Outline

Overview

This subject deals with the physiology and psychology of training and testing in sports and provides students with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Special attention will be given to different sport types and their specific demands. Fundamental questions concerning the nature of the training stimulus, determinants of success in sports, physiological testing batteries, training thresholds, and important aspects of testing and training such as the critical power model of intensity and force-velocity relationships will be investigated. Current methods used to evaluate the different physiological characteristics involved in sport performance will be studied: aerobic power and capacity, anaerobic power and capacity, muscular strength and maximal power output. Concurrently, psychological impacts of sport performance/assessment will be examined and practically applied. Learning activities include the use of didactic lecture content from the unit coordinators and guest lecturers and practical classes aimed at gathering experience with physiological and psychological assessments in the applied sport science setting. Upon the completion of the unit, students should be able to provide consultancy within a sub-elite sport science setting.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	EXSS3040
Academic unit	Movement Sciences
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	EXSS2022 or EXSS2034 or EXSS1040
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Tim Davies, timothy.davies@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Supervised exam ?	Final Examination Traditional Pen and Paper Exam on content from Weeks 8-12.	35%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Online Quiz 1 Quiz on Canvas of only MCQ on material from weeks 1-3	5%	Week 04 Due date: 24 Aug 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 03 Sep 2023	10 questions - no time-limit
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Online Quiz 2 Quiz on Canvas of only MCQ on material from weeks 4-5	5%	Week 06 Due date: 07 Sep 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 17 Sep 2023	10 questions - no time limit
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Online Quiz 3 Quiz on Canvas of only MCQ on material from weeks 6-7	5%	Week 08 Due date: 21 Sep 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 01 Oct 2023	10 questions - no time limit
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Case Study Report Group report on the assessment of an athlete case study with justification.	30%	Week 09 Due date: 06 Oct 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 16 Oct 2023	5 pages with references and appendix
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Case Study Interview Case Study Interview	20%	Week 10	8 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Online Quizzes (15%): Three quizzes covering all teaching material from weeks 1-7, including lectures and practicals. Quiz 1 covers material from weeks 1-3, Quiz 2 covers material from weeks 4-5 and Quiz 3 covers material from weeks 6-7. All quizzes will consist of multiple-choice or multiple-answer questions only.
Case Study Report (30%): This assessment is a group report that comprises of conducting needs analyses using one of the provided case studies, selecting a physiological test and a psychological factor and/or strategy, justifying your selections using evidence, and providing recommendations for future training.
Case study Interview (20%): A Viva-Voce style defence to rationalise the needs analysis, testing battery, monitoring strategies and programming recommendations as a sport scientist in a high-performance sport context.
Final exam (35%): The final exam encompasses all content taught during the semester from weeks 8-12 (including lectures and practicals. This exam will be a traditional pen-and-paper examination.

As per unit of study rules, all assessment tasks must be attempted to be eligible to receive a pass or higher grade. If one or more assessment tasks are not attempted, an Absent Fail (AF) grade will be awarded. Within the group assessment dynamic, an AF grade can be awarded to individual members of a group if there is sufficient evidence that the group member did not contribute to a satisfactory level.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on the EXSS3040 Canvas site.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.
Absent Fail	0 - 49	When you haven’t completed all assessment tasks or met the attendance requirements.

For more information see https://www.sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.html

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Written work submitted electronically after 11:59 pm on the due date will be considered to have been submitted late. For every calendar day up to and including ten calendar days after the due date, a penalty of 5% of the maximum awardable marks will be applied to late work. The penalty will be calculated by first marking the work, and then subtracting 5% of the maximum awardable mark for each calendar day after the due date. For work submitted more than ten calendar days after the due date a mark of zero will be awarded. The marker may elect to but is not required to, provide feedback on such work.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Lecture 1: Introduction, Defining the Sports Scientist, Evaluating an Athlete's Needs	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Lecture 2: Part 1: Physiological Testing Concepts; Part 2: Psychological Testing Concepts	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	Lecture 3: Psychological Strategies for the Sports Scientist	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Lecture 4: Part 1: Physiology of explosive sport Part 2: Psychology of explosive sport	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Lecture 5: Part 1: Physiology of team sports Part 2: Psychology of team sports	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Practical 1: Physiological assessment and psychological impacts for the explosive athlete	Practical (2 hr)
Week 06	Lecture 6: Part 1: Physiology of individual intermittent sport Part 2: Psychology of individual intermittent sport	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Practical 2: Physiological assessment and psychological impacts for the team sport athlete - Field-Based Match-Play	Practical (2 hr)
Week 07	Lecture 7: Part 1: Physiology of endurance sport Part 2: Psychology of endurance sport	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	Practical 3: Physiological assessment and psychological impacts for the individual intermittent sport athlete - Repeated Efforts and the Fatigue Index	Practical (2 hr)
Week 08	Lecture 8: Part 1: The marathon, the pinnacle of endurance performance Part 2: Breaking the 2-hour marathon threshold in competition, will it happen?	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Practical 4: Physiological and psychological impacts for the endurance athlete - AIS Cycling Power-Profile Test	Practical (2 hr)
Week 09	Lecture 9: Part 1: Monitoring athlete load Part 2: Performance data visualisation	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Lecture 10: Limits to Human Performance: Fatigue Thresholds, Critical Power, W’ and W-balance	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Practical 5: Workload monitoring using GPS technology	Practical (2 hr)
Week 12	Lecture 11: Part 1: Stimuli and sensors of muscular hypertrophy Part 2: Assessing the load-velocity relationship – Implications for the Sports Scientist	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	Practical 6: Assessment and Physiological Analysis of Critical Power and W’ + W’-balance Model of Performance and Recovery during Intermittent Exercise	Practical (2 hr)
Week 13	Lecture 12: Environmental Stress and Athletic Performance	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	Practical 7: Force-Velocity Profiling using Linear Position Transducer Technology	Practical (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Students are strongly encouraged to attend all lecture and practical classes. Content in lectures and practicals will be assessable in quizzes, submitted work, and the final exam.

Lectures and practicals will be face-to-face in the Susan Wakil Health Building. Only lectures will be recorded from the live delivery.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Tanner, R. K., & Gore, C.J. (2012). Physiological Tests for Elite Athletes. Second edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Understand the physiological and psychological basis of testing and training specific domains of athletic performance
LO2. Analyse how the body adapts to a training stimulus
LO3. Develop appropriate testing and training protocols, based on accurate needs analyses, to assess and improve the performance of athletic individuals
LO4. Evaluate the impact of environmental conditions on the body’s ability to perform exercise.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

In light of previous feedback, the unit has been remodelled to include a more well-rounded focus on all components of athletic performance. Lectures are less dense in terms of slide content and topics covered. Quizzes have been changed to untimed to allow for further thought in each question. The case study defence format has been moved to an interview format to remove the presentation element. Added content in a lecture series after the mid-semester around key physiological issues in sports science such as critical power and W', load-velocity profiling and specific environmental issues faced by athletes.

Additional information

This unit of study may require you to attend a teaching activity timetabled in teaching venues installed with the University’s Clinical Recording and Observation System (CROS) in the Susan Wakil Health Building. Students should be aware of the privacy and information management implications of this system. For more information, please refer to the University’s Privacy Statement.

Work, health and safety

Students are to adhere to current policies and procedures associated with on-campus practical and lecture classes including, but not limited to, checking in with QR codes, wearing PPE and physical distancing between class members.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

EXSS3040: Assessment of High-Performance Athletes

Semester 2, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect