Learning & Teaching Approaches

The philosophy of the course can be garnered by three reoccurring themes; a student-centred approach, consistent use of e-learning and an emphasis on Assessment Learning and Teaching initiatives. Examples of these include the willingness of the course team to engage in current research initiatives such as:

 PC3 (staff student coaching) and Sounds Good 3 (large cohorts of students using Narrative Feedback)

 The use of technology to track and monitor student engagement e.g. a variety of social networks, RFI readers and panopto (Replay)

 The use of e-portfolios across every level of the course

 The regular use of ‘real-world’ learning to enhance student learning including placements, volunteering, Internships and Graduate opportunities.

It is this student-centred approach and unique engagement of the students that have led to the success of the course and a feeling of ‘togetherness’ and ‘unity’ among the students-this has recently been recognised by the National Student Survey (NSS) results which evidences consistent results for 2010 and 2011 of 80% and 82% respectively for the student

satisfaction rate and in regard to staff/student interaction an NSS result of 98% was recorded for ‘I have been able to contact staff when I need to in 2010’.

The course also has a distinguishing feature, which provides an integral pillar across its 3-year duration:

A suite of employability modules provide yearly checks against diagnostic exercises and self-test scenarios in Personal Professional and Management Skills (PPMS), Planning for Work Based Learning (PWBL), Work Based Learning (WBL) and Continuing Professional and Personal Development (CPPD). Significantly each of these modules creates seminar and tutor/coaching groups, which maintain the same staff across the students’ duration of the course. This provides a ‘backbone’ of the course and increases staff/student relationships, which in turn develops rapport, consistency and trust. Students are provided with

opportunities to develop professional networks and make strategic links across different modules to maintain programmes and experience ‘real-world’ projects such as connecting a Work Placement with their Major Independent Study.

42 The best way to demonstrate how the BA (Hons) Sport Business Management course

adheres to and fully supports Faculty and University contexts is to evidence key strategic developments against high profile strategies of the university:

The University has recently developed and published its new Strategic Plan 2010-2015 which is also mirrored in the Board of Governors 2011 Learning and Teaching Strategy, and the course team have outlined below the synergies that exist between the BA (Hons) Sport Business Management course and the direction of the Plan; at the heart of this Plan are 6 core values, which are outlined below to illustrate how they are addressed in our provision:

1. Inspiring: We share our values and ideas with passion, energy and commitment, supporting all to achieve their potential. The group are always looking for new and innovative ways to reach out to the students and these include a pre-entry group blog via face book, formative feedback via X-Stream blogs and discussions, formative feedback groups on face book, instant messaging via Twitter and the use of MP3 sound bites to provide narrative feedback. Students are also provided with regular opportunities to complete and check their current skill set by actioning several different diagnostic exercises via the employability modules across all 3-levels.

2. Creative: We stimulate innovation, imagination and discovery, generating challenging and original ideas. We have regularly been amending modules with minor and major moderations as we constantly strive to deliver improved modules in response to student feedback in annual reviews and industry direction e.g. A creative path of coaching tutorials to enable staff and student integration and understanding. These have also been integrated into each of our employability modules across all 3-levels and with the same tutor throughout the students University lifespan. Various teaching innovations are also used to ‘get the best ‘out of the students and keep them engaged e.g. Contemporary film clips (which have been professionally edited and linked to things like exam board profiles and academic and social life balances).

Level 5, represents a crucial year for the students and this has been recognised and support by the level leader who takes student feedback and comments from the previous year group and shows them to students at start of the year. This helps to reassure them that (a) feedback is taken seriously and (b) how modules have been improved.

The level leader has also introduced a traffic light system for Level 5 students to highlight those at risk as well as those who still need to achieve better grades if they are to reach their desired classification at level 6.

3. Enterprising: We identify and maximise opportunities, using our resources wisely and building on our strengths. To support this and echo our ethos of supporting students via ‘real-world’ engagement we deliver WBL and Major Independent Study (MIS) opportunities via a Rugby Football league partnership which exposes the students to life experiences within a professional sport setting and this can include paid

43 employment at level 5. These students are then encouraged to develop an initiative within this setting as part of their MIS which in at least two occasions has led to offers of full-time employment.

4. The coaching theme has been introduced to the PPMS module by adding two coaching blocks of 2 and 3 weeks to the PDP curriculum. These coaching tutorials occur 3 weeks after the students’ induction and again in the last 2 and 3 weeks before the Christmas break and involve staff and students working together in one-on-one coaching sessions. These sessions are designed to get the students to

understand the importance of their e-portfolio assessment, which includes a variety of skills assessments and diagnostic self-tests- these are revisited at L5 and L6.

