement with a provider of your choice too.

Contact time

In a typical week you will have around 12-16 contact hours of teaching. The precise contact hours will depend on the optional modules selected and in the final year you will normally have slightly less contact time in order to do more independent study. Typically contact time will be structured around:

• 4 hours of interactive workshops
• 4 hours of (large group) lectures
• 4 hours of seminars in groups of around 30 students
• 4 hours of practical coaching scenarios

In year two 4 days per week will be spent in placement for one semester.

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, you are expected to undertake around 24-28 hours of personal self-study per week. Typically, this will involve completing online activities, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library and online, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for examinations. Also it is hoped you can Earn as you Learn (EAYL) in an area of your desire and we recommend you join the coaching database here at the University, which will hold all your information and qualifications so we can get you employed in a school or sports club. (More information will be given on this topic in Induction Week 1). There are also a wide range of additional NGB and micro-workshop related opportunities to undertake during Worcester Weeks and these can be used to obtain the additional Worcester Award which has a gold, silver and bronze achievement level. (More information will be given on this in Induction Week 1). Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including the Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of applied practice or 'formative' assignments. Each module has one or more formal or 'summative' assessments, which are graded and count towards the overall module grade. Assessment methods include written examinations and a range of coursework assessments such as essays, reports, portfolios, performance, presentations and a final year independent studies project.

The precise assessment requirements for an individual student in an academic year will vary according to the mandatory and optional modules taken, but a typical formal summative assessment pattern for each year of the course is:

Year 1

• 2 practical coaching reports
• 2 individual or group presentations
• 2 practical live presentations
• 2 Case Study Reports
• 4 Written Essays
• 1 Reflective Portfolio of Information

Year 2

• 1 formal examination of 2 hours duration
• 1 reflective and skills portfolio relating to work placement
• 4 written essays
• 2 practical coaching reports
• 4 individual or group presentations

Year 3

• Major independent study project of approx. 8-10,000 words
• 1 formal examination of 2 hours duration
• 4 written essays
• 2 practical reports
• 4 individual or group presentations
• 1 reflective and skills portfolio relating to work placement
• 2 practical assessments

Feedback

You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments undertaken by coursework. Feedback on examination performance is available upon request from the module leader. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate. Feedback will be given each week by way of attendance and student performance in the lectures, seminars and practical coaching based learning scenarios. This feedback will be a two way process and may include the use of different UW staff, Guest Speakers and your own learning peers.

We aim to provide official feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of the hand-in deadline date.

Programme Specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest programme specification document.