Outline

Overview

This unit of study has been developed by academics in the University's Charles Perkins Centre, an interdisciplinary education and research hub where researchers produce novel solutions to chronic disease. Physical activity is an inseparable part of human biology and evolution. Lack of it ("physical inactivity") causes chronic disease. Sadly we are still a population that doesn't embrace physical activity and its potential to have a transformative impact on chronic disease prevention and improve the quality of life into old age. This unit of study will provide students with an opportunity to develop an up-to-date understanding of the role of physical activity and exercise for the health of the population as well as the most promising principles for encouraging more people to become physically active. The unit is largely multi-disciplinary and goes beyond disease prevention to explore themes like maintenance of functional ability and retaining independence and how the environment determines our physical activity behaviour. Particular attention is given to physical activity as a behaviour that is not merely a lifestyle "choice"; but rather the outcome of a complex web of societal, cultural, economic, political and individual circumstances that lead to the formation of personal habits across the lifespan. Students will be encouraged to discuss, debate, and critically evaluate the evidence.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Movement Sciences
Credit points	2
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	EXSS1037
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Heidi Morahan, heidi.morahan@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	David Mizrahi, david.mizrahi@sydney.edu.au
	Kate Edwards, kate.edwards@sydney.edu.au
	Emmanuel Stamatakis, emmanuel.stamatakis@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Heidi Morahan, heidi.morahan@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Online task	Quizzes for Modules 1-4 Four MCQ quizzes from Modules 1 - 4 (worth 55% in total)	55%	Week 13 Due date: 03 Nov 2023 at 23:59	Between 10 - 40 mins
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Final Assessment Infographic OR Video	45%	Week 13 Due date: 03 Nov 2023 at 23:59	One A4 page OR 3-4 minutes duration
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Online Quizzes (55%)

All quizzes will be automatically self-assessed. You need to complete:

Four online quizzes for Modules 1 to 4. You have two attempts at each quiz with your highest mark recorded. There is no pass/fail mark requirement for the quizzes, but your marks may count toward the requirements of some degrees.

Final Assessment (45%)

Your task is to develop a pitch for ONE of the following scenarios:

You are a health minister finding solutions to a physical inactivity or sedentary behaviour problem experienced by the general public;
You are a hospital director finding solutions to a physical inactivity or sedentary behaviour problem experienced by patients;
You are a health policymaker finding solutions to a physical inactivity or sedentary behaviour problem experienced by the general public;
You are a university Occupational, Health & Safety (OHS) director finding solutions to a physical inactivity or sedentary behaviour problem experienced by university students or staff.

In your pitch, identify the physical inactivity or sedentary behaviour problem experienced by your target audience and the actions you would take to solve this problem. Your solution should have a compelling rationale, be innovative, and include a clear and specific action plan that is feasible to implement in your role of minister, director or policymaker. Present your pitch in the format of either a short video (of 3-4 minutes’ in length) OR an infographic (one A4 page).

Assessment Summary

Module	Assessment	Weighting for OLET1514	Suggested timeline (week beginning)
Module 1: Introduction to Phsyical Inactivity	Module 1 Quiz	15%	Week 1
Module 2: Epidemic of Lifestyle Induced Disease	Module 2 Quiz	20%	Week 4
Module 3: Solutions to Physical Inactivity	Module 3 Quiz	15%	Week 7
Module 4: Conclusions	Module 4 Quiz	5%	Week 9
	Final Assessment: Video or Infographic	45%	Week 13
Total marks		100%

Assessment criteria

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85-100	Demonstration of critical thinking and problem solving of physical activity behaviour change at an exceptional standard.
Distinction	75-84	Demonstration of critical thinking and problem solving of physical activity behaviour change at a very high standard.
Credit	65-74	Demonstration of critical thinking and problem solving of physical activity behaviour change at a good standard.
Pass	50-64	Demonstration of critical thinking and problem solving of physical activity behaviour change at an acceptable standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

It is expected that unless an application for special consideration, special arrangement or previously arranged disability adjustment has approved an extension, students will submit all assessment for a unit of study on or before the due date specified. If the assessment is completed or submitted by the student before the due date or within the period of extension, no academic penalty will be applied to that piece of assessment. If assessments are submitted after the due date or if an extension is not granted, or is granted but work is submitted by the student after the extended due date, the late submission of assessment will result in an academic penalty as follows: (a) Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date; (b) After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Ongoing	15 lecture recordings over four modules	Independent study (15 hr)
Ongoing	Self-directed reading for each module	Independent study (4 hr)
Week 07	Interactive Q&A session appraising potential solutions for physical inactivity	Online class (1 hr)
Week 10	Interactive Q&A session appraising potential solutions for physical inactivity and unit review	Online class (1 hr)

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 2 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 40-50 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Describe the components of physical activity behaviour and demonstrate an understanding of the (physical and mental) health attributes of each component
LO2. Classify the individual and population-level determinants of physical activity by physical activity domain
LO3. Appraise the contribution of physical inactivity to the development of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mental chronic conditions
LO4. Appraise the potential of novel (e.g. wearable devices) or non-conventional (e.g. dog ownership) avenues for physical activity promotion