Awards

Target Award

Award Description:Bachelor of Science with Honours - BSH
Alternative Exit
Alternative Exit
Recruitable Target
Alternative Exit
Alternative Exit

Programme Offerings

Full-Time

F2F-JMU-SEP

Sandwich Year Out

F2F-JMU-SEP

Educational Aims of the Course

Provide an honours-level multidisciplinary study across Physical Education that is in line with professional body requirements. Develop scientific thinking and practice in relation to using and undertaking empirical research in the context of Physical Education and prepare students for further academic study within the field. Ensure graduates are aware of issues related to professional conduct, ethics, and performance in relation to Physical Education and prepare them for Postgraduate study in Physical Education. Develop students' critical appreciation of the importance and influence of Physical Education in the promotion of lifelong participation in physical activity and sport. Develop graduates with intellectual, transferable, scientific, and practical skills to make improvements to professional practice through Physical Education, exercise, and sport. Provide students with work-related learning opportunities, which enable them to develop their professional identities in a range of Physical Education related contexts and apply their skills in the world of work. Develop employability skills and mindset throughout the programme that are aligned to the LJMU Employability Strategy. Transform student employability skills, self-awareness, agency, and aspirations to be able to make a difference to professional practice through Physical Education, exercise, and sport. Provide opportunities for students to engage in peer-to-peer co-operative learning thereby cultivating and participating in communities of practice. Encourage an appreciation and reflection on how protected characteristics (such as ethnicity, gender, religion, sexuality, socioeconomic status),and intersections thereof, contribute to experiences in Physical Education and what action can be taken to promote a more equitable society. In addition to the aims for the main target award, the sandwich programme aims to provide students with an extended period of work experience at an approved partner that will complement their programme of study at LJMU. This will give the students the opportunity to develop professional skills relevant to their programme of study, as well as attitude and behaviours necessary for employment in a diverse and changing environment.

Learning Outcomes

1.
Demonstrate an advanced knowledge and understanding of, and effectively apply, pedagogical principles in and through Physical Education.
2.
Work effectively independently and with others, as both a team member and a leader, recognising and respecting the values of equality and diversity.
3.
Take responsibility for their own learning and continuing personal and professional development through self-appraisal and reflecting on practice in academic and professional contexts.
4.
Work and act responsibly, safely, and ethically as a Physical Education practitioner.
5.
Critically reflect on the concept of unearned advantages based on factors such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, disability, class, socioeconomic status, and citizenship, and intersections thereof, in the context of Physical Education and how we can act to promote a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive sector.
6.
Critically evaluate concepts, theories and policies related to Physical Education.
7.
Plan, design, execute and disseminate a sustained piece of independent intellectual work within the field of Physical Education.
8.
Critically reflect on personal and professional practice through engagement in work-based learning, work-related learning, and contextualised Physical Education environments.
9.
Apply and deliver advanced components of Physical Education to young people in inclusive contextualised Physical Education environments.
10.
Apply detailed knowledge of physiology, biomechanics or psycho-social concepts in a Physical Education and Sport and Exercise Science context.
11.
Apply a systematic understanding and detailed knowledge of research methods in a Physical Education context to effectively deploy the research process through the planning, production, analyses, and interpretation of investigations.
12.
Use employability skills to effectively navigate and contribute to a work-based context and develop a compelling onward plan.
13.
Communicate complex information, ideas, problems and solutions in Physical Education, sport and exercise to specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Teaching and assessment on the programme is underpinned by a set of educational practices that have been shown to have most impact on student learning. This includes active learning strategies, use of formative feedback, collaborative and peer-to-peer learning, research-based teaching and use of authentic tasks. Such practices are weaved into the various teaching methods including lectures, workshops, practical activities, seminars and online activities. Certain aspects are foregrounded at different points throughout the programme. For example, at Level 4 collaborative learning, formative feedback and peer-to-peer learning are a focus to help with transition into the programme. Research informed teaching is a significant strength of the programme. A range of staff research outputs and live projects/applied work have supported the development of the curriculum and teaching on the programme. There are clear links between staff research activity and specific modules, particularly the Professional Practice in Physical Education in Action 1 and 2; Learning and Physical Education and Sport Contexts 1, 2 and 3 and Human Movement that draw on expert statements, systematic reviews and empirical papers that staff have published. Assessment on the programme is through a range of different methods including portfolios, reports/essays, examinations, presentations, reports, portfolios, poster presentations and a dissertation. These have been mapped to ensure that there is progression in terms of both the subject content and also the form of assessment. Therefore, feedback on a particular assessment will help students to develop their skills in order to enhance their work for a similar type of assessment in a subsequent module. Within the assessment methods identified a range of novel and authentic strategies are used by including case studies and empirical data collection. In 2021, an ‘inclusive curricula team’ was formed and this working group successfully secured internal funding to enable student interns to lead an audit of our programmes in relation to decolonising the curriculum, with the support from our academic team. We recognise that a colonial curriculum is an inaccurate curriculum, characterised by an unrepresentative, inaccessible, and privileged nature. Decolonising the curriculum is about being more accurate, more inclusive, and more interculturally responsive. Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is an increasingly important focus for our School (the School also have Athena SWAN Bronze status). We recognise that to deeply embed EDI into the fabric of what we do, we need to focus our curricula. The curricula are, truly, the heart of our School and involves everyone, all our staff and students. As a project team, we agreed very quickly that this needs to be considered in three ways- i) what we teach, ii) how we teach and iii) how we assess. This process has both provided broader insights into issues around EDI within the curricula, both in relation to content and inclusive delivery. Outcomes from this have informed programme development and have led to the creation of a programme-level learning outcome. Furthermore, module teams have audited module content on EDI topics to ensure appropriate coverage of this theme including: (1) a diverse curriculum, (2) representation, (3) critical thinking, (4) discussing perspectives, (5) historical context, (6) bias in real world outcomes, (7) active learning, (8) EDI assessment. Ultimately, this has resulted in diversification of our module/programme design, delivery, and assessments.

