Physical Education, Sport and Society (9893.1)

Please note these are the 2026 details for this unit
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Physical Education, Sport and Society
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods On-campus
 Bruce, Canberra
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Education
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
School Of Teacher Education Level 4 - Undergraduate Advanced Unit Band 1 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 1 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
This unit is the final sequential unit relating specifically to the physical education strand. Students are challenged to examine how Health and Physical Education connects to broader issues within society. Students explore the historical, philosophical and sociological connections between physical education and sport and how this connection has influenced various discourses within Health and Physical Education. Students explore the history of various sports, with a focus on aquatics, athletics, dance and gymnastics. Themes of inequality are identified such as gender, sexuality, homophobia, segregation, and ethnicity and students consider how these themes may appear in schools. Students are challenged to develop contemporary inclusive strategies for delivery in Health and Physical Education across all physical education movement themes using the sociocultural approach.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Understand how HPE connects to broader issues within society;

2. Understand the historical, philosophical and sociological connections between physical education and sport;
3. Understand how historical, philosophical and sociological connections between physical education and sport have influenced various discourses within HPE;
4. Understand the history of various sports, including aquatics, athletics, dance and gymnastics;
5. Understand influencing discourses in sport and physical education;
6. Identify themes of inequality; gender, sexuality, homophobia, segregation, ethnicity;
7. Understand how themes of inequality may appear in schools;
8. Understand how the sociocultural approach can cater for diversity and inclusion; and
9. Understand how strategies bring to students and other teachers awareness, inequalities that may exist in schools.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas


Prerequisites

Must have passed 72 credit points including 9916 Sociocultural Foundations For HPE In Schools AND 9872 Health and Wellbeing AND 9861 Contemporary Physical Activities.

Corequisites

Must be enrolled in Primary Education (H&PE), 324JA OR
Secondary Education (H&PE), 330JA.


Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

None.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 16 February 2026 On-campus Mr Dylan Hunt
The information provided should be used as a guide only. Timetables may not be finalised until week 2 of the teaching period and are subject to change. Search for the unit timetable.

Required texts

There is no required text for this unit. 

Directed reading and additional resources will be made available on the unit Canvas site.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Approval of extenuating circumstances will be dependent upon the production of supporting documentation and at the discretion of the unit convener.

All assessment items required to be submitted online must be submitted via the appropriate Canvas drop box. It is the student's responsibility to upload the correct and corresponding draft or assessment item to the right submission section. Assignments must be submitted in a format accessible to the assessor(s), as stated on the relevant canvas site. If the unit convener and/or tutor are unable to access a submission, or if no submission has been made by the due date and time, a standard late penalty of 10% of the total marks possible for the task may be applied per day, for three days, after which the submission will receive a score of ‘0' in keeping with UC's Assessment Policy.

 

Artificial Intelligence

Students are not allowed to use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in assessments for this unit.

Where the assessment instructions do not specifically state that GenAI may be used and how, then its use is not allowed for that assessment. If students are unsure, they should seek advice from the Unit Convener.

Students should be aware that the University of Canberra utilises GenAI detection software. Suspected instances of unauthorised GenAI use may lead to a Learning Validation Conversation' designed to provide assurance that a student is able to demonstrate relevant knowledge and skills to meet required learning outcomes. Students who are suspected of having misused GenAI in assessment may be required to attend a summary inquiry for suspected misconduct.

It is strongly recommended that students keep records of the development process for all works submitted for assessment, or drafts of work submitted for a work-in-progress review, in a learning portfolio or equivalent. Failure to provide evidence of the development process for assessment may influence a suspicion of GenAI misuse or other forms of academic misconduct. 

The GenAI for Students Library Guide provides further information, including how to reference GenAI.

Special assessment requirements

Normally an aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the unit. 

Provision of valid documentation

Please note that the University takes student conduct very seriously. All documentation provided to University staff must be valid and the provision of fraudulent documentation carries with it potentially serious consequences, including suspension and/or exclusion from the University. Note that all allegations of student misconduct will be referred to the Associate Dean for Education (ADE) as a prescribed authority for investigation.

Turnitin will be used in this unit to help you improve your academic work and to detect plagiarism. Turnitin is software that matches submitted text in your assignment submissions against material from various sources: the internet, published books and journals, and previously submitted student texts. Turnitin helps you improve your academic writing skills by helping you to identify accidental plagiarism. 

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

The workload (150 hours) breakdown for this unit is as follows:

  • 30 hours face to face teaching delivery
  • 60 hours assessment tasks
  • 60 hours student study

Participation requirements

There is a strong correlation between participation and success in higher education. Your participation in on-campus workshops and your engagement with online activities will enhance your understanding of this unit's content and therefore the quality of your assessment responses. Lack of participation may result in your inability to satisfactorily pass assessment items.

Successful engagement with all learning activities in this accredited Initial Teacher Education course is necessary to demonstrate that you have met the Graduate career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL, 2011).

It is expected that pre-service teachers will arrive at least 5-minutes before their allocated workshop and will work through each workshop in a timely fashion. 

