Sport Sciences Education in the Digital Age

Higher Certificate in Sport Science students during community engagement

Most teaching and learning in the Higher Certificate in Sports Sciences (HCSS) took place online and students attended online lectures on Wednesdays, which created a flexible teaching and learning environment. However, the introduction of emergency remote learning raised several questions and posed challenges for the HCSS students and lecturers. Leepile Motlhaolwa (Humanities Education, where the higher certificate is offered) states that they were not only concerned about adapting curriculum delivery, but also about student academic performance, achieving learning outcomes, and being able to engage the students, all while ensuring that assessment, teaching and learning remained effective. The speed of the move to remote learning required lecturers to be responsive and design an innovative approach to teaching and learning, especially in respect of the sports practical module, JRC 150.

Students were unable to participate physically in sport; therefore, it was difficult for the majority of students to continue with sports practical work. Different remote teaching and learning modalities were explored to ensure that lecturers and other staff could reach their students, address assessment concerns, and provide students with opportunities to access academic content so they could participate effectively during scheduled online lectures.

To overcome some of the challenges in the sports practical modules and ensure that the student online learning experience would be enhanced, lecturers incorporated video creation in assessments. The videos were used in the assessment as a means of scaffolding student progress, in conjunction with other assessment methods. Groups of students created most of the videos collaboratively. The activities included students creating podcasts or videos focusing on exercises that could be used to improve technical skills in sport. The students video-recorded themselves applying training principles and uploaded the videos using Google Drive or YouTube channels, to receive feedback from peers. In other instances, students were given different topics to research, with some basic content and guidelines, then asked to create a video and share it with other students. The assessment was not based on the quality of the video but on the quality of the content. Furthermore, the guidelines and assessment criteria were discussed with the students, which made it easier for them to create the videos. Video creation as an assessment tool proved to be effective; however, the introduction of videos in the assessment had its challenges, and lecturers were required to be flexible in their approach and support students who struggled with using technology. such as that these students had pre-existing technological skills and would be comfortable with skills in digital media and video creation. Not all the students were comfortable with creating video, however. Some students had limited technology skills as well as limited resources and infrastructure to create and access the videos. Students who encountered problems creating videos needed academic support and clear guidance in terms of the assessment criteria and flexibility.

The tutor’s role was critical in guiding and providing academic support to the students. Tutors not only acted as transmitters of knowledge but contributed enormously to the facilitation of learning by encouraging collaboration and social interaction among the students.

A good assessment choice will always enhance and support student learning; therefore, using videos as part of the assessment was one of the important tools in teaching and learning. The process required proper planning and was time-consuming, especially the grading. It was most important to align the learning outcomes, learning activities and assessment methods. Using video for assessment was not only fun and interactive but enabled students to gain increased competence and efficacy in using technology. On the other hand, it provided lecturers with the opportunity to monitor student progress.