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University of Bedfordshire
Park Square
Luton
Bedfordshire
UK, LU1 3JU
The course is aimed at those interested in the planning, delivery, teaching and coaching of sport, but who do not want to become PE teachers. It builds the knowledge and skills required to work with groups in the community.
Stage one is concerned broadly with learning to lead. Stages two and three build on this to develop skills to work with diversity, to enhance social inclusion and create sustainable sports programmes in the community. Work placement, employability and vocational skills are integral.
Key features:
Areas of study include:
The assessment type and loading will be dependent on the unit selections you make. You will experience a range of assessment methods including; written assignments, oral tests, phase tests, course files, presentations, and examinations. These demand skills developed throughout the degree course such as critical academic writing, collecting data, deconstruction and analysis of sport and community related issues. You will be required to undertake a variety of group and individual based assessments. The assessments are designed to assess knowledge and understanding but also to demonstrate the range of transferable skills.
A great majority of the units include elements of individual and group work as this reflects the type of work undertaken in working with sport in the community. Assessments of these are based around tasks which develop vocational skills, underpinned by subject knowledge, requiring higher levels of critical thinking and problem solving in the upper levels of the course. Formative assessment will be used to provide feedback to you to support your progress and diagnostic assessment will be used to assess your knowledge and understanding and skills. Summative assessments for the majority of units include a combination of the assessment modes set out above.
All coursework will have specific marking criteria. You will also receive grading criteria that are specific to each level of study. All this information is set out in the Student Handbook for SACL. The specification will be issued to you well in advance of the deadline. All marked work will be returned to you with written feedback including advice on how you can improve the work in the future.
All coursework submitted would be subject to University of Bedfordshire procedures for the detection of plagiarism. Plagiarism is one of the academic offences and the University Regulations (2007-08, p.100) state Cheating, plagiarism, the fabrication of information and impersonation are academic offences, and where allegations of such offences are made they will be investigated.
Annual monitoring of the outcomes of assessment for each unit will be completed and this will provide the opportunity for reflection on and the evaluation of assessment approaches and methods. You will have a voice in this process through the student feedback forms given to you at the end of each unit.
Assessments are divided into two or three assessments points for a 30-credit unit in line with the University of Bedfordshire Cre8 process requirements. Assessment approaches may vary depending upon the learning outcomes of the unit you are studying. You will, however, take a wide variety of assessment styles during the three year BA SACL course including, written assignments, PowerPoint presentations, examinations, lab reports, case studies, ethnographic work, textural analysis, computer based tests and groups based tasks.
Year 1: The assessment strategy is to assess your knowledge and understanding of basic theoretical concepts presented in the key units of the foundation year of your BA(Hons.) Sport and Community Leadership course. Phase tests will give you feedback of your progress early on in the first few weeks. Written assignments, group presentations and e-learning tasks will feature in your first year of the course. In the unit `Sport and Physical Activity in Society you will be encouraged to enhance your academic writing and presentation skills by bringing a hard copy of a summary of the key weekly reading (called a patch) to each seminar. Thus, in this unit, (SPO 007-1) formative feedback can be given on a weekly basis.
Year 2: You will be assessed on your development of skills that are directing you towards the goal of independent learning. Written assignments will feature however, the marking criteria will be more academically rigorous. Group presentations will require a greater level of professionalism in terms of ICT skills.
Year 3: At this level the strategy is to assess your ability as self-directed, independent critical learner. A variety of assessment approaches will be used including written assignments, examinations and groups or individual presentations will ensure academic and skill based rigour. Your final year work placement report or dissertation will be an empirical research study or may be based on a work placement project. You will select an issue of interest and utilising your skills base developed over the three years (in line with Cre8) collect and present data in a real life Sport in the Community setting and critically analyse your results.
Regulations for reassessment:
You have two opportunities to retrieve failure in any unit, a reassessment in the summer followed by repeating the unit in the next session as a part-time student. You can have reassessment attempts in any of your units in the summer. Repeat students must have at least 30 credits passed before they are allowed to repeat.
You have two opportunities to retrieve failure in any unit:
The SACL degree has course learning outcomes consistent with the QAA benchmarking statements set out at QAA 248 05 / 08 Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism (HLST) and in particular sections 3.15 to 3.26 which cover leisure and sport (http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/benchmark/statements/HLST08).
