Year

2022

Credit points

10

Campus offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit

Prerequisites

Nil

Unit rationale, description and aim

High performance sport systems and their practices vary greatly between specific sports, organisations and cultures. Given the global focus of high performance sport, gaining exposure to a range of organisations (and its specialist professions) and cultures operating in this environment will provide students with professional development experiences and international perspectives to inform their future practice. This off-shore experience will provide access to high performance sport environments for exposure to different practices in athlete preparation and management, to facilitate knowledge sharing between the student and organisations, and provide insights into the communication, relationship and cultural challenges faced by individuals and organisations operating in high performance sport. These international experiences will be organised and offered by the School of Exercise Science at ACU only.

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.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - critique contemporary issues and practices faced by practitioners with reference to athlete/team preparation, performance and monitoring (GA4, GA5, GA6)

LO2 - compare and contrast the integration of specialist professions in the process of athlete management across different high performance sport environments (GA1, GA4, GA5)  

LO3 - debate the ethical and social responsibilities of high performance sport organisations and professional sports science practice from an international perspective (GA 1, GA6) 

LO4 - critically reflect upon the communication, relationship and cultural challenges faced in different high performance sport settings (GA1, GA 4, GA 6) 

Graduate attributes

GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity 

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

Content

Topics include: 

  • International perspectives regarding athlete/team conditioning and competitive performance 
  • Contemporary practices in athlete preparation and management implemented in high performance settings 
  • Contemporary sports science theory and application 
  • Organisational structures in high performance sport environments 
  • Multi-, inter- and cross-disciplinary approaches in high performance sport 
  • Roles and responsibilities of specialists servicing or working in high performance departments (e.g., S&C coaches, dieticians, medical staff, sports scientists, physiotherapists, psychologists, etc.) 
  • Communication styles and relationship building in high performance cultures 
  • Athlete development and management 

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit involves an off-shore, attendance-based experience (e.g., study tour) organised by ACU. Learning and teaching strategies include active learning, case-based learning, individual and group activities, cooperative learning, web-based learning, and reflective/critical thinking activities. These strategies will provide students with access to required knowledge and understanding of unit content, and opportunities for application and reflection of this learning in high performance sport contexts. These strategies will allow students to meet the aim, learning outcomes and graduate attributes of the unit, as well as professional practice standards. Learning and teaching strategies will reflect respect for the individual as an independent learner. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively within group activities.  

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 range of assessment strategies are used including: (i) a reflective report that provides students with the opportunity to consolidate and articulate their learnings and experiences gained from the unit so as to better inform their approaches and practices when operating in high performance settings, for enduring employability in the industry; (ii) a mock job interview to demonstrate their ability to apply their knowledge and understanding on unit/course learnings to professional employment related contexts.

Overview of assessments

Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment TasksWeightingLearning OutcomesGraduate Attributes

Required documentation for Study Tour (e.g., travel documents, ITAF, etc.)

HURDLE 

n/a 

n/a 

Reflective report 

Enables students to articulate their learnings and experiences gained from the unit so as to better inform their approaches and practices when operating in high performance settings, for enduring employability in the industry. 

50% 

LO1, LO2 

GA1, GA4, GA5, GA6 

Presentation (Mock Job Interview) 

Enables students to prepare for future employment opportunities by demonstrating their knowledge, understanding and capacity to apply their unit learnings to work-related contexts. 

50% 

LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

GA1, GA4, GA5, GA6 

Representative texts and references

Australian Institute of SportTanner R and Gore C. (2013) Physiological tests for elite athletes (2nd ed.). Champaign: Human Kinetics. 

 

Coutts AJ and Cormack S. (2014). Monitoring the training response. In Joyce D & Lewindon D, High-Performance Training For Sports. Champaign IL: Human Kinetics: pp 71-84. 

 

Cormack S and Coutts A. (2016). Monitoring training load. In Joyce D & Lewindon D, Sports Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation. London: Routledge. pp 380-391. 

 

McGuigan MR and Cormack SJ. (2011). Biochemical Monitoring in Strength and Conditioning. In Cardinale M, Newton R & Nosaka K. Strength and Conditioning: Biological Principles and Practical Applications. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons: pp 305-311. 

 

Nédélec M, Halson S, Abaidia AE, Ahmaidi S, Dupont G. (2015) Stress, Sleep and Recovery in Elite Soccer: A Critical Review of the Literature. Sports Med45(10), 1387-400. 

 

Nédélec M, Halson S, Delecroix B, Abaidia AE, Ahmaidi S, Dupont G. (2015). Sleep Hygiene and Recovery Strategies in Elite Soccer Players. Sports Med45(11), 1547-59. 

 

Samuels CH. (2012) Jet lag and travel fatigue: a comprehensive management plan for sport medicine physicians and high-performance support teams. Clin J Sport Med 22(3), 268-73. 

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