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This course is an excellent route into teacher training - it's aimed at students who wish to pursue a career in sport, including PE teaching. In stage one, you'll cover the key foundation issues in sport and PE through academic study and by undertaking extensive practical work.
In stage two, you'll deepen your understanding of the key issues in sport and PE and expand your ability to apply these in practice. At the end of stage two, you'll have the opportunity to undertake a work placement in a school, a local authority setting, sports centre, gym, or other relevant place of work.
In stage three, you'll develop specialist knowledge, both in the theoretical area and in the sector of your choice.
Throughout this course you'll experience practical courses in gymnastics, dance, swimming, Outdoor and Adventurous Activities (OAA), games and athletics, as well as a broad range of sport-related theoretical disciplines. The course reflects the national strategy for PE and school sport, for those who want to teach in schools and colleges.
Graduates can consider an initial teacher training course leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), including the PGCE in Secondary PE offered at the University. There are also opportunities in sports development, sport and leisure management, health promotion, coaching, the police, the armed forces and corporate fitness.
During the course you will:
Areas of study you may cover on this course include:
You will be required to undertake a variety of group and individual based assessments throughout the programme. The assessments are designed to assess knowledge and understanding, but also to demonstrate a range of transferable skills.
A number of units are assessed either totally or partially by critical reflection upon personal performance or experience, as this reflects a feature of both research and continuing professional development within the Physical Education profession. Assessment of these activities will be based on tasks which develop vocational skills, underpinned by subject knowledge and requiring higher levels of cognition in the upper levels of the course.
Formative assessment will be used to provide feedback to you to support your progress whilst diagnostic assessment will be used to assess your knowledge, understanding and skills. Summative assessments for the majority of units include a combination of coursework and in some instances end of year examinations.
All coursework will have an assignment brief, with assessment criteria. The brief will be issued to you at the beginning of the unit, normally in the unit handbook. All graded work will be returned to you, following University guidelines, with written feedback including advice on how you can improve your work in future.
All coursework submitted will be subject to University procedures for the detection of plagiarism. Plagiarism is an academic offence: 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 assessments for each unit will be completed and this will provide the opportunity for reflection on and evaluation of assessment approaches and methods.
There are usually one, two or three assessments per unit, in line with the University Cre8 guidelines. Assessment approaches vary depending upon the learning outcomes of the unit delivered. However you will undertake a wide range of assessment styles including: written essays, critically reflective accounts, oral presentations and examinations (seen and unseen) as well as group-based assignments, poster presentations, case studies, and laboratory reports.
The scheduling of assessment points across the core modules seeks to manage your assessment workload.
As Level 1, the assessment strategy involves the use of essays, multiple choice tests and written laboratory reports, particularly at the early stages of the year so that you are able to receive feedback on your progress. To ensure a level of rigor and to enable you to experience a different assessment format, there will be examinations in some of the units at the end of the first year.
At Level 2 you will continue to be assessed via individual written reports, presentations and examinations. In addition, as you are expected to be developing the skills required of independent learners, these skills will be assessed in the Qualitative Research Methods and Work Experience & Dissertation Preparation units.
At Level 3, once again a variety of assessment approaches will be used, individual written reports, presentations, examinations and critically reflective journals. At this level, the strategy is also designed to assess your ability as a self-directed, independent critical learner.
The BA/BSc (Hons.) Sport and Physical Education programme is aimed to enable you to develop the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding of the fields of sport and Physical Education and at the same time, the personal attributes of self-motivation and drive to enable you to gain entry to satisfying and stimulating career paths.
Upon completion of the BA/BSc (Hons) Sport and Physical Education programme, you will:
(games, dance, gymnastics, swimming, athletics and outdoor & adventurous activities)
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 / Programme Support:
In terms of academic issues to do with the programme and specifically day to day issues the Personal tutor or Course Leader will be the first point of contact. The Personal Tutor or Course Leader 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 Team in the Faculty Office would be the first point of contact as soon as any of the above becomes a problem.
However, if you have issues to do with a particular unit of the course, then the coordinator of that unit 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 coordinator cannot answer a student query.
Academic Support:
P.A.D. (Professional and Academic Development)
It is not unusual for students to need some extra advice and guidance on developing their academic skills at some point during their studies. If you feel that you would benefit from some additional help with your studies why not contact P.A.D.
P.A.D. is available to all University of Bedfordshire students. If you are experiencing difficulties or if you simply want to develop particular skills and raise your grades, we are here to help and advise you how to do that.
