Sport and Exercise Psychology BSc Welcome Pack
Welcome to Sport and Exercise Psychology BSc 2023.
I am delighted to welcome you to the first year of study on our undergraduate programme in Sport and Exercise Psychology. This course focuses on the factors affecting sport performance psychology and exercise and physical activity participation and covers the main historical and many of the contemporary issues associated within the fields of sport and exercise psychology.
The course is as practically oriented as possible, and you will have opportunities within your modules to put many of the theories, approaches, techniques, and methods into practice. You will cover six modules in your first year of study (listed below), three in the first semester and three in the second. Your assessments are created to enable you to show us how you are able to apply your learning to real-world situations a sport and exercise psychologist would encounter.
All of the modules below have been created with a strong emphasis on active blended learning, the point of which is to encourage you to engage in and take ownership of your learning – we very much want you to be in the driving seat of your learning, and we are committed to supporting your success for the future. We’re looking forward to joining you on your academic journey.
Your first semester (September 2023-January 2024) will involve the following modules:
- SPO1039 – How to be successful (Module Leader – Dr Rob Lyon)
- PSY1003 – Introduction to Psychology (Module Leader – Alex Wilson)
- SPO1024 – Introduction to Sport and Exercise Psychology (Module Leader – Dr Rob Lyon)
Your second semester (February 2024-May 2024) will involve the following modules:
- SPO1051 – Doing Sport and Exercise Psychology in a Digital Age (Module Leader – Dr Mairi Mulvenna)
- SPO1057 – Introduction to Motor Learning and Skill Acquisition (Module Leader – Lee Waters)
- PSY1006 – Becoming A Psychologist (Module Leader – Dr Alasdair Gordon Findlayson)
Your Programme Leader
Dr Robert Lyon
Senior Lecturer Exercise and Health Psychology
Welcome and Induction Session
We understand that going to university represents a huge change to your life and can be incredibly exciting but also quite daunting.
To support your first steps into the world of higher education specifically at UON, we have created an online support session for you to attend just for your programme to find out what’s what – from where to go on your first days and weeks of study, to where to find the library and other learning resources.
This is an excellent opportunity to ask us any nagging questions you may have about the programme. The big thing you’ll often hear me say is ‘there’s no such thing as a stupid question, except the one you don’t ask’, so whatever you need to know, never be afraid to ask.
Equipment
You are not required to purchase any mandatory kit or textbooks to start this course – all learning resources are provided for you. In addition to this, you may have the option of choosing one of three offers when you begin your studies – a free HP laptop, £500 off Halls accommodation, or ‘campus credits’. It’s your choice but the laptop would be our recommendation because of the nature of your study and because your programme requires you to use a variety of academic software.
As with all sport-related courses, you may require sportwear for times when you find yourselves in the sports dome or fitness labs. We do provide you with a very cool free sport t-shirt, branded to your specific programme, and you can purchase further programme-specific kit from Kit Locker. While this is not compulsory, we do encourage students to consider purchasing an additional pair of tracksuit bottoms/leggings for practical teaching circumstances and for times when you may be representing your course and institution e.g. sporting events, etc.
Enhancing skills, building networks and engaging in the wider University community
In order to enhance your networking and engagement in the wider academic communities relevant to your studies, it would be a great idea to create a number of social network profiles such as LinkedIn, X, and Researchgate. Part of the benefit of this is that you are able to develop contacts with a world-wide range of academics relevant to your field.
Many of these academics post content about the most current research they are involved with, and many of the academics at UON post relevant content they come across that will potentially help your studies. This is particularly the case with your programme lead for Sport and Exercise Psychology – I post relevant content on X for modules I teach at level 4, 5, and 6.
Developing your network can also help you with finding placement positions, full- and part-time jobs and future employment. You do not have to do this, but it can help your future development in what is a highly competitive field, and I’d encourage you to take every opportunity to give yourselves an edge. We have sport and psychology-specific network groups you can join and I’d encouraged to link in with or follow as many of the tutors on your programme as you can.
In addition, the University of Northampton Students’ Union has clubs and societies, sports and other social activities which you can join, as well as provide support, information and guidance.