Enrolments for 2020 have closed.
Athlete Development: Strategies, Capabilities and Wellbeing
Postgraduate | ACU-EXSC659 | 2020
Course information for 2020 intake View information for 2024 course intake
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- Part of a degree
- Duration
- -
FEE-HELP available
Athlete Development: Strategies, Capabilities and Wellbeing
About this subject
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Critique the management of elite athletes from an individual human needs perspective
- Understand careers in sport within the framework of the total human lifespan and from a perspective of respect for the individual and human dignity
- Recognise the interactions of athletic, individual, societal, and academic/vocational factors in the developmental transitions through which athletes progress
- Apply a holistic perspective for athlete well-being when developing strategies to achieve optimal performance in the short, medium and longer term
- Sport as a Career - The historical context – the evolution of western sports systems, from the cold war to globalisation.
- Sport as a Career - The sports field as a regulated industrial workplace – the role of the player associations, collective bargaining, etc.
- Sport as a Career - When the fulltime whistle blows – the focus on Athlete Career Education (ACE) and the dual career notion.
- Expected capabilities - Holistic development of the athlete – the athlete as person.
- Expected capabilities - Preparing the body – systems that impact on performance
- Expected capabilities - Psychological needs and appropriate support
- The athlete brand - The meaning of a personal brand
- The athlete brand - Identifying relevant personal and sport related brand attributes
- The athlete brand - Meeting employer and market expectations as an athlete
- The athlete brand - The athlete as a person - could this be a source of competitive advantage?
The development of elite sports systems has traditionally focused on the optimal performance of the athlete. Increasingly however sport has been faced with the need to consider the development of its ‘star performers’ from a much more holistic and ‘human’ perspective. This subject will highlight the importance of an understanding of sport as the context and the athlete as a person to the effectiveness of the sport scientist and administrator.
This subject aims to address the issue of holistic athlete development from three perspectives. Firstly, from an organisational perspective of the structures that have developed within Australian sport to cater for the needs of athletes both on and beyond the playing field. Secondly, from the perspective of the legal and ethical responsibilities which sport is obliged to assume for the well-being of its employees. Thirdly, a more strategic perspective is adopted which draws on contemporary human resources knowledge to propose an array of benefits that can accrue to organisations that develop and implement an athlete welfare program that is based on recognising the human dignity of the athlete and the spirit of sport.
In order to best enable students to achieve unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes, standards-based assessment is utilised, consistent with University assessment requirements. A range of assessment strategies are used
- Written Assignment (30%)
- Quizzes (30%)
- Business Case (40%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
Established in 1991 after amalgamating four eastern Australian Catholic tertiary institutes, Australian Catholic University now has seven campuses, from Brisbane to Melbourne and welcomes students of all beliefs. Specialising in arts, business, education, health sciences, law, theology and philosophy, ACU encourages its students to think critically and ethically and bring change to their communities and offer this online through Open Universities Australia.
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- QS Ranking 2024:
- 34
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 29
Entry requirements
To enrol in this subject, you must be admitted into a degree.
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.