Modules
- Data analysis, interpretation and presentation;
- Qualitative and quantitative research methods in sport sciences: philosophical and ethical issues, developing and presenting the problem, formulating the methodology;
- Epidemiological and biomedical-oriented studies in health and preventive physical activity.
Content of the course
- Inferential statistics – theory and practice;
- Validity, reliability, sensitivity, relevance – Practical applications;
- Reporting research results – theory and practice;
- Hands-on practice using experimental data;
- Descriptive statics, Inferential statistics, Written and oral presentation;
- Theory of sport science – an introduction;
- Classic positions in the theory of science: inductivism, falsificationism, paradigms;
- Philosophical and ethical consideration in research design and management of results ;
- Paradigms in the sport sciences: respect for persons and informed consent;
- Implications for student projects – discussion and group presentations.
- Research methods: planning, design, data acquisition & signal processing;
- Experimental and quasi-experimental research.
- Research methods in sport sciences: knowledge and methodology;
- Literature search: theoretical and practical work.
- Problem & hypothesis work;
- How to prepare a research proposal – planning of potential thesis projects;
- Research methods & statistics for the social sciences: theory and practical applications.
- Research Methods in Sport Biology.
- Epidemiology and statistics in health related sciences – Statistical application in epidemiology ad meta-analysis.
- Exploitation of digital innovation in exercise sciences
Additional tools
- English Academic Writing (Blended);
- Italian for International students (Blended);
- Orientation Seminar to 2nd year activities.
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, and condensed e-learning, distance tutoring, and individual study of 3,5 weeks, including 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
In addition, formative assessment is embedded 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. A compulsory formative assessment in advanced statistics is performed at the end of the first module.
The study program allows the responsible use of artificial intelligence tools: their use for language editing is permitted, while generative use is prohibited. 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), and it is meant to reflect the student’s mastery of the unit content and her/his 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 individual research proposal written in the form of a short essay, based on a topic randomly assigned to each student.
The test verifies the knowledge acquired by the student with respect the whole module content throughout the lecture’s attendance and the individual study.
The essay refers to a 3-5 pages (1.500 – 1.800 words) manuscript. It must represent in an individual and original way the critical thinking of the student with respect to the assigned topic, demonstrating also the student’s capability to integrate and apply various knowledge. A template for the development of the research proposal is available in the Moodle Learning Platform. Available time: 40hrs (oral defence?)
For both Test and Essay, the program makes use of the online instruments available in the “Foro Italico” Moodle Learning Platform.
18 out of 30 points is the minimum threshold for both test and essay. The final mark will result from the following formula:
[(Essay’s points x 2.2) + Test’s points]/3
Study Material
Study material (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: 80
- Practical teaching and online learning: 50 + 18*
- Individual study: 203
- Exam: 42
*delivered during the three previous courses
Multidisciplinary components
- Bioengineering and informatics (ING-INF/06, ECTS 4)
- Informatics (INF/01, ECTS 1)
- Medical statistics (MED/01, ECTS 2)
- General psychology (M.PSI/01, ECTS 1)
- Experimental Biology (BIO/13, ECTS 2)
- Methods and didactics of movement sciences (M-EDF/01, ECTS 5)
- Foreign language (L-LIN/02, ECTS 0)
