Students will be required to complete 2 pieces of summative assessment.

1. A 3000 word position statement (worth 60% of the module grade) on a selected theme/topic within the module agreed in advance with the module leader examining LO1.

2. A 2000 word reflective essay (worth 40% of the module grade) where students examine their involvement in and contribution to selected on-line discussion issues with their fellow students, examining LO's 2 and 3. Note this assessment can only be undertaken if a stated minimal amount of module related discussion content is submitted to the VLE by each student. Specific details regards this will be given in assessment guidelines available from the outset of the module.

Students will receive formative feedback throughout the module comprising a combination of task related feedback and (more importantly) comments on online discussion contributions offered up throughout the module.

This module uses sporting actions to consider the emergence of skill via examination of the processes of movement co-ordination, perception and motor control.
1. A historical overview of the field is followed by a look at the cognitive paradigm that has dominated the field until recently, namely information processing. In particular, cognitive explanations of how the (a) scheduling of practice (b) instruction and (c) feedback are believed to support skill learning are critically examined.
2. In addition the `expertise' approach to skill is introduced and evaluated with respect to key processes associated with attention and memory, including an examination of the implicit-explicit learning paradigm.
3. More recent approaches to the study of sport related skills are then critically evaluated. Specifically, the principles behind the ecological/dynamical approach to skill are introduced and examined - this includes an examination of the principles of direct perception and how such principles impact upon the development of sport related skill and an overview of complex systems.
4. Exemplars of interceptive actions (catching, hitting and jumping) in sport are used to link theory to practice and to highlight key areas of divergence between different theoretical approaches to the study of perception (direct versus indirect) and action in sport.

Davids, K., Button, C. & Bennett, S. (2008). Dynamics of skill acquisition: A constraints led approach. Champaign:ILL. Human Kinetics.
Williams, A.M., Davids, K. & Williams, J.G. (1999). Visual perception & action in sport. London. E & F.N.Spon.
Williams, A.M. & Hodges, N.J. (2004). Skill Acquisition in Sport. London: Routledge.

None

Access to an appropriately specified PC, with accompanying Word, PowerPoint, Adobe and Java software.

Students will follow a twelve week guided study programme and access support material via Blackboard. Students will be required to access additional support material independently. Core required tasks will amount to an average of 8 hours of engagement per week, representing a total of 96 activity engagement hours for the module.

The number of independent study hours is 204, representing a combination of further and additional reading and a series of optional tasks (96 hours) and specific preparation for the module assignments (108 hours).

This module will adopt a collaborative approach to learning where, via a series of on-line discussions (that will form part of the assessment process) students will demonstrate their developing understanding of often different and divergent approaches to the control and coordination of sport related skill.

Central to this approach will be a series of on-line debates or discussion issues that will arise out of the `Activities' and accompanying 'Tasks' undertaken within the module. Students will be required to initially outline, defend and subsequently reflect on a position or viewpoint offered, that will be critically commented on by fellow students.