SE101-4-FY : Professional Skills and Development 1

This content of this module enhances key scientific and academic abilities that supports students across all years of study, and providses initial preparation for students’ aspired careers in sport science, exercise science, sports therapy, coaching or in the field of exercise and health.

There are four key focuses of this module: profesisonal skills; research methods, data analysis, presentation and interpretation, and employability.

Relating to professional skills, students learn some of the key professional competencies often expected of graduate scientists, including Excel skills, searching for, citing and interpretting research literature, and assessing its value.

Relating to research design, this module addresses design components such as sampling, study design, reliaibility, validity and ethical approval.

Relating to data analysis, presentation and interpretation, student’s learn about data distributions, how to test hypotheses through statistically analysing data, and appropriate graphical presentation.

Relating to employability, this module enhances students’personal development in preparation for placements and employment opportunities in future careers. It includes input from careers experts and culminates in the creation of a portfolio of employability documents.

Module Aims

The aim of the module is to develop academic, scientific and professional abilities relevant to study of and professions related to sport, rehabilitation and exercise sciences.

On successful completion of this module, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrate ability to search for, understand quality of, interpret and reference research literature.
2. Use Microsoft Excel to perform basic data processing and information retrieval tasks;

3. Demonstrate understanding of research design;
4. Understand and demonstrate ability to apply the concepts of validity and reliability to research;
5. Understand school ethics, risk assessment and consent forms as appropriate for working with human subjects;
6. Select the correct statistical test(s) to analyse data, perform analysis using specified software and interpret and report the test results;
7. Demonstrate competence in data presentation including using Microsoft Excel to present data graphically;
8. Develop a CV, personal statement and skill development reflection document.