1. Describe the cognitive/neurophysiological processes underlying performance and retention of movement skills in different every day, clinical and sporting situations
2. Describe the major physiological changes and mechanisms that occur in perception, decision-making and movement execution
3. Report how the practice environment and mode of feedback influence both skill acquisition and retention of movement
4. Describe the major processes underlying the short and long-term retention of movement information
5. Ability to evaluate posture and balance control
6. Ability to use advanced concepts in resistance and functional exercise training to develop and report outcome of training for a clinical or sporting population aimed at improving postural control and movement performance
7. Describe the changes in movement patterns and neural activity that accompany fatigue
8. Describe the role of exercise in aging and information processing
9. Demonstrate an ability to design new and/or modify existing ways to assess motor skills/learning in various exercise and/or clinical contexts
10. Appreciate scientific methods and research process as it relates to movement learning

Several texts will be helpful in guiding your understanding of the course material, and you will be directed to the relevant resources at the appropriate time. A sample of helpful resources is provided below:  

1. Magill, R.A. 2011 (9th Edition) Motor Learning and Control: Concepts and Applications. McGraw-Hill
2. Shumway-Cook, A. & Woollacott, M.H. (5th Edition) Motor Control: Translating Research Into Clinical Practice. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
3. Ives, J.C. (2014) Motor Behaviour: connecting mind and body for optimal performance. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
4. Schmidt, R. A., & Lee, T. D. (2011). Motor Control and Learning: A Behavioral Emphasis (5th ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

References to various scientific journal articles will also be made. Understanding the science/research in relation to these articles is essential for a high score in the course. These journals are available online on the library website (e.g. pubmed) for university students.

Textual and audiovisual material will be provided online regularly through MyUni to assist with learning of topics covered in lectures as well as assessment preparation. The physical lectures will be recorded and placed on MyUni to support the face to face approach. Some lectures will be implemented entirely online using audio recordings and students are expected to view and go through the online lectures prior to the physical lecture timeslot which will be used as a “tutorial” platform to discuss and engage in activities related to lecture material (i.e. flipped classroom). As such, students are reminded to view MyUni often throughout the semester as it is assumed that information that is posted there will be read by all students. The flipped classroom sessions will not be recorded.

The course will be delivered via lectures and ‘tutorials’ styled with flipped classroom activities, practicals and small group discovery experience (SGDE) using a traditional face-to-face approach and online learning materials in the MyUni environment. Fortnightly practical and SGDE sessions will be held to provide students with an opportunity to translate concepts learnt in theory to practical/research contexts and to demonstrate their innovativeness. The students understanding of the material will be assessed using written assessments, online quizzes and reports. Students should use the learning objectives at the beginning of each lecture as study guide for all assessments in the course.

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

A full-time student should expect to spend, on average, a total of 48 hours per week on their studies.  This includes both the formal
contact time required for the course (e.g. lectures, practicals and SGDE), as well as non-contact time (e.g. reading and revision).

Exercise, Movement and Cognition is a 3-unit course.  As such, the expected workload will on average be 12 hours per week, including up to 4 contact hours per week.

Students will cover the following topics in a series of lectures by either face-to-face or via online approach (i.e. flipped classroom), practicals and SGDE (weekly schedule below). Please note that this schedule is used as a guide only and may be subject to changes at the discretion of the course coordinator. If any changes to the schedule are implemented, an announcement would be made on MyUni at least 7 days in advance of the event occurrence.

