Content of the course
- Movement therapy and the ICF classification – Professional fields;
- Immobilisation;
- Injuries of the upper and lower extremities;
- Sensomotoric system;
- Gait training and coordination;
- Muscle Training for Special Populations/ Training with Devices (Theory and Practical Application): – Aquatherapy – Practical applications lower and upper extremities;
- Musculoskeletal disorders and sports activity Joint diseases: acute and overuse injuries;
- Basics of disabled sports and medical aspects of different disabilities and practical applications;
- Cancer and Sport;
- Biology of aging;
- Physical dimensions and individual differences with age;
- Socio-pedagogical issues on physical health and Skeletal muscle function, fatigue, and metabolism: effects of disuse and diseases;
- Age-related changes in cardiovascular and neuromuscular systems;
- Functional ability – testing procedures and association with adverse health outcomes;
- Aging in the sensory system and postural control;
- Exercise Prescription in aging populations;
- Physical activity for older adults – interdisciplinary approaches;
- Exercise and cognitive functions.
Additional tools
- Practice in statistics;
- English Academic Writing (Blended);
- Italian for International students (Blended).
Teaching and Learning Methodology
The course, entirely in English, is designed to foster the development of autonomous learning skills, a central objective of the program. It is structured as an Intensive course with a condensed blended, in-campus teaching period of 3.5 weeks, which includes lectures, seminars, practical sessions, and student-led presentations, as well as condensed e-learning, distance tutoring, and individual study over 3.5 weeks, culminating in an examination.
Traditional face-to-face instruction is supported by online resources available through the Foro Italico University e-learning platform. These materials—such as selected readings, educational videos, and external references—are not intended to replace classroom teaching, but rather to serve as essential components of the learning process. They are used to:
- Prepare students for active and engaged participation in face-to-face sessions;
- Offer opportunities for further independent study and deeper exploration of key topics.
Additionally, formative assessment is integrated throughout the course. Activities such as in-class discussions, low-stakes group work, and interactive tools (e.g., clicker questions) are employed to provide ongoing feedback, support understanding, and promote the progressive development of subject-specific skills.
The study program allows for the responsible use of artificial intelligence tools, permitting their use for language editing, while prohibiting their generative use. The University’s Code of Conduct and Academic Integrity regulations apply.
Learning assessment method
The assessment occurs at the end of the curricular unit (7 weeks). It is meant to reflect the student’s mastery of the unit content and their capability to integrate and apply various knowledge.
The assessment method includes:
- Test: up to 10 multiple-choice and /or open questions on the entire module program
- An individually written short essay on a topic assigned randomly to the student.
The test verifies the knowledge acquired by the student concerning the entire module content, encompassing both lecture attendance and individual study.
The essay refers to an in-class or a 3-5 pages (1.000 – 1.800 words) manuscript. It must represent, in an individual and original way, the student’s critical thinking concerning the chosen topic, demonstrating also the student’s capability to integrate and apply various knowledge. Essay general guidelines are available in the Moodle Learning Platform. Available time: 4 hrs or 24 hrs. (Oral defense?)
For both the Test and Essay, the program utilizes the online instruments available in the “Foro Italico” Moodle Learning Platform.
A score of 18 out of 30 points is the minimum threshold for both the test and the essay. The final mark will result from the following formula:
[(Essay’s points x 2.2) + Test’s points]/3
Study Material
Study materials (mainly PDF files of the literature and monography) and virtual rooms for discussions between students and students and staff, is made available on the e-learn platform of Foro Italico University.
Credits
The programme adopts the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) for the teaching units, with 1 ECTS = 25 hr student workload. As a rule, 1 contact hr will be held to correspond to ~3 hr of student’s individual work, accounting for intensity of teaching, amount of study materials, essays to write, exams, etc. For the evaluation of academic progress, the ECTS grading scale will be adopted within the consortium.
Student’s work loads (Total 375 hours)
Lectures and seminars: 72
Practical teaching and online learning: 61
Individual study: 216-237
Exam: 5-26
Multidisciplinary components
- Experimental Biology (BIO/13, ECTS 1)
- Exercise Physiology (BIO/09, 1 ECTS)
- Theories and science of education and social education (M-PED/01, ECTS 4)
- Diseases of the musculoskeletal system (MED/33, ECTS 3)
- Methods and didactics of movement sciences (M-EDF/01, ECTS 6)
- Foreign language (L-LIN/02, ECTS 0)
