Unit Outline

A cornerstone to the profession of human movement is an understanding of how people move. The ability to understand and explain how people learn motor skills is at the core of successful physical activity program design. An understanding of the main themes of skill acquisition provides the human movement professional with the tools to teach and correct movement. Knowing how people learn a motor skill allows the human movement professional to solve movement problems. The knowledge gained in this unit provides foundational understanding needed in units in pedagogy and exercise prescription.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Identify key variables of motor learning and explain their role in motor skill acquisition within professional practice
2	Differentiate between performance improvements and motor learning by evaluating and applying appropriate methods for testing, measuring, and interpreting these concepts in both research and applied settings
3	Critically evaluate key theories and hypotheses proposed by leading researchers to explain motor learning, considering their implications for professional practice
4	Apply digital skills to construct a portfolio that demonstrates evidence-based professional growth and supports lifelong learning within a specified area of interest

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	ESP160 or EDU104

Alterations as a result of student feedback

In response to student feedback, assessment tasks and tutorial activities have been updated to be available for remote students.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Portfolio Part A – Establishing a Baseline for Motor Skill Assessment	Week 4	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Portfolio Part B – Motor Skill Performance Intervention Planning	Week 9	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Portfolio Part C – Measuring Motor Learning Within a Professional Context	Week 13	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Portfolio Part A – Establishing a Baseline for Motor Skill Assessment

Task Description:

In this first stage of your portfolio, you will establish the foundation for your motor skill assessment. This process will help you define your professional context, a target sample of learners, identify a relevant motor skill, and develop a strategy for measuring performance.

Task Length:

800 words + MS Excel spreadsheet

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Describe the professional context, target learners, and selected motor skill	LO1
2	Explain the chosen test for measure motor skill performance	LO2
3	Justify the choice of outcome variable(s) for measurement in relation to professional practice	LO1, LO2
4	Create a MS Excel spreadsheet containing ‘mock’ baseline outcome and demographic data of 10 learners	LO4

Assessment Task 2: Portfolio Part B – Motor Skill Performance Intervention Planning

Task Description:

In this second stage of your portfolio, you will build upon your baseline assessment (Part A) by developing and refining an intervention plan aimed at improving the performance of your chosen population. You will work iteratively over five weeks to design and enhance your intervention plan, incorporating principles of practice, feedback, and memory strategies.

Task Length:

1000 words

Due Date:

Week 9

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Develop an intervention plan that builds on the baseline assessment and targets motor skill performance improvements	LO1, LO2
2	Apply principles of practice, feedback, and memory strategies to support motor learning	LO1, LO2, LO3
3	Justify the intervention approach by referencing relevant motor learning concepts and professional practice considerations	LO1, LO2, LO3
4	Demonstrate digital skills by creating a structured record of the intervention process using an appropriate tool (e.g., MS Excel)	LO4

Assessment Task 3: Portfolio Part C – Measuring Motor Learning Within a Professional Context

Task Description:

In this final stage of your portfolio, you will demonstrate how your assessment strategy (Part A) and intervention plan (Part B) will be used to delineate performance improvements from actual motor learning in your target sample of learners. Adding to your MS Excel spreadsheet from Part A you will illustrate these performance and learning outcomes by creating a line graph.

Task Length:

1200 words + MS Excel Figure

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Create MS Excel figure (line graph) illustrating baseline measurements, training progress, post-test measurements, and learning measurements	LO4
2	Discuss the impact of different practice, feedback, and memory strategies on motor learning	LO1, LO2, LO3
3	Evaluate motor learning theories by discussing their application to the intervention and assessment strategy	LO1, LO2, LO3
4	Justify the effectiveness of selected motor learning strategies based on research and expected outcomes	LO1, LO2, LO3
5	Reflect on alternative approaches and future applications for optimising motor skill development	LO3, LO4

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials