Module Directory

The placement offers hands-on experience working as a coach, tutor or support practitioner to develop your underpinning knowledge of key applied practice in coaching. This module centres around a coaching placement where you are supported by a placement supervisor and University of Essex staff. Students will evidence a reflective approach to develop their expertise and practice. You will develop your; core skills / competencies (communication, problem solving, management and professional behaviour) and critically appraise practitioner perspectives within sport coaching.

The module will also give you the opportunity to develop yourself as a theoretically astute practitioner. You will draw on contemporary sport coaching theory to reflect on, and plan for, your work-based interactions and practices. Through regular intervals of critical dialogue with peers and mentors, coupled with reflection, you will be supported to effectively navigate the everyday realities of sport coaching employment.

The aims of this module are:

• To enable students to apply, evaluate and analyse approaches to developing themselves as professionals.


• To enable students to apply, evaluate and analyse approaches to developing others such as service users and peers in a variety of contexts.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. Demonstrate an advanced knowledge and understanding of a broad range of factors influencing coaching practice.


2. Identify and critically evaluate opportunities to promote coaching and development within a variety of coaching settings.


3. Critically evaluate a range of interventions that can be utilised when working collaboratively with service users, peers and the inter-professional team.


4. Critically evaluate their evolving scope of practice and preparedness for qualified practice.


5. Independently identify opportunities to develop scope of practice further upon placement.


6. Effectively communicate, in a structured and coherent manner, the evolution of their practice, critically reflecting on its impact and implications for future professional development and innovation in the field.

Indicative Content:

• CPD and development of own needs;


• Impact of development on self and others;


• The use of peer feedback in development of self;


• In-situ coach development tools; 


• Disruption to practice through discourse; 


• Decision-making at all levels;


• Emotional intelligence;


• Social / Sociological Theory;


• Micropolitical Astuteness;


• Impression Management and Teamwork;


• Preparation of self for placement;


• Mandatory training (1st week practical);


• Peer feedback and coaching (formative assessment)

This module will be delivered via:

• A mixture of lectures, workshops, drop in sessions and independent learning.