SP6020 - Sport Development, Management and Coaching Dissertation (UG)

Your learning on this module will be a combination of taught sessions, directed learning and independent and critically reflective enquiry. The module is taught by staff who are experienced in sport research areas across the diversity of the programmes and the main part of the module delivery will be tutorial support from a designated supervisor. A research question will be formulated in consultation with the allocated supervisor. You will then design an appropriate study in consultation with the supervisor, receiving feedback on your plans. After completing the Department Ethics screen and subject to approval you will conduct your research project. Tutorials will be used to discuss progress with the study and write up.

Tutorial support is complemented by lectures covering the requirements of the module and seminars, where you will complete formative tasks (e.g. on research paper reviewing, research question identification, ethical considerations, research design and analysis), at appropriate points, to complement individual supervision. The schedule of contact and guidance within tutorials will be discussed by you and your supervisor, but must conform to Departmental Guidelines for Supervision.

Aside from formal lectures, seminars and supervisor tutorials, learning is supported by an informative handbook which details the learning and teaching process and gives you guidance on the study conduct and write up. In addition, you will make use of electronic and on-line resources such as the module e-learning portal (elP), an online Department ethics screen process and an electronic reading list. Group


seminar activities will provide tutor and peer, support and feedback on your project. Support is also delivered via a module elP discussion where the module leader will respond to your questions, so that the whole group can benefit.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. You will demonstrate a critical awareness of the design, methods, and appropriate analysis necessary for a research project
2. You will develop specific understanding of the chosen area of study, of your research project.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
3. You will demonstrate the ability to plan, initiate, conduct, complete and synthesise findings from, an ethically sound independent research project
4. You will appropriately disseminate the research findings, application of this knowledge and - evaluation of both, to an audience.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5. You will ethically plan, design, conduct, disseminate findings and store data from, a research project and will learn how to apply for, and achieve, ethical clearance for research.

The assessment of the module consists of:

Formative assessment
Your tutors will support you in developing your project, through regular tutorial discussion and feedback on a research proposal, ethics screen, ‘plan on a page’ and 2 pages of example writing from each chapter. At the poster planning stage some interim feed forward from the Dissertation assessment will be given by supervisors to aid discussion of your study practical implications and limitations.

Summative assessment
1.) an 8,500 word research Dissertation (LOs 1-3, 5, 80% of the total mark). The assessment is designed to evaluate your ability to plan, initiate, conduct, complete, and present a research report This includes an introductory context, literature review, methodology, results, discussion and conclusion. The limitations of the study, future research directions and implications for practice are not included and instead form a focus for assessment 2.
(Feedback is provided via an ESAF distributed summary comment sheet).

2.) an A1 poster presentation and 10 minute oral response to questions (L.O.'s 2, 4 - 5 20% of the total mark). The assessment is designed to allow you to briefly present your research findings, then focus on the impact of these findings, the limitations and future research directions and disseminate appropriately to an audience.

(Feedback is provided via a written summary comment sheet, addressing the marking criteria).

SP5012 Sport Research in Practice

None

This module provides the opportunity for independent study in an area of subject interest to you. You are given the freedom to select a research problem/issue within your programme subject, by identifying practice issues in the profession/industry and/or from the current academic and professional research in the area. You will spend a year developing an ethically-sound research project, through in-depth reading of current literature in the area, research question and design development, collection of data in the field (although it can be possible to use existing data), and the synthesising of your findings. You will present this study as a written Dissertation and also in poster format, with an oral response to questions. The module is challenging and stimulating and throughout all of this your supervisor will act as a guide for you, complemented by taught sessions. You will develop your skills of critical thinking and independent enquiry. Your skills of communication to different audiences will be extended, as you create a formal dissertation write up (academic audience) and industry relevant poster (academic and professional audience).