Aims

The field of human biomechanics concerns itself with how internal and external forces act on the body to create or resist movement. Biomechanical principles are regularly applied to improve exercise and sporting performance; better understand the underlying mechanisms of pathology and guide treatment; and in the design of sporting equipment and medical devices.

This module introduces the principles of biomechanics; presents ways in which they can be applied to human movement in clinical and sporting contexts; and demonstrates a range of industry standard tools which are used to assess the biomechanics of human movement.

Outline Of Syllabus

The syllabus comprises of three key aspects taught concurrently:

i) fundamental principles of biomechanics;

ii) how these biomechanical principles are applied in clinical and sporting contexts; and

iii) methods of assessing the biomechanics of human movement.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures and lecture materials and associated formative exercises introduce and reinforce key concepts of the module in support of the knowledge outcomes. Practical sessions are designed to provide students with hands on use of biomechanics equipment. These practical sessions will help consolidate student understanding of fundamental principles, support the development of skills outcomes relating to team work and inter-personal communication, and give them a degree of familiarity with industry standard equipment. Additional workshops will teach students how to process, analyse and illustrate biomechanical data. Students will be introduced to mathematics support services such as MathsAid. Two revision workshops will be run to give students the opportunity to practice exam-style questions and revise material prior to the exam.

Formative problem solving exercises posted online and during in-person workshops will let students practice their biomechanical problem solving skills throughout the module, and so are designed to build the student confidence and the ability to comprehend the underlying biomechanical concepts. The revision sessions provide students with an opportunity to practice exam-style questions and also consolidate knowledge they have gained prior to summative examination.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

A single examination will assess the learning outcomes as well as skills outcomes in relation to calculating basic biomechanical parameters and explaining how biomechanics is applied to human movement. The exam will be scheduled at the end of the semester and assess content from both lectures and practical sessions.

A single practical report will assess the student’s ability to assess and communicate the biomechanics of human movement. In doing so, the students will demonstrate a working knowledge of: i) the fundamentals of biomechanics; and ii) how these fundamentals can be applied to the study of human movement.

Students studying on BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Sciences must submit all module assessment components and obtain an overall mark of 40 or above to pass the module – see the programme regulations and handbook for further detail.