Opportunities for work related learning

There is a strong work-related/work-based learning strand on the programme to support the development of employability skills and understanding of professional conduct in Physical Education. To that end, we ensure that work-related learning opportunities and work-based learning placements are an integral part of the course. There is a work-related learning module at Level 4 (4201SPS Professional Practice in Physical Education 1) whereby students are exposed to contextualised Physical Education experiences through engagement with education practitioners on-site to develop their professional skills. This culminates in a further two applied, work-based learning placements at Level 5 (5201SPS Professional Practice in Physical Education 2) and at Level 6 (6203SPS Applied Placement in Physical Education). These work-based learning placements not only provide students with the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in a Physical Education setting but also enable students to develop their professional identities and networks which informs their employment focus upon graduation. At level 5 students complete a work-based learning placement in either a primary or secondary environment. The focus of these placement experiences is to provide teaching support to classroom teachers with the view to leading whole class lessons by the end of the placement. At level 6, the focus of the module is for students to design and deliver a Physical Education related project in an appropriate education or community setting. As these modules are mandatory, every effort is made by the university to source opportunities. Self-sourcing is also considered, however, these placements must be quality assured. Placements are advertised to students on the VLE using Fact Files. During placement, students will have a named University Placement Tutor (UPT) to support learning and assessment on the modules. In addition, there is the option of a sandwich year following Level 5 of the programme, which offers the opportunity to undertake a year-long placement as part of the programme. There is a significant level of support for these activities from the Faculty Placement Learning Support Unit (PLSU) and Careers Team throughout the programme. At Level 4 the PLSU host sessions to discuss the sandwich year option and outline the general support provided by the Unit. At Level 5, they re-engage students with the option of the sandwich year and introduce the work placement. At Level 6, they release the Fact Files of placement opportunities and support allocation through formal student submissions (CV and cover letter). The support from the Careers Team is based on the Student Futures portfolio of activities that includes CVs, mock interviews and employability skill development.

Programme Structure

Programme Structure Description

All modules at level 4 are core to ensure appropriate outcomes in relation to the programme are met. At Level 5 and 6 students have the opportunity to undertake 20 option credits which enable them to explore and develop personal areas of interest within the field. Study Abroad Students will … For more content click the Read More button below.

Structure

Entry Requirements

A levels
Access awards
Alternative qualifications considered
BTECs
GCSEs and equivalents
IELTS
International Baccalaureate
Interview required
Irish awards
Reduced offer scheme
T levels
UCAS points
Welsh awards

Extra Entry Requirements

Is a DBS check required?

No

HECoS Code(s)

(CAH03-02) sport and exercise sciences