SP0733 - Sport and Exercise Science Dissertation

You will be introduced to the role and place of the dissertation within their postgraduate programme in Semester 1, in order that you can consider potential topic areas alongside your studies. In Semester 2, you will be allocated to a dissertation supervisor on the basis of an initial proposal idea and timetable that you are directed to complete and will also have a research methods tutor available for help and guidance. Individual one-to-one tutorials with these tutors, during Semester 3, will be used to support you in the development and progress of your dissertation, whilst group tutorials may be used to facilitate discussion between students and enable peer support. E-mail communication will supplement these tutorials, according to your needs. A maximum of 6 hours of dissertation support will be available for you. You will be informed that staff will not be available for tutorials during the month of August.

You will submit a dissertation of a maximum 20,000 words. The dissertation (or final submission) will be a written record, in an academically acceptable format, of the completed project, including a statement of the research aims, research question (and hypotheses where appropriate), and a demonstration of the appropriateness of the methods employed during data collection and analysis. The dissertation will illustrate the development of a clear and focused theoretical perspective, and include an integrated critical appraisal and detailed analysis of the literature (or literature review), a focused demonstration of methodological issues, including ethics, the accurate interpretation of data, and the clear and concise presentation of results, including an account of the theoretical and practical limitations of the study.

Support materials for sessions will be available to you on BlackBoard; including suggested reading, access to interactive digital resources and websites, and other useful resources such as discussion boards. For further support on taught sessions you can access the tutors for one-to-one discussions and tutorials via the online tutorial booking system.

Dedicated assessment sessions will afford you the opportunity to ask assignment related questions. You will have the opportunity for feedback on one draft of the introduction, literature review and methods sections. Written feedback will be provided for the final dissertation.

You will have the opportunity to discuss any concerns you may have with the module tutor.

There is also comprehensive help available in the university library on a wide range of generic academic topics such as: academic writing, statistics, report writing, referencing, and how to hone your presentation skills.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Initiate and complete an ethically sound independent empirical-based research dissertation
2. understand the methodological issues relating to a piece of research and report on the issues where necessary

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
1. Demonstrate, through their research dissertation, a critical awareness of one aspect of sport and exercise science in considerable depth and sophistication.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
1. Develop an enquiring and critical capacity in developing and conducting ethically sound research.

The assessment for the module consists of a 20,000-word dissertation (K&U 1, 2; IPSA 1, PVA 1) (100%)


Summative assessment and rationale for tasks
You will submit a dissertation of a maximum of 20,000 words. The dissertation (or final submission) will be a written record, in an academically acceptable format, of the completed project, including a statement of the research aims, research question (and hypotheses where appropriate), and a demonstration of the appropriateness of the methods employed during data collection and analysis. The dissertation will illustrate the development of a clear and focused theoretical perspective, and include an integrated critical appraisal and detailed analysis of the literature (or literature review), a focused demonstration of methodological issues, including ethics, the accurate interpretation of data, and the clear and concise presentation of results, including an account of the theoretical and practical limitations of the study (K&U 1, 2; IPSA 1, PVA 1) (100%)


Additional formative assessment – detail of process and rationale
The formative assessment will take the form of written feedback on a draft of the Review of Literature, Introduction and Methods chapters that the dissertation supervisor will comment on formally once. Informal feedback about the structure and logical progression of arguments can be provided during dissertation tutorials.


Feedback is on assessment feedback sheets. General feedback is posted to the e-learning portal and individual tutorials are offered for one-to-one feedback to support learning.

N/A

SP0739, SP0740, SP0732, SP0741, SP0738, PY0756

Sport and Exercise Dissertation will give you an insight into the vital role that research has in the field of clinical exercise physiology. You will conduct an independent and ethically sound, independent research project in Northumbria’s state of the art, BASES accredited laboratories, an exciting and stimulating place to develop your research / practical skills. During the process you will get mentorship from staff with research expertise in the field of health / clinical exercise physiology, helping you to hone your skills during this independent project. The dissertation assessment provides you with opportunity to demonstrate your ability to work independently, show commitment and time management; skills vitally important to future employers.