Sport courses
The following benchmarks from QAA are particularly relevant
5.2 Graduates of courses in the HLST subject grouping will have developed a range of skills and aptitudes, including being able to:
1. Research and assess paradigms, theories, principles, concepts and factual information, and apply such skills in explaining and solving problems.
2. Critically assess and evaluate evidence in the context of research methodologies and data sources.
3. Critically interpret data of different kinds and appraise the strengths and weaknesses of approaches adopted.
4. Describe, synthesise, interpret, analyse and evaluate information and data relevant to a professional or vocational context.
5. Plan, design, execute and communicate a sustained piece of independent intellectual work which provides evidence of critical engagement with and interpretation of appropriate data.
6. Apply knowledge to the solution of familiar and unfamiliar problems.
7. Develop a sustained reasoned argument, perhaps challenging previously held assumptions.
8. Demonstrate effective communication and presentation skills.
9. Work effectively independently and with others.
10. Take and demonstrate responsibility for their own learning and continuing personal and professional development.
11. Self-appraise and reflect on practice.
12. Plan, design, manage and execute practical activities using appropriate techniques and procedures whilst demonstrating high levels of relevant skills.
13. Recognise and respond to moral, ethical, sustainability and safety issues which directly pertain to the context of study including relevant legislation and professional codes of conduct.
14. Undertake fieldwork with continuous regard for safety and risk assessment.
15. Making effective use of knowledge and understanding of the disciplines underpinning human structure and function.
16. Appraising and evaluating the effects of sport and exercise intervention on the participant.
17. Showing evidence of the skills required to monitor and evaluate human responses to sport and / or exercise.
18. Providing a critical appreciation of the relationship between sport and exercise activity and intervention in a variety of participant groups; this could include special populations such as senior citizens, disabled people and children.
6.19 The study of health-related and disease management aspects of exercise and physical activity, including:
19. Displaying an awareness of current government policy on disease prevention and the relevance of exercise.
20. Showing evidence of an ability to monitor health through exercise and prescribe appropriate interventions.
21. Displaying a broad range of skills, including awareness of health and safety, ethical considerations, exercise prescription, population differences and the role of education, health and sports bodies in improving the health of the nation.
6.20. The study of the historical, social, political, economic and cultural diffusion, distribution and impact of sport, including:
22. Displaying a critical insight into the organisations and structures responsible for sport, and the political ramifications arising from these.
23. Employing social, economic and political theory to explain the development and differentiation of sport throughout society.
24. Demonstrating the application of the social and cultural meanings attached to sport and their impact on participation and regulation.
6.21 The study of the policy, planning, management and delivery of sporting opportunities, including:
25. Understanding and applying the theories, concepts and principles of practice from the generic management areas of operations, finance, human resources, economics and marketing to sports facilities and events.
26. Employing strategic planning and development planning skills in analysing, understanding and addressing the development needs and intentions of sport organisations and communities.
27. Demonstrating a critical appreciation of sport development and facilitation principles in at least one vocational context.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:
1. Appreciate the diversity of human circumstances that inform sport in the community and use theoretical constructs to critically evaluate this diversity.
2. Appreciate the health enhancing potential of sport in the community through knowledge and awareness of the physical, mental, emotional and social benefits commensurate with an active lifestyle.
3. Display a critical appreciation of the integration of the variables involved in the delivery (planning, teaching, instructing and coaching) of enhanced sport activity in community groups.
4. Understand sport in the community as comprising social, political and economic elements that are residual (historically determined) and emergent (challenged by evolving social conditions).
5. Understand and apply theories, concepts and principles of practice from management of human and economic resources to enhancing sport in the community.
6. Provide a critical appreciation of the relationship between sport and exercise activity and intervention in a variety of participant groups. This will include special populations such as the elderly, disabled and children.
7. Demonstrate a critical appreciation of sport development and facilitation principles in vocational contexts.
The Sport and Community Leadership degree (SACL) aims to provide you with knowledge, skills and experiences such that, by becoming informed critical thinkers you can better position yourselves both to understand the complexity of community relations and for employment in the important and growing field of sport in the community. The community is taken to include all social groups that might be distinguishable by gender, age, race, ethnicity and (dis)ability. This definition is inclusive of groups which hitherto may not have had access to sporting opportunities such as the elderly and disabled, ethnic minorities, womens groups or other socially disadvantaged groups. Sport is taken to include a much broader interpretation of physical activity than competitive games. The following definition is taken from the Council of Europes European Sports Charter: Sport means all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental well being, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels. This broad definition encapsulates the foundation of SACL.
Enhanced knowledge, skills and understanding will be demonstrated by you achieving the learning outcomes of the units which comprise this degree. These units provide a broad and balanced curriculum at level 1 which includes introductions in physiology and psychology. These two units are deemed important even though the development of these strands into levels 2 and 3 is not possible because of the need to build the extended curriculum around a social and cultural conceptual framework. Thus levels 2 and 3 develop a stranded course with a clear vertical route in social and cultural analysis as well as applied studies specific to working in the community.
In addition to the general support supplied by the University in relation to e.g. disability advice, international, student support, financial support etc., specific support for the course can be divided under two headings:
Academic / Course Support:
In terms of academic issues in the course, and specifically day to day issues the Sport and Community Leadership Course Leader will be the first point of contact. The Field Chair (delegating to unit leaders and / or course leaders) as appropriate) will provide advice on the following important areas:
This type of advice will be available throughout the year, and the Field Chair, alongside the academic advice of the Course Leader, Personal Tutor, or academic advice team (such as the staff of the Bedford Registry) would be the first points of contact if any of the above becomes a problem. However, if you have issues to do with a particular unit of the course, then the Unit Leader is likely to be the first point of contact, rather than the Field Chair. However, the Field Chair may need to be involved if the unit leader cannot answer your query.
The University has a well established Professional and Academic Development (PAD) team whose job it is to support students who might have learning difficulties, particularly with regard to numeracy and literacy. The support this team provides operates across all levels of undergraduate and post-graduate provision and its services are advertised from induction to graduation in terms of Becoming Excellent (level 1), Pursuing Excellence (level 2), Achieving Excellence (level 3) and Mastering Excellence (post-graduate).
Student Services:
If you have a more serious problem than can be dealt with by the Field Chair and / or your Course leader, and certainly in the case of the issues below, then you will need to see a member of the Student Services team. Student Services will provide independent and confidential advice if there are circumstances affecting handing in of assignments on time, sitting exams and attending University. Depending on the nature of the query, Student Services can advise you or refer you to people who can help.
Student Services will see you if:
Student Services will also make decisions on what are deemed extenuating or mitigating circumstances. If you have genuine extenuating circumstances that are likely to prevent you handing in an assignment, Student Services will authorise short term extensions of an extra few days with a maximum of 2 weeks extension providing you offer supporting evidence. If this option is not feasible and the problem is longer term, then Student Services can grant the right for you to take the assessment at the next available opportunity. You must have valid reasons supported by clear and appropriate evidence for any claims submitted. Decisions will be based on: the severity of the problem, disruptiveness, unexpectedness, timing and length and whether the circumstances are wholly or largely not of your own choosing or making.
Team working is fundamental to not just the study of sport in the community but it is a key skill to working in the community. Throughout the course, you will be asked to work in groups of varying sizes and to consider the skills needed in order to operate effectively in this context, including conflict management. One of the most important elements of teamwork is an understanding of the level of dependency involved and the attendant responsibilities this implies for each individual member of the team. From very early in the course, you will be working in collaboration with others and issues of responsibility, trust and flexibility will be addressed as central to your academic and professional development.
At each level of the SACL degree, you will be required to work with others either in the preparation of a seminar, a group presentation or a reflection upon the work of others.
In year 1 the tutors will structure group tasks.
As the course progresses through years 2 and 3 you will be given more independence in the development of group structures which suit the particular requirements of the task. You will be assessed, on occasions, as a member of a group, and at other times for your individual input to the group. You will also be asked to comment critically upon your own contribution to the group as a whole. Should you fail group-based assignments, unit leaders will ensure that reassessment briefs are congruent with the units learning outcomes. Where possible special arrangements will be put in place in order for those failing assignments to get an opportunity to attempt similar group-based assessments.
Initial sessions on career options will be offered throughout year one, to enable you to explore all the options available at the University to support your career choices right from the start. Part of your assessment will be based around developing a career development strategy. A period of work experience will be undertaken.
In year two you will be expected to enhance your career-related and employability skills through interactive exercises, group activities and individual reflection. These processes are often problematic and unnatural to students, differing to experiences in more traditional subject based units. The focus falls on you to reflect on your own approaches, learning styles and skills; no textbook shows what works best for you, thus a degree of self-discovery is required and you should be in charge of the process. You will be encouraged to ask appropriate questions and increase the use of feedback. Part of your assessment will be based around building a career development strategy. A period of work experience will be undertaken.
By year three you will also be encouraged to develop your critical thinking skills, coinciding with the transition to less tutor led, greater peer, self feedback and management of tutor strategies (Lawrence 2007). Part of your assessment will be based around developing a career development strategy. A period of work experience will be undertaken.
You will also be encouraged to contact and join associations and organisations with a view to developing experience on a voluntary basis, such as:
Graduates can pursue careers in sport development, sport and leisure management, health promotion teaching support, coaching, the police, armed forces, corporate fitness, and charities. Postgraduate study is also available.
Career:
Community sports development has emerged as a profession over the last fifteen years and is a fast growing area of sports employment. This is especially the case today because of the impending focus of the 2012 London Olympics and the Olympic Legacy. The vocational sensitivity of the SACL degree may lead to employment opportunities in community sports coaching, school PE assistant, youth worker (e.g. with the new Active Bedford Youth development), sports development work, sport social worker (e.g. with elderly groups or disability groups) and local authority based health and fitness promotion work. A particularly noteworthy recent development is the government supported extended school initiative which includes the appointment of School Sports Community Officers (SSCOs) a remit for which SACL graduates are particularly well positioned to fulfill. With the governments continuing emphasis upon active lifestyles (such as the Department of Healths Change4Life campaign) there is clearly a growing need for sport in the community leaders: the targeted requirement of Sport England to achieve one million more sports participants by 2012 (from the estimated 28 million people currently failing to meet the CMOs minimum guidelines for daily physical activity) is a strategic aim that can not be obtained without qualified personnel to drive this agenda. The University has a careers advisory service operating from the Polhill campus but it is anticipated that research into employment opportunities and the building up of a suitable CV will be an ongoing project introduced to you at induction in year one and continuing throughout your three years of full time study.
Areas of study include:
Further study:
Additional:
GCSE grade C or above in Maths and English Language or equivalent.
A foundation degree will be of particular interest if you have completed a Modern Apprenticeship, vocational A levels, BTEC National or equivalent.
Foundation degrees are also particularly suitable if you want to qualify while working.
Many students studying for foundation degrees come to us through work-based routes so you can apply for a foundation degree even if you don’t have traditional academic qualifications.
We welcome applicants with relevant work experience.
We will consider you as an individual and take into account all elements of your application, not just your qualifications. We are looking for both breadth and depth in your current studies as well as enthusiasm for the subject you wish to study.
The general requirement is one of the following:
Postgraduate applications (MA/MSc) should be made direct to the University using the standard University application form. There are some exceptions, please see individual course descriptions for details.
As a general guide, to apply for a place on an undergraduate course (BA/BSc) at the University you need to have completed your high school education and have the required English qualification.
We have students from all the European Union member countries so we are quick to make decisions on most qualifications.
(Please note that applicants on a full student visa are not eligible for part-time study)
We recommend that you apply directly to the University where possible, as this allows us to offer the quickest turnaround time for your application.
Please read the Direct application instructions before completing the course application form.
Application forms for accommodation in the student halls at Bedford campus and Luton campus are available in the Student life section
APL is available for international students applying for undergraduate (Bachelor degree) study. Please do not use this APL form to apply for postgraduate courses.
Use the APL form to tell us about any non-standard qualifications and/or work experience you have that you think should be taken into consideration with your application. `
The APL form should be submitted at the same time as the course application form.
We regret we are unable to process APL forms from students who have not submitted a formal course application form.
Return your completed application to:
University of Bedfordshire
International Admissions
Park Square
Luton
Bedfordshire
LU1 3JU
United Kingdom
T: +44 (0)1582 489326 (non-EU Students)
F: +44 (0)1582 743469
E: international-admissions@beds.ac.uk
Strategies adopted for learning and teaching in the BA (Hons) Sport and Community Leadership (SACL) degree reflect the diverse range of the subject. Course delivery will use a combination of lectures and seminars, workshops, data gathering exercises, practical tasks and independent student learning. The emphasis in the smaller seminars is on discussion and debate providing you with the opportunity to relate theoretical content to real life practical scenarios. This is an important aspect of the teaching and learning strategy: as SACL students you will sit in some large lectures with students from other courses however, in the seminars attached to these generic units you will normally sit in course specific groups so that discussion of the key points from the lecture and set readings can have an application to sport leadership in the community. Practical sessions will be used as appropriate and you will be encouraged to work both individually and in groups to develop a thorough appreciation of the diverse perspectives, arguments and issues presented. There will be sport in the community-specific visiting speakers to underpin the vocational sensitivity of the course. In addition the course will encourage e-learning, for example through dialogue around issues covered using the BREO discussion board application.
