Year
2024Credit points
20Campus offering
Prerequisites
EXSC510 Strength and Conditioning for Performance and Rehabilitation
Incompatible
EXSC654 Major Research Project (Part A) , EXSC655 Major Research Project (Part B)
Unit rationale, description and aim
Professional practice is an integral aspect of the transition from learner to practitioner. It provides students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge, understanding and skills in a work and/or organisational context. This unit delivers a 'capstone' experience for students by providing a professional placement in a high performance sport organisation. Students engage in a work environment to provide experiential contexts for the development and application of their learnings. The aim of the unit is to develop in students professional/workplace skills and networks to meet the goals of the professional or industry body. The experience also enhances the reciprocal flow of knowledge and its application between the University and the workplace or community setting in which the student is placed. The unit is designed to create a safe experience in peer review because of the importance of maintaining standards of professional and ethical practice in the workplace.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description | Relevant Graduate Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| LO1 | Apply specialised knowledge and skills from academic study in professional practice and/or research in the high performance sport environment | GC1, GC2, GC8, GC9, GC10, GC11, GC12 |
| LO2 | Display appropriate standards of social responsibility and ethical conduct in the professional high performance setting | GC4, GC9, GC10, GC11, GC12 |
| LO3 | Critically reflect on practice and evaluate areas for professional development to improve your professional practice skills | GC1, GC2, GC7, GC9, GC10, GC11, GC12 |
| LO4 | Collaborate effectively in the multidisciplinary environment of high performance sport | GC1, GC2, GC4, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC10, GC11, GC12 |
Content
Students will be required to:
- engage in experiences of professional service or workplace practice
- clearly articulate the responsibilities and mutual expectations of the student, academic supervisor, and workplace or placement supervisor
- undertake structured activities and deliver specified outcomes, as developed and agreed upon by the student, academic supervisor, and workplace or placement supervisor
- integrate, where applicable, the knowledge and skills gained through academic study to the practice setting
- be informed about their personal responsibilities for occupational health and safety during placement in a professional/work setting
- contribute in a socially responsible and ethical manner to the goals of the organization and its stakeholders in which they are placed
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
ACU Online:
The learning and teaching strategies that comprise this unit of work-integrated learning recognise and utilise contributions from both academic and practice settings. These include active learning, case-based learning, individual and group activities, web-based learning, and reflective/critical thinking activities. This range of strategies will provide students with appropriate access to required knowledge and understanding of unit content, and experiences to apply this as well as develop practical skills relevant to the high performance sport industry. This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of knowledge and skills essential to the discipline. Students are provided with choice and variety in how they learn. Students are encouraged to contribute to asynchronous weekly discussions. Active learning opportunities provide students with opportunities to practice and apply their learning in situations similar to their future professions. Activities encourage students to bring their own examples to demonstrate understanding, application and engage constructively with their peers. Students receive regular and timely feedback on their learning, which includes information on their progress.
Assessment strategy and rationale
In order to best enable students to achieve unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes, standards-based assessment is utilised, consistent with University assessment requirements a Standards-based assessment is utilised. The assessment strategy is scaffolded to allow for progressive development of knowledge and skills from applied high performance sport settings. A range of assessment strategies have been purposefully designed for the assessment of learning outcomes reflecting the principles of authentic assessment design and include:
- A Hurdle Task for this unit has been designed to provide that minimum standards are satisfied for the benefit of the student, host organisation and Australian Catholic University.
- The Ungraded Hurdle Task requires students to provide evidence of the following documents, including but not limited to:
- ACU online Working with Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults Module
- First Aid certification
- Police check
- Working with Children Check
- Assessment Task 1: allows students to reflect on the application of evidence-based practices in their area of interest. The Supervisor's report will provide formative feedback and be used as a reflection entry. The report and reflections will also be used as evidence of completing the minimum required hours of 250 hours for the Industry Internship placement.
- Assessment Task 2: requires students to further demonstrate their knowledge and application in an area of interest that has been identified in their Industry Internship.
- Assessment Task 3 is a Case Conference presentation and Viva Voce that will allow the students to design a short presentation about their Industry Internship placement and verbally answer questions raised about aspects of the placement.
Students must achieve a cumulative grade of at least 50% across all graded assessments.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
Hurdle Task 1. Completion of ACU-specific and discipline-specific requirements for professional practice, including but not limited to:
| Ungraded Hurdle | LO2 |
Assessment 1 Critical Reflection and Log Book: Allows for ongoing appraisal of the work and experiences students have on their internship. This helps them to identify aspects of their professional practice which they determine require improvement, and plan development activities to address this. Supervisor's Report Enables the industry supervisor to provide feedback to the student at the midway point and the completion of the internship. | 40% | LO1, LO2, LO3 |
Assessment 2 Demonstrate and communicate knowledge of High Performance Sport This assessment requires students to demonstrate their application of specialist knowledge and understanding by submitting an example of the type of tasks completed during the placement. Furthermore, you are required to outline the evidence based practices to support (or refute) the work completed during the placement. You may also discuss how the information was utilised by the organisation and how it contributed to improving performance. | 20% | LO1, LO2 |
Assessment 3 Case Conference Presentation and Viva Students present a case conference from their industry experience and reflect upon their knowledge, skills and attributes. | 40% | LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4 |
Representative texts and references
Bartlett, R. and Bussey, M. (2012). Sports Biomechanics. Reducing Injury and Improving Performance (2nd Ed.). Abingdon: Routledge.
Hong, Y. (Ed) (2016). Routledge Handbook of Ergonomics in Sport and Exercise. Abingdon: Routledge.
Pyke, F. (Ed) (2013). Coaching Excellence. Champaign: Human Kinetics.
Robertson, S., Kremer, P., Aisbett, B., Tran, J., Cerin, E. (2017). Consensus on measurement properties and feasibility of performance tests for the exercise and sport sciences: a Delphi study. Sports Medicine, 3(2), 1-10. Tanner, R. and Gore, C. (Eds) (2013). Physiological tests for elite athletes (2ndEd.). Champaign: Human Kinetics.