SPCO204-25S1 (D) Semester One 2025 (Distance)

Biomechanics

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 17 February 2025
End Date: Sunday, 22 June 2025
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 2 March 2025
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 11 May 2025

Description

Gain knowledge of the mechanical principles governing movement, with application to a range of sporting and other movement contexts. The course will explore biomechanical concepts through both tutorial-based and practical activities, equipping students to analyse and assess movement from both qualitative and quantitative viewpoints.

This course will introduce basic biomechanics concepts, and apply these to a wide range of sports. Each week the two-hour lecture will be supported by a practical experience in the sport science lab or gym or a tutorial where students will have a chance to put skills into action.

Course content includes:
- Exploration of how biomechanical principles can be used to improve performance and reduce injury risk in sports;
- Using a range of technologies used in research and applied practice to analyse movement;
- Exploration of the uses of biomechanics for athletes, coaches and sports scientists.

Students will be invited to apply their knowledge to their own sporting contexts, and challenged to explore to deepen their understanding of less familiar sports.

This course is supported by a workbook which is provided online as a pdf resource and contains notes, worked examples and practice problems.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Describe and explain linear and angular motion in sporting contexts;
2. Describe levers, axes and joint actions using anatomical terminology in sporting contexts;
3. Interpret qualitative and quantitative data for the analysis of fundamental sporting movements;
4. Apply the principles of human motion to selected sporting activities.

Prerequisites

SPCO104 or SPRT104

Course Coordinator

Hannah Eve Wyatt

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Weekly Quiz 20% There are 10 assessed quizzes. These are worth 2% each. You can attempt these quizzes after the weekly workshop and must complete it before the next week's lecture.
Mid-Sem Test 40% Occurs during week 7 of this course. It covers all the material from Term 1. Duration 3 hours. This is an Online LEARN based closed book exam for all students. Respondus and Lockdown browser must be installed on your computer.
Final Exam (online) 40% Occurs during the official exam period at the end of the 1st semester. It covers all the material from Term 2. Duration 3 hours. This is an Online LEARN based closed book exam for all students. Respondus and Lockdown browser must be installed on your computer. Check the UC examination timetable for date and time. Keep up to date through this link: http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/exams/

Textbooks / Resources

Recommended Reading

Carr, Gerald A; Sport mechanics for coaches ; 2nd ed; Human Kinetics, 2004.

Hall, Susan J; Basic biomechanics ; 6th ed; McGraw-Hill, 2011.

McGinnis, Peter Merton; Biomechanics of sport and exercise ; 2nd ed; Human Kinetics, 2005.

This course is supported by a Workbook which is provided online as a pdf resource and contains notes, worked examples and practice problems.

Additional Course Outline Information

Academic integrity

All forms of cheating and dishonest practice are taken seriously and penalties will result. Students should refer to General Course and Examination Regulation J: Dishonest Practice and Breach of Instructions.

Assessment and grading system

Grading Scale
Grade    GPA Value        Marks
A+              9            90 – 100
A                8            85 – 89.99
A-               7            80 – 84.99
B+              6            75 – 79.99
B                5            70 – 74.99
B-               4            65 – 69.99
C+              3            60 – 64.99
C                2            55 – 59.99
C-               1            50 – 54.99
D                0            40 – 49.99
E               -1             0 – 39.99

A pass is 50 marks and over.

Attendance

Due to the carefully planned learning progressions within courses and the workshop type nature of most on-campus classes, all on-campus students are expected to attend all sessions. Distance students should watch recorded sessions, and interact with other material provided by their lecturer shortly after it is made available through LEARN or other methods. This will ensure that you do not miss vital information which will allow you to make sense of the course content. If you are going to miss on-campus classes you are expected to email the course lecturer, catch up on missed work through classmates, view recordings, readings and other supplementary material provided.  In special cases, the course lecturer may provide additional support for you.

Evaluation

Students will be asked to complete course evaluations, and will have the opportunity to provide feedback during their courses. Surveys are conducted electronically and are confidential. The Faculty of Health will conduct regular graduate surveys.

Grade moderation

All course assessments in the Bachelor of Sport are internally moderated.  A sample of your work may be used as part of this moderation process. Regular examiners meetings monitor the distribution of final grades in courses and adjustments are made if necessary to ensure reasonable consistency and comparability of course grades.

Late submission of work

An assessment is late if it is handed in after the due date, without a formal extension.  If an assessment is submitted after the due date, 5% will be deducted from the final grade for every day the assessment is late.  No assessments will be accepted after a period of 3 days after the due date, unless an extension has been granted.

Notes

The award regulations for the Bachelor of Sport can be found within the UC Calendar.  The UC calendar is available online here. The specific award regulations for the degree can be found here.
The Faculty of Health guidelines, which contain specific information regarding the Faculty grading scale, late work, extensions, submission of work, reconsideration of grades, Special Consideration procedures, academic integrity, and moderation of assessment can be found here.
The specific assessment details for each course, including assessment dates, can be found here.

Other specific requirements

All written assessment tasks and presentations must be referenced according to APA convention. (Information relating to APA referencing can be obtained from both the Central and Education Libraries.) Most assignments must be submitted online. Online submission requires students to formally acknowledge that what they are submitting is their own work. Hardcopy submissions must be accompanied by a completed cover sheet (available from the course lecturer).

Requests for extensions

Students who cannot complete assessments by the due date should discuss their situation with the course lecturer. Where circumstances are known in advance, the student should discuss these with the course lecturer at least one week days prior to the assessment due date. In circumstances where this is not appropriate, the student should discuss their situation with the course lecturer as soon as possible.

Resubmissions

To pass this course you are required to gain an overall average grade of C- (50%) or better across all assessments. No resubmissions are available for this course.

Special Consideration

The specific assessment details for each course, including assessment dates, can be found here.

Partial Exemption from Assessment

If you are wishing to apply for partial exemption from assessment in a course (e.g. if you are repeating a course and you have previously passed one or more assessments from within the course, and do not wish to write this assessment again) you may apply for this using the form: Application for Partial Exemption from Assessment

Where to submit and collect work

Electronic Submission via LEARN (all on campus and distance students)
All students must submit their assessment via the online assessment system in the Learn (Moodle) class site, on or before the due date.  All submitted assessment work will be screened by the software Turnitin, to check for plagiarism.  There is opportunity for students to submit a draft report to monitor levels of plagiarism prior to the final submission for marking.

It is the responsibility of the students to check their Internet access and ability to submit their work via the online system.  Any technical difficulties should be notified well in advance of the due date so that assistance can be provided or alternative arrangements can be negotiated. For ICT help call our free call number 0508 UC IT HELP (0508 824 843) or on 03 369 5000.Monday to  Friday, 8am to 5pm (excluding public and university holidays).

Hard Copy Submission for On-Campus Students
Where your course lecturer requires a hardcopy submission, on campus students’ assignments are to be submitted with a cover sheet to the Sport & Physical Education office, (behind the Rec Centre) by 5.00pm, or by the time directed by the course lecturer, on or before the due date. Please use the drop box placed at the entrance to School office. Distance students will receive specific instructions from their course lecturer. Marked assignments will be returned directly from the lecturer.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,036.00

International fee $5,188.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see School of Health Sciences .

All SPCO204 Occurrences

  • SPCO204-25S1 (C) Semester One 2025
  • SPCO204-25S1 (D) Semester One 2025 (Distance)