Module: Innovations in Sport Performance

Module Specifications.

Current Academic Year 2024 - 2025

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Date posted: September 2024

Module Title	Innovations in Sport Performance
Module Code	SS604 (ITS) / SPO1057 (Banner)
Faculty	Science & Health	School	Health & Human Performance
Module Co-ordinator	Áine MacNamara
Module Teachers	Robin Taylor, Stephen Behan
NFQ level	9	Credit Rating	15
Pre-requisite	Not Available
Co-requisite	Not Available
Compatibles	Not Available
Incompatibles	Not Available

Coursework Only

Description

Students will focus on potential innovations for enhancement of performance in the performance sport domain. By exploring the potential for interdisciplinary research, students consider the twin challenges of interdisciplinary interaction and individual differences in identifying, deploying, and exploiting potential gains. The module will explore organisational and cultural constraints and opportunities that underpin the potential for innovation in sport performance, specifically the literature concerning leadership and systems in sport and performance, practice design in sport performance and measurement issues. Students will also explore the evidence base underpinning motivational, cognitive and behavioural processes underpinning performance and innovation in their domain. Normally anticipating the topic for final thesis module, in this module students develop a critical consideration of the ‘pros, cons and challenges’ of a specific innovation in their sporting context.

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify, critically evaluate and synthesise one or more potential innovations which would enhance performance in their chosen domain
2. Consider and appraise potential roadblocks, limiters and/or delimiters to the potential impact of innovations targeting enhanced performance in their domain, and evaluate ways in which these may be mediated or overcome
3. Critically examine the ways in which this/these innovation/s may be evaluated, both theoretically and empirically, together with potential optional pathways for subsequent refinement
4. Critique and evaluate measurement issues in their performance domain as a means of supporting the efficacy of any potential innovation
5. Explain and appraise organisational and cultural constraints on sport performance
6. Consider and critique specific motivational, behavioural and cognitive influences on sport performance innovations
7. Appraise the potential for interdisciplinary research on performance innovation within their performance domain

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full-time hours per semester
Online activity	50	Students will engage with online material via Loop including but not limited to webinars, online tasks, quizzes, and tutorials
Independent Study	200	Independent pursuit of relevant issues and ideas raised during the module. Participants will be expected to engage in reading and critical review of literature relevant to the module
Directed learning	50	Stimulus presentations and discussion, delivered online using blended learning formats, will be used to tease out possible contributing topics and test the student’s current levels of knowledge and experience with them. As their reading progresses, students may be directed towards relevant recent investigations in their own and parallel domains.
Assignment Completion	75	Students will individually complete a written assignment
Total Workload: 375

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Innovations in Elite Performance
This module develops students in the principles and methods underpinning the design, development, deployment, evaluation and refinement of performance innovation. Building on the crucial skills of internal critical reflection and external open debate, the module offers a ‘supported pathway’ in the intellectual development of methods for performance enhancement. Students will develop their own ‘knowledge web’ pertaining to the areas of interest, following a specific path through the extant literature on both generic innovation and their own specific idea, coupled with an experience-based knowledge of important components of their own domain. Students will be encouraged to identify a range of issues appropriate to their own interests in the research process. Creativity and diversity in topics will be explored to encourage student contribution in an appropriate and relevant manner. Students will be expected to read widely on the issues of research, subject specialisations and become familiar with the research potential of the University library and online resources. Students will need to become adept with Internet search and on-line information sources of interest to their own domain.

Organisational and cultural constraints in sport performance
Students will systematically review the study of organisational culture in sport and how it applies to their context. In doing so, students will explore the various ways that the sport literature has conceptualised organisational culture, definitions of organisational culture and methods used to study this concept. Against a call for expertise in culture change in sport (Fletcher & Arnold, 2011), students will examine the need for evidence based guidelines and ecologically valid, practically meaningful knowledge as the basis for culture change. Recognising leadership as one of the most significant factors in sport, this module will explore the research underpinning leadership in sport, who effective leaders are, their intentions and behaviours, and the context in which they operate.

Capturing elite performance
While the call for interdisciplinary studies has been loud and clear in sport performance, the number of interdisciplinary publications in sport sciences is rather limited as is the interdisciplinary nature of some applied practice. In this module, students will focus on this issue and discuss the advantages of interdisciplinary research for understanding sport performance. Students will focus on the issue of interdisciplinarity and illustrate how the ecological approaches can be used to drive elite performers and support performers in complex environments. Students will explore the strengths and limitations of measurement issues in their performance domain as a means of supporting the efficacy of any potential innovation.

Planning for Performance
Students will focus on the behaviours and cognitive processes required to achieve high level performance in sport. Students will examine the motivational, cognitive and behavioural processes underpinning performance and how these apply to change and innovation in their domain.

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment	100%	Examination Weight	0%

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Course Work Breakdown
Presentation	Using an oral presentation format (30 minutes plus 10 minutes viva questions), students will identify one or more potential innovations to enhance performance in their chosen domain and present the evidence, rationale and potential impact of their proposed innovation. Students will respond to questions using a viva format.	30%	n/a
Assignment	The written report will offer a well researched and justified plan for an innovation or series of innovations to enhance performance in the student’s domain. The plan will have identified, countered and where appropriate catered for the challenges posed by (but not limited to) organisational, cultural, and individual constraints and opportunities. The assignment format is flexible. Indicative suggestions are below: (a) written report (8000 words) (b) Journal article (3000 - 8000 words depending on the target journal) (c) Portfolio presentation (e.g., slides, visuals, AV data, with accompanying narrative) (4000 words plus supporting documentation)	70%	n/a

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories: Resit category 1: A resit is available for both* components of the module. Resit category 2: No resit is available for a 100% continuous assessment module. Resit category 3: No resit is available for the continuous assessment component where there is a continuous assessment and examination element.
* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a Continuous Assessment/Examination split; where the module is 100% continuous assessment, there will also be a resit of the assessment
This module is category 1

Indicative Reading List

Robert J. Schinke, Kerry R. McGannon and Brett Smith: 2016, Routledge international handbook of sport psychology, Routledge, New York, NY,
Dave Collins, Andrew Cruickshank, Geir Jordet: 2019, Routledge Handbook of Elite Sport Performance, Routledge, New York, NY,

Other Resources

None