Participation:

Pre-service teachers must be illness and injury free to participate in the weekly practical workshops. Pre-service teachers who are ill are encouraged not to attend their scheduled workshop. Pre-service teachers who are injured will not be able to ‘physically' participate. However, they will still be able to engage in the workshops in other capacities and should attend unless circumstances do not allow them to do so. In the event a pre-service teacher is ill or injured, it is the responsibility of the pre-service teacher to contact their Unit Convener before their scheduled workshop to make adjustments to their learning. 

Worn clothing attire and footwear must be non-restrictive and appropriate for safe participation in physical activity. Before any pre-service teacher participation in physical activity the following two (2) documents must be completed. Both documents can be found on the unit's Canvas site and must be submitted to the dedicated Canvas dropbox:

  1. ESSA Adult Pre-exericse screening system. Complete Stage 1 on page 1 (excluding Question 7). This form will provide information to the Unit Convener about any medical conditions or special considerations they need to be aware of.
     
  2. Physical Activity Unit Consent Form. By completing the Physical Activity Unit Consent Form you acknowledge the requirements of participation in the workshops as stated in the unit outline and on the unit's Canvas site

 

It is a unit requirement that students are mindful of safety considerations in the practical workshops and off-site visits, show appropriate behaviour and follow instructions from staff. Students should also be familiar with the safety requirements in the following Physical Activity policy document available on the Unit Canvas site:

‘Physical Activities Mandatory Procedures'. This document can be found on the right-hand side of the following website.

https://www.education.act.gov.au/publications_and_policies/School-and-Corporate-Policies/school-activities/physical-activities-policy/physical-activities-policy

Required IT skills

University of Canberra entry level IT skills is sufficient.

Artifical Intellignce services must not be used for assessment or assessment preparation by students unless explicitly allowed in the assessment instructions for an assessment task published with the assessment task and/or in the unit outline. That is, an artifical intelligence service may only be used if: 

  • its use is authorised by the unit convener as part of the specified assessment task, and 
  • it is used in the way allowed in the assessment instructions and/or unit outline, and 
  • its use is appropriately referenced, meaning that students must reference the use of AI in their assessment in the same way as they reference other source material.

In-unit costs

There are additional compulsory costs associated with this unit:

1. $20 AUSTSWIM presentation - Aquatics workshop.

2. $10 pool admission fee - Aquatics workshop. 

3. $20 Athletics Australia presentation fee - Athletics workshop

Details of how to pay the above are provided on the units Canvas site.

Students will not be able to complete this unit without paying the above in-unit costs.  

In addition, you will need to:

1.  Purchase a UC HPE polo shirt available from the Student Shop in Building 1 if you do not already have one. This polo shirt must be worn to the off-campus workshops.

2. Have a sunsmart hat for the outdoor practical workshops.

3. A drink bottle.

Work placement, internships or practicums

None

Additional information

Underpinning pedagogical foundations of the unit:

The unit has a strong theoretical foundation that underpins/informs Health and Physical Education practice. Further, the unit convener is an active researcher and is able to share their passion for research in engaging ways.

Communication to student cohort from teaching staff through Canvas:

Notifications through the Canvas Announcements Forum or the Canvas Discussion Forums are deemed to be made to the whole class.

It is the responsibility of pre-service teachers to ensure they check for announcements on the unit's Canvas site. 

Student email communication with teaching staff:

The University Email policy states "students wishing to contact the University via email regarding administrative or academic matters need to send the email from the University account for identity verification purposes". Therefore, all unit enquiries should be emailed using a student university email account. Pre-service teachers should contact servicedesk@canberra.edu.au if they have any issues accessing their university email account. 

In normal circumstance your Unit Convener will reply within 2-3 business days (this excludes weekends). If you have not recieved a reply, please send a friendly follow up email and your Unit Convener will be in touch as soon as possible. 

When using email to communicate with the Unit Convener or teaching staff, you should always make sure that your message contains the following:

  1. An email subject that contains the unit code, and clearly describes the nature of your query or request.

    1. Your Unit Convener receives many emails a day, and also teaches more than one unit, so if your email does not contain the unit code, it is not possible to place your message in context. If the subject does not indicate the nature of the message, it may well remain unanswered.

  2. Change the default setting on your email program to include previous messages in replies, and make sure that previous messages are included in an ongoing exchange. Your Unit Convener deals with many students. Having a copy of the previous exchanges included in your message will expedite a response. You should still make sure that the subject indicates what the email is about.

  3. Address your Unit Convener appropriately by name. 

  4. State your question or request clearly and concisely.

  5. Insert a signature at the end of your email that contains:

    1. your name in full as it appears in Callista.

    2. your student number.

Remember emails are expected to be polite, respectful, and written in a professional manner. Never write anything in an email that wouldn't be put on a business letter, or that you would not say in a face-to-face meeting.  

Good communication skills, both verbal and written, are vital to not only the teaching profession, but your future students too! 

Failure to follow these guidelines will result in your email not being responded to.

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