Traditionally students have found this self-assessment difficult but the coaching ethos, which is now in place, has helped staff to establish a staff/student bond quicker than before and in turn this has promoted a deeper understanding of the requirements as well as establishing an early rapport for general tutorial matters.

5. Purposeful: We are clear about our shared plan and committed to delivering this efficiently and effectively. Our course team meet on a fortnightly basis at least and we share an open forum and work against set agendas. This team have developed a tremendous ‘team spirit’ and clear focus on what and how they want to achieve the best and get improved results from the students’ year on year. Each module and its delivery is discussed regularly and sub-group meetings, usually in modular teams are commonplace. We share these experiences with students and STARS usually via regular level meetings, which are timetabled at level 5 and 6.

6. Respectful: We are inclusive, supportive and ethical in our behaviours and actions, actively valuing diversity. Our most recent admissions figures have seen a significant increase in a number of identified criteria, thanks to the combined efforts of our team in marketing our course to a wider and more varied student market e.g. recent figures have evidenced a large increase in level 4 female students from 12 to16. Our course statistics also evidence International students from Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe although we aim to increase these figures further with the introduction of some strategic distance learning modules.

7. Professional: We expect and uphold high standards, leading by example with integrity and responsibility. We take our annual review meetings very seriously and continually feed this information into our ongoing work. We have a track record at acting on issues raised and this is reflected in our highly creditable modular

evaluations and NSS results, which have increased by 26% for overall satisfaction of the course (between 2009 and 2010) since then our team has continued to be pro-active on student and industry advice (our overall satisfaction for 2011 was 82%-well above the University’s average). Notably our 2011 results also evidenced a 100%

return rate.

44 7.10 Learning and Teaching Activities

Learning and Teaching Activities

Challenging and authentic tasks in modules reflect 20 credits or 200 notational learning hours.

The learning on each module consists of a minimum of 48 hours contact time (equivalent to 4 hours per week).

1. Inclusive: Unique lines of communication and increased ‘blended learning’, including twitter, face book, email and mobile phones have established communication platforms that increase contact out of normal lectures and seminars. Students are provided with a variety of options, which provide the same information as that which is provided on the student portal and VLE but the additional vehicles simply allow an increased and

effective choice of access. Equity, Gender and Race modules evidence an inclusive impact on sport businesses and promote good citizenship.

In addition students are encouraged to sign up for staff tutorials which are provided on the staff doors and specific in-module tutorials across the employability pathway include specific PC3 (personalised curriculum creation through coaching) coaching which encourages the personal and professional of each student.

Traditional support, in the form of lecture and seminar activities/material are always uploaded to X-Stream quickly and the University’s email system is always the preferred communication tool of the staff.

2. Appropriate: We liaise with STARS and students via sign up tutorial sheets on our doors and modular tutorials every semester. We use a non credit-bearing module on X-Stream for all students and hold regular time tabled level meetings.

3. Effective: Our effectiveness is measured through consistent admissions, which are; 85 in 2008, 80 in 2009, 75 in 2010 and 140 in 2011, we are one of the fastest growing University courses with our 2012 intake, up a further 30%.

“There was a noticeable increase in students' marks for ‘real life’ assignments, suggesting an increase in student performance when there is an ‘external’ incentive” (Morgan, 2009)

‘Teaching’ highlights from the 2011 NSS results:

45 4. Reflective: Students reflect using Kolb’s, 1984, Gibbs, 1998 and John’s, 2000

frameworks as early as field week. Students’ embed these in their e-portfolios and revisit them in other modules. Electronic podcasts capture digital reflections, group coaching and ‘buddy’ coaching between first year and final year students.

5. Transformative: We work with Local, National and International partners to establish volunteering and WBL opportunities and two level 5 students have recently returned from the Common Wealth Games in India.

The teaching on my course

1. Staff are good at explaining things.

3. Staff are enthusiastic about what they are teaching.

46 7.11 Use of VLE

The VLE is integrated into every module in a variety of ways and is the central point of contact between students and staff.

Increasingly, it is used as a communication tool where students can access emails, feedback (MP3s), e-portfolios, reminders and replay etc.

The VLE is also used for:

 A repository of teaching resources;

 An essential ‘touch point’ for our external examiner who also has access to review students’ work, e-portfolio entries and assessments etc;

 A vehicle to display lecture presentations and seminar notes;

 A permanent non-credit bearing module with access for every level;

 Electronic submission;

 Synchronous and asynchronous interactions online such as discussion boards and chat rooms;

 To conduct online formative assessments e.g. multiple choice tests;

 Monitoring student engagement through level of engagement in online activities and usage statistics;

 To provide formative and summative feedback.