Week	Lectures/Tutorials (Monday)	Practicals (Friday)	Small Group Discovery (Tuesday)
1 (25/07/16 – 29/07/16)	Introduction to course profile & Learning Objectives         Introduction to Motor Behaviour   Internal Models in Motor Learning		SGD 1: Introduction session on small group discovery experience
2 (01/08/16 - 05/08/16)	Understanding motor skills and measurement of motor performance Online Quiz 1 Due 05/08/16	Prac 1:   Measuring Reaction Time and Error
3 (08/08/16 – 12/08/16)	Pre-class Online Lecture: Performance Characteristics and Action Preparation   Flipped Classroom Activities/Tutorial (In class summative ‘quiz’)	Prac 1 Assignment Due 12/08/16	SGD 2: Students finalize topics and work on projects with team members and facilitators
4 (15/08/16- 19/08/16)	Attention and Memory Online Quiz 2 Due 19/08/16	Prac 2: Information processing and dual-task challenges
5 (22/08/16 – 26/08/16)	Pre-class Online Lecture: Motor Skill Learning   Flipped Classroom Activities/Tutorial (In class summative ‘quiz’)	Prac 2 Assignment Due 26/08/16	SGD 3:   Students discuss project proposal and experimental set up with facilitator
6 (29/08/16 – 02/09/16)	Exam Paper 1 (1 hour)   Demonstrations and verbal instructions	Prac 3: Performance Plateaus, Retention and transfer tests
7 (05/09/16 - 09/09/16)	Augmented feedback and structure of practice   Online Quiz 3 Due 09/09/16	Prac 3 Assignment Due 09/09/15	SGD 4: Students work on projects in their groups and in data collection phase – discuss issues/concepts with facilitator
8 (12/09/16 – 16/09/16)	Cellular Basis of Motor Learning	Prac 4:   Discovery learning, instruction and biofeedback
19/09/16 – 23/09/16	MID SEM BREAK	Prac 4 Assignment Due 23/09/16
26/09/16 – 30/09/16	MID SEM BREAK
9 (03/10/16 – 07/10/16)	NO PHYSICAL LECTURE (PUBLIC HOLIDAY ON 03/10) Online Lecture: Posture and Balance		SGD 5:   Students complete data collection, prepare for group presentation and edit/review their report
10 (10/10/16 – 15/10/16)	Pre-Class Online Lecture:  Functional Training         Flipped Classroom Activities/Tutorial (In class summative ‘quiz’) Online Quiz 4 Due 14/10/16	Prac 5:   Balance Assessment
11 (17/10/16 – 21/10/16)	ONLINE LECTURE: Age differences in motor learning and performance	Prac 5 Assignment Due 21/10/16	SGD 6:   Student presentations/submissions (written report due 18/10/16 at 5pm)
12 (24/10/16 – 28/10/16)	Exercise and Cognitive Benefits: Older adults and Alzheimer’s Disease   Online Quiz 5 Due 28/10/16	Prac 6:   Performance and transfer in mirror drawing task
13 (31/10/16 – 04/11/16)		Prac 6 Assignment Due 04/11/16

There is a small-group discovery component in the Exercise, Cognition and Movement course. The SGDE component has a total weighting of 20% (15% for the individual report and 5% for the group presentation).

SGDE for Exercise, Cognition and Movement is focused on demonstrating the translation of concepts learnt in theory to practical contexts.

Each group will be randomly allocated a “skill” topic to demonstrate their practical abilities and innovativeness. Specifically, students will design new and/or modify existing ways to assess motor skills/learning in various exercise and/or clinical contexts.

Throughout the project, students will work on an individual written report and a group power point presentation on the topic. Assessment rubrics will be used for grading all components of SGDE.

Details of each assessment task are shown below. In brief, the course contains 2 written exams covering all lecture/practical material, and a number of summative quizzes and practical mini assignments. Dates and explicit details for each assessment task will be given in advance via MyUni.

Marks for the different components of the course are assigned in the following proportions.

Written Exams (40% of total mark)
Mid - Semester Written Exam (15%)
Final Written Exam (25%)

Lecture Components – (22% of total mark)
5 quizzes on MyUni (2% each)
3 flipped classroom quizzes/activities (4% each - attendance is required to participate and attain the grade)

Practical Components - (18% of total mark)
6 Laboratory Reports (3% each -attendance in labs is required to attain the grade)

Small Group Discovery Experience Component - (20% of total mark)
See SGDE assessment rubrics for more details. Attendance in 4 out of 6 sessions is required to pass this component

The final marks for Exercise, Movement & Cognition may be moderated under some circumstances. Moderation is only ever used to improve a mark or grade, not to decrease it.

