My name's Dr. Dan
Eastough on the course leader for the
master's in applied sport science and
also a senior lecturer in biomechanics
for the Institute of Sport exercise
science. The applied sport science
master's course at the University of
Worcester is specifically designed for not
only students coming from their
undergraduate studies but also students
are actually working in the industry in
various fields. The course is set up so
that it has intensive periods of study -
intensive one week blocks throughout the
year and this isn't supported by
distance learning methods, utilization of
virtual learning environments such as
blackboard to support students through
their studies with additional tutorials
from staff. The basic design of the
course is so that students can continue
working in the industry or working with
athletes or other individuals in sport
exercise science field whilst completing
their master's either on a full-time or
part-time basis. The university is going
from strength to strength, the extension
in facilities and campuses is ongoing
and particularly from a sports and
sports and exercise science view
point the facilities really are second
to none. We've got a brand new sports
arena that was finished last year three
basketball court size and an additional
strength and conditioning suite that's
part of the Institute. This is in
addition to the other facilities we have
on the St. John's campus with regards
to Sports Centre,  physiology and
biomechanics labs that have been here
for a number of years now, essentially
for studying Sport and Exercise Science
the facilities, the equipment and indeed
the staff base that we have really is
quite exemplary. The basic underpinnings
that we'd expect a student to have
coming into masters essentially from the
undergraduate course that we have here
at the University but also that we would
expect from any sport and exercise
undergraduate course, these being
biomechanics physiology and psychology
there are other topics that sort of
orbit these main
underlying topics such as nutrition and
motor control those sort of things we
expect students to be able to have that
foundation of understandingt.The basic
way the course then applies these
foundation or fundamental principles is
that we move straight into the idea of
how do we assess the limits of
performance, what are the limits of
performance when we are considering
either elite performance or perhaps
lower level performance depending on
what the individual students are what
part of the industry they're actually
working with. The very first module we'll
kick off with these research methods
module that has to be done in any
science course. The following modules get
into the laboratory's essentially look
at assessing athletes using
biomechanical, physiological and
psychological assessment tools with an
idea of understanding how we get our
baseline for athletes performance
Modules that follow on from that are
about enhancing performance how we
actually take through the basic
understanding fundamental principles how
we assess athletes and understanding
their limitations how we then make them
better essentially. One of my personal
modules is the enhancing performance
module when we take all this and then go
and apply it in context to try and make
athletes better. In addition to those
sort of theoretical taught modules if
you like there is a professional
placement module where students are
expected to either obtain or continue
their employment they're currently doing
with an academic mindset with regards to
reflecting on that practice and of
course a dissertation module where they
get to have a real stab at an
independent study style piece of work,
writing a dissertation early
master's level and presenting that back
for assessment.