P.A.D. can help you in a number of ways. They can advise and help you to improve
the quality of your written assignments
Team working is fundamental to not just the study of Physical Education and the wider sport and recreation field, but also to working in the area. 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. One of the most important elements of team work 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 their academic and professional development.
At each level of the degree you will be required to work with others either in performing laboratory practical work, preparation of seminars, delivering a group presentation or by a reflection upon the work of others. In addition to this a large part of the applied pedagogy work at all three Levels will be collaborative and cooperative in nature, in particular in year 2 where an entire unit uses engages with approaches to team games.
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 be also asked to assess critically your own contribution to the group as a whole.
From Year 1 you will be encouraged to undertake Action Planning with regard to the development of your career management skills and aspirations. Opportunity to focus on vocational issues will be extended in the Work Experience & Dissertation Preparation unit and through programmed events. These events will be run in collaboration with staff from the Universitys Centre for Personal and Career Development.
The experience gained from planning, securing and undertaking your work placement will also help you develop these skills.
You will also be encouraged to interact with and/or join relevant professional associations and organizations such as:
Career
The following are likely career choices for those who have completed the course:
In addition, there will be opportunities in the leisure, sport, or recreation industries that should be available to you upon completion of the course:
Further Study
In terms of further study a number of possibilities exist, both within the University and beyond:
Additional:
You will normally have a minimum UCAS points total of 240 with a minimum of 200 from A levels or BTEC equivalent. Normally one A level will be in Physical Education and some background in either the social or behavioural sciences.
GCSE grade C or above in Maths and English Language.
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:
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
The course will follow the general guidelines set out by the University policy on disability.
During the application process, if you have a disability 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 related courses in the School, it has normally been the case that disability has not provided an obstacle to participating, hence no major issues are envisaged concerning disability and the course.
The University of Bedfordshire has adopted the governments Quality and Curriculum Authority (QCA) skills descriptors for all levels of studies, but the skills listed in the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) subject benchmarks and the student employability profile template created by the Higher Education Academy Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Subject Centre, listing generic employability competencies are also referred to.
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 you in a range of written tasks that will form the foundation of their personal portfolio and which will generate material in traditional and electronic forms. You will learn the communication skills necessary to articulate and present yourself in appropriate forms (e.g. stating your individual aims, 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 and spoken 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 sport and Physical Education field.
At Level 1, in line with University and QCA Key Skills Descriptors and employability profiles, 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.
At Level 2, 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 oral form (Qualitative Research Methods)
At Level 3 you will read and synthesise information from a variety of sources about complex topics and `make a presentation about a complex subject, using at least one image to illustrate complex points, (U0B - QCA Key Skills Descriptors) At this third level, in line with University and QCA Key Skills Descriptors, you will undertake an independent research project which will involve a sustained written submission on a topic of your own choice (Dissertation).
Information Literacy
To help with this development you will:
Participate in workshops, tutorials and developmental research projects in order to familiarize themselves with a wide range of resources which can support your studies.
At Level 1 you will be introduced to the library resources in workshops embedded within the PDP elements of the course (Sport Sociology). A series of project-based tasks will ensure that you feel confident using the library catalogue, BREO, 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 the research process (Foundation for Degree Studies). All units will make use of BREO in the posting of resources and are likely to use of discussion boards, blogs, group pages, wikis and course announcements.
In Level 2 in addition to formal input on methods of data gathering (Qualitative Research Methods) you will be required to work more independently and confidently with the library and technical resources at your disposal. You will be expected to source materials above and beyond the unit reading lists, and to undertake methodical literature searches as a part of this research process. You will provide bibliographies and reference sources for essays and be familiar with a range of research resources appropriate to the study being undertaken.
At Level 3 you will plan and submit a dissertation based on a topic or issue of your choice arising out of your work experience (Dissertation). Alongside your academic research you will be using skills to explore possible employment options within Physical Education, and the sport and recreation industries and familiarizing yourselves with networks, funding opportunities and organizations which will be central to your success as a practitioner.
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 practical knowledge. The research tasks will vary according to the unit in which they reside and 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 upon which they embark, you will be expected to plan and execute a methodical research process. This will not only develop your practical skills, but also your skills to critically evaluate. You will be introduced to a range of qualitative and quantitative 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.
At Level 1 you will be introduced to the importance of research material that underpins the area of Physical Education and sport. You will make use of practical research skills in the PDP elements of the course (Physical Education Foundations) where you will use the library catalogue, access reference resources and databases in hard copy form and also electronically. You will develop an understanding of both qualitative and quantitative research methods (Foundation for Degree Studies in Sport & Physical Education). In addition to actually using the practical research skills, these processes will be designed to develop your skills to critically evaluate a variety of source materials.
At Level 2 you will receive further formal input on research methods appropriate to Physical Education and pedagogy fields (Qualitative Research Methods). 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 their independent research at Level III, but should equip you with the skills to critically evaluate your work as potential practitioners.
At Level 3 you will undertake an independent research project on a topic or issue of your own choosing (Dissertation). Your research will arise out of your work experience and be ongoing throughout the year and you will be expected to be able to source relevant material efficiently, assess and synthesize findings, link to theory and consider the practical applications of their research.
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 Physical Education/sport context. You will be encouraged to develop critical thinking abilities and apply these through critical responses, both orally and in written form.
At all three Levels of the Pedagogy strand (Physical Education Foundations, Reflective and Professional Practice in PE and Sport, Applied Pedagogical Practice, Models-Based Practice and Physical Education Futures) you will be given opportunities to be creative and expressive in practical activities. This will include using expressive and imaginative ways to communicate ideas, solve problems and overcome challenges. In other areas, for example games, you will use creativity to explore and experiment with techniques, tactics and compositional ideas to produce efficient and effective outcomes.
At Level 1, emphasis will be upon the creative challenges presented in the applied Physical Education areas (See above, Physical Education Foundations). You will be introduced the idea of being critical, specifically in relation to theories in the Physical Education/sport field.
At Level 2, you will be required to identify a research question or problem and creatively come up with options answering it (Qualitative Research Methods and Work Experience and Dissertation Preparation).
At Level 3, the major unit where you will be required to be both creative and demonstrate your critical thinking skills will be the Dissertation. You will need to be able to critically assess a range of qualitative research approaches and techniques and select an appropriate approach for your individual study. 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 research.
You will undertake Personal Development Planning (PDP) primarily with the support and guidance of your personal tutor. In support of this PDP will be embedded within all three levels of the Pedagogy strand of the course (Physical Education Foundations, Reflective and Professional Practice in PE and Sport, Applied Pedagogical Practice, Models-Based Practice, and Physical Education Futures). The Personal Development Planning (PDP) initiative and Progress Files are intended, to prepare you 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 many students leave university without being properly prepared to enter the graduate jobs to which they aspire. All universities are now required to offer students opportunities for PDP at each stage of their programme and provide them with Progress Files to plan and monitor their personal and academic development.
In their first year of study you will be introduced to the use of Progress Files, usually within the Physical Education Foundations unit and upon the first meeting with your personal tutor. The Progress File is a document charting your development, it is made up of the following parts:
You will be encouraged to develop 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, preferably after each set of assessments. Much of the material for Progress File will be generated through digital records (including BREO, and e-portfolios) as well as paper ones.
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:
At the end of the studies, your progress files will contain the information needed to draw upon in making job applications and having successful interviews. It is intended to make you consider the wider relevance of the knowledge and the skills which you have acquired in the course of your studies.
Employers are often assessing not only your knowledge of the subject area and experience, but they also value the set of attitudes and values which would support development of their business. We would like you to demonstrate and develop further these attitudes throughout your studies.
Lecturers expect that you will:
Good study habits will be promoted by monitoring attendance. Attendance data will be collected by the faculty and is used to identify if you have failed to attend two consecutive sessions in any one unit. An intervention by letter, email, letter or SMS text message will be used to let you know that you have been missed and to request an explanation. Absences will be monitored throughout the year via the Department of Sport Studies & Physical Education STAR board.
A vocational objective of the course is to prepare you to undertake initial teacher training should you wish. As such the course aims to begin the process of socializing you into the accepted professional standards required of newly qualified teachers. This is realized through the vertical strand of pedagogy modules (Physical Education Foundations, Reflective and Professional Practice in PE and Sport, Applied Pedagogical Practice, Models-Based Practice, and Physical Education Futures).
Further to this you will undertake a 4-6 week work experience placement between the end of your second year and the start of your third year. The Work Experience & Dissertation Preparation unit aims to highlight some of the professional standards required of employees in the wider sector. This might typically include issues of child protection (Criminal Record Bureau checks), research ethics and Health and Safety.
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 for the final year dissertation. This will be realized via the usual University of Bedfordshire ethical approval processes.
In this way, you should be able to begin to develop a professional identity and set your own standards of professionalism which will prove the benchmark for all your future work.