In year 0ne you are introduced to the discipline areas of the study of sport through group lectures with follow-up seminars, workshops and tutorials. You are expected to engage in a variety of non-contact tasks including appropriate, directed reading and preparation. A key element of this work will be the opportunity to work towards qualifications such as the Level 3 Higher Sport Leaders Award accredited by Sports Leaders UK.
In years Two and Three the structure of unit delivery varies to a greater degree with more emphasis being placed upon you to undertake independent learning. In addition to conventional lectures and seminars there will be workshops, practical sessions, work experience (training and involvement) and further input from professionals in the field of SACL.
You will encounter a variety of methods (in addition to those mentioned above) that will facilitate your learning, these may include: computer aided study (e-learning, BREO), case studies, laboratory, field work, group work, work placement report or an individual empirical research dissertation. As students you are constantly encouraged to reflect upon your own knowledge, learning and practice as well as those of others in the field that you will encounter as you develop an applied context for your degree studies.
The course will follow the general guidelines set out by the University policy on disability.
During the application process as a disabled student you will be able to discuss your needs with individual members of the academic staff, as well as staff from the Disability Advice Team. In relation to other courses in the Department, it has normally been the case that disability has not provided an obstacle to student participation, hence no major issues are envisaged concerning disability and the SACL course.
The University of Bedfordshire has adopted the Governments Quality and Curriculum Authority.
(QCA) skills descriptors for all levels of studies. The skills are listed in the Quality Assurance.
Agency for Higher Education (QAA) subject benchmarks and the student employability profile. Skills and Development strategies are embedded in the UIFs and in addition in support of Cre8 initiatives the necessary skills (identified through a skills audit recently completed by all course leaders and agreed collectively with regard to the year one units in particular) these skills are embedded into the taught curriculum, the work you complete independently of the taught environment and the research and work placement undertakings you will become involved with in the course of your studies.
Communication
To help with the development of this you will:
Participate in a range of activities requiring you to communicate orally and in written forms. Part of this process will involve a range of written tasks that will form the foundation of your personal portfolio and which will generate material in traditional and electronic forms. You will learn the communication skills necessary to articulate and present yourselves in appropriate forms (e.g. stating your individual aims, your skills and experience). At all levels you will work collaboratively with a number of different groups of people in a range of contexts and will be required to use the written word in order to communicate ideas for a variety of different purposes. At all levels you will have opportunities to examine the language that is specific to the Sports field.
In year one, in line with University and QCA Key Skills Descriptors and employability profiles, and in all units there will be opportunities for you to take part in one to one discussions about different subjects, read and obtain information from a range of sources and contribute to discussions about relatively straightforward subjects (University of Bedfordshire/QCA Key Skills Descriptors).
In year two, in line with QCA Key Skills Descriptors and employability profiles, you will develop your skills as academic researchers in order to enable you to articulate ideas and theoretical perspectives in written and practical form. Following the University / QCA Key Skills Descriptors for Level 5 work, you will initiate, develop and maintain a relationship with a group in a communal activity. You will work towards a negotiated goal with them, using your skills as potential practitioners, and evaluate this process in written form (for example in Socio-Cultural Analysis of Sport).
In year three, you will read and synthesise information from a variety of sources about complex topics (U0BIQCA Key Skills Descriptors). At this third level, in line with University and QCA Key Skills Descriptors, you will undertake an independent research dissertation which will involve communication with sport in the community setting, communication with staff and participants, possibly interviews and a lengthy written submission on a topic of your own choice (Final Year Dissertation).
Information Literacy
To help with the development of this you will:
Participate in workshops, tutorials and developmental research projects in order to familiarise yourselves with a wide range of resources that will support your studies.
You will be introduced to the library resources and BREO in the initial induction week and workshops embedded within the elements of the course. A series of project-based tasks will ensure that you feel confident using the library catalogue, databases, search engines and reference resources available through the internet. You will also be introduced to the assessment of source material as an integral component of your research. All units will make use of BREO in the posting of resources, and are likely to make use of discussion boards, blogs, group pages, wikis and course announcements.
Research and Evaluation
To help with the development of this you will:
Undertake a range of research tasks either within the context of developing your academic or your practical knowledge. The research tasks will vary according to the type of work being undertaking and you will need, therefore, to be adept at understanding the skills involved in sourcing, selecting and utilizing appropriate material. In every practical process you embark upon, you will be expected to plan and execute a methodical research process in order to develop your practical skills, but also your skills to critically evaluate. You will be introduced to a range of research skills including literature searches and critical reading, practical field based activities including questionnaire and interview design and conduct, as well as the analysis of findings from the use of such techniques in the field.
In year one you will be introduced to the importance of quantitative and qualitative research that underpins the area of sports studies (in the unit Foundations for Degree Study). In addition to actually using the practical research skills, this process will be designed to develop your skills to critically evaluate a variety of source materials. In the unit Sport and Physical Activity in Society you will have working experience of using a range of sources of information about sport and be able to apply this to produce logical arguments. You will reflect on this in weekly patch writing.
In year two you will receive formal input on qualitative research methods appropriate to SACL (Qualitative Research Methods and Dissertation Preparation). This unit will provide you with information concerning a range of qualitative research approaches and techniques relevant to sport in the community settings. By the end of year two you will produce a research proposal that meets the University of Bedfordshire ethics protocol and that introduces and explains a possible dissertation.
It will also develop your ability to work more independently as a researcher and begin to formulate questions and fields of enquiry. These skills will not only be necessary as preparation for you to undertake your independent research in year three (Final Year Dissertation), but should equip you with the skills to critically evaluate your work as potential practitioners.
In year three you will undertake an independent research project on a topic of your own choice (Final Year Dissertation / Work Placement Report). Your research will be ongoing throughout the year and you will be expected to be able to source relevant material quickly, assess and synthesize findings, link to theory where relevant and consider practical applications of your research. It is likely that the field of research enquiry will be diverse, given the interdisciplinary nature of events, and will therefore require different processes of enquiry and methodologies. The skills of critical evaluation acquired in either unit Qualitative Research and Work Placement Preparation or Qualitative Research and Dissertation Preparation in year two will be employed in the design, conduct and evaluation of an event in the year 3 Unit Dissertation / Work Placement Report.
Creativity and Critical Thinking
To help with the development of this you will:
Be introduced to ideas on creativity early in the course. The course will present a range of concepts and theories relating to creative processes in the Sports industry. You will be encouraged to develop critical thinking abilities and apply these through critical responses via comparative analysis, both orally and in written form.
In year one, emphasis will be upon the creative challenges presented during the first year units. You will be introduced to the idea of being critical, specifically in relation to theories in the Sports Studies field (for example in units such as Introduction to Physiology and Anatomy, The Sporting Mind, Community Sport in Action and Sports and Physical Activity in Society). Using creative abilities and developing critical thinking skills will be a feature of Socio-Cultural Analysis of Sport where you will have opportunities to offer creative solutions to a number of Sports Studies related issues and be encouraged to critically reflect on how Sports Industry Practitioners react to key issues.
In year two, you will be required to identify a problem and creatively come up with options for solving it. You will plan and try out at least one option for solving the problem, making changes to the plan where necessary and using your critical abilities, negotiate your ideas with other members in a group you are working with in an attempt to reach consensus (for example in Qualitative Research). You will be encouraged to challenge the `status quo and explore new discourses based on informed research.
In year three, the major unit where you will be required to be both creative and demonstrate your critical thinking skills is the Final Year Dissertation / Work Placement Report. You will need to be able to critically assess a range of research approaches and techniques and select an appropriate methodology for your individual project. You will need to be able to not only defend this approach and the techniques employed but also demonstrate critical awareness of the limitations of your project.
The Personal Development Planning strand embedded in various units throughout all levels concentrates on the development of academic, personal and professional skills and establishes the PDP process, introducing you to the concept of transferable skills and demonstrating their value within events. You will also be given the opportunity to develop personal approaches to study, building on strengths and eliminating weaknesses, and developing ability to transfer learning from one context to another, following the SOAR (self-awareness, opportunities, aspirations and results) process model (Kumar 2007) at a number of points during the course.
This approach requires that you become aware of:
Embedded in many units and with your personal tutor you will address Personal Development Planning. This is a structured and supported process, which will help you reflect upon your own learning and achievement and plan for your education and career development. The Personal Development Planning (PDP) initiative and Progress Files are intended to prepare you better for the world of work, providing you with greater self-reliance, self-awareness and the ability to adapt to future changes in the labour market, to reflect upon and monitor performance, and identify skills and training needs. The UK Government has been increasingly concerned that you may leave university without being properly prepared to enter the graduate jobs to which you aspire. All universities are now required to offer you opportunities for PDP at each stage of your course and provide you with a Progress File to plan and monitor your personal and academic development.
In your first year of study you will be introduced to the use of Progress Files. The Progress File is a document charting your development and is made up of the following parts:
written feedback, extracts from personal evaluative reports, or plans detailing the self management of study
You will be encouraged to use a number of portfolios, in different units on the course, and you will need to set up a habit of reflecting on feedback from tutors and consider ways in which you might improve specific skills and/or build on the strengths demonstrated. This is best done after each set of assessments. Much of the material for Progress File will be generated through digital records (on-line blogs, discussion boards on BREO and e-portfolios) as well as paper ones.
Your progress file will be a work in progress over the three years you are at. The University of Bedfordshire.
It will be your responsibility to maintain your Progress File but you will be supported in this by the generation of appropriate materials in units throughout the degree course.
In the progress file, you will be expected to keep:
gain relevant experience in paid or voluntary work and other activity within or outside of
the University
At the end of the three years your progress files will contain the information you need to draw on in making job applications and having successful interviews. This is because it will make you consider the wider relevance of the knowledge you have learnt and the skills you have acquired during your studies.
At each level, part of your assessment will be based around building a career development strategy.
Employers are often assessing not only knowledge of the subject area and experience, but also assess the set of attitudes and values which would support development of their company. You need to develop and demonstrate these attitudes throughout your studies.
Lecturers expect that you will:
Although there are no specific professional benchmark statements related to working with sport in the community as yet, the development of professional attitudes and values is fundamental. SportsCoach UK and the Government are working towards a unified strategy for coach development and eventually a professional licensing system is anticipated. Sports Coach UK currently has a code of conduct for coaches. Sports Leaders UK (SLUK) have an awards ladder from the Level one award of Sports leadership (SL) through the award of Community Sports Leader (CSL) to the Level three Higher Sports Leader award (HSL). In the area of interpersonal management Different Tracks have introduced their Foundation Certificate in Conflict Management. Elements of all these are built in to the SACL curriculum as is appropriate and manageable. The course team are very aware that professional standards must be thought of as a fluid and evolving circumstance: the recognition of the importance of vocational sensitivity has been acknowledged by the University with the creation of Employability Fellows at departmental level. The SACL degree, which resides in the Department of PE and Sport Studies has its own Employability Fellow whose remit will include monitoring professional standards and liaison with employers.
In the Sports industry it is unlikely that one person will work alone. Similarly the success of your studies will be largely dependent upon the degree of professionalism you are able to bring to relationships with collaborators both in and outside the university during the years of your study. You will be required to be checked against police records before field visits.
In recognition of the importance attached to the development of professional standards, as a central element of the degree you will often be working collaboratively on practical tasks with your peers and tutors. This will require an understanding of discipline (preparation and planning process, punctuality), respect for collaborators (reliability, commitment, negotiation), and clear focus upon the work as a whole (respecting deadlines, completion of research tasks set, contribution beyond the required minimum).
Good study habits will be enforced by monitoring attendance. Attendance data will be collected by the faculty and is used to identify if you who have failed to attend two consecutive sessions in any one unit. An intervention by letter, email or SMS text message will be used to let you know that you have been missed and to request an explanation.
The language of competencies, which is meaningful to employers and is required for employment, will be explained to you and used as assessment criteria in a number of assessments. You will be given opportunities to self-assess and to develop strategies to improve these skills. If you under perform in team assessments you will be motivated to do better or penalized using a peer assessment mechanism.
To ensure that your work, particularly written reports does not contain plagiarised material (see section on Assessment Strategy for regulations on plagiarism), the online `Turnitin plagiarism detection tool will be used in assessments, and will be demonstrated to you to help you understand the issue of plagiarism.
Relevant ethical and legal issues will be explored in a number of units and you will be required to consider the ethical aspects of your own project proposal in the final year unit.
In this way, you should be able to develop a professional identity and set your own standards of professionalism, which will prove the benchmark for all your future work.