Mid - Semester Written Exam

Mid semester exam is designed to assess learning during the first half of the semester. The exam will assess understanding of
principles and problem solving (both written and computational) capabilities. Questions will be based around lecture and practical material discussed throughout the semester.

Final Written Exam

Final written exam is designed to assess learning over the entire semester. The exam will assess understanding of principles and
problem solving (both written and computational) capabilities. Questions will be based around lecture and practical material discussed throughout the semester.

Lecture Components

Students will complete 5 quizzes (multiple choice, fill in the blank and true/false questions) scattered throughout the semester that will be administered online via MyUni. The week during which a quiz is administered is clearly stated in the table of learning activities summary above. All quizzes will be due within a week from administration and the due date will be clearly stated when each quiz is made active on MyUni. This component will be used to reinforce key concepts from lectures for the written exams and will ensure students keep up with content throughout the semester.

Three out of the total 12 weeks of lectures will be made up of flipped classrooms, whereby students will be required to view pre-class material (i.e. online lectures/recordings). The “lecture” slot will then be used to discuss concepts, example exam type questions and engage in group activities. There will be an in-class summative quiz (either individual/group) and attendance is compulsory in these sessions to attain a grade for the submitted answers.
 
Practical Components

Students will be required to answer a few questions related to the laboratory session that includes details of data collection, analysis and interpretation. Attendance is compulsory in the practical sessions in order to attain a grade for the submitted answers.

Small Group Discovery Experience (SGDE) Component

SGDE will be focused on demonstrating the translation of the concepts learnt in theory to practical contexts using innovativeness. Specifically, students will design new and/or modify existing ways to assess motor skills/learning in various exercise and/or clinical contexts and will be assessed on an individual written report and a powerpoint presentation. Further details will be provided in SGDE instructions.

Hurdle Requirements and Course Criteria

To successfully pass the course students must achieve all of the following criteria:

- Achieving a final combined mark for the written exams of 50% or higher.

- Complete assessment tasks, including online/in-class quizzes, practical mini assignments and small group discovery components to a passable standard

Any student not meeting these barrier requirements will not be eligible to pass the course, regardless of performance in other
components.

Submission of work for assessment

Staff will clearly indicate the deadline (date and time) for coursework submission in the 'course announcements' section contained within MyUni. In addition, assessment deadlines will be announced via MyUni at least 7 days prior to the submission deadline. Unless otherwise indicated, coursework should be submitted electronically via MyUni. Any students experiencing technical difficulties should contact the course coordinator and MSTRC staff at the earliest opportunity. Coursework submitted to any location other than those specified will not be accepted. This includes submissions to personal staff email addresses.

All responses to practical assessment questions and SGDE report will be submitted through “turnitin” to check for plagiarism (more details on plagiarism can be obtained from the link available under “policies & guidelines”). 

There is a requirement for attendance in practical sessions in order for practical assessments to be graded and
subsequently be awarded a mark. If you anticipate any absences under exceptional circumstances, please see the course coordinator within 5 days. Upon receipt of an explanation for absence from a practical session, staff may:

- Refuse grade for assessment related to that practical class, specifying the appropriate reason(s); or

- Grant permission for submission of assessment and attainment of grade without penalty

Extensions for Assessment Tasks

Submission dates may be extended under exceptional circumstances. Please see the course coordinator at the earliest opportunity if you feel that you require an extension. Upon receipt of an application for extension, staff may:

- Refuse permission for
extension, specifying the appropriate reason(s); or

- Grant permission for
extension without penalty; or

- Grant permission for
extension with a penalty as guided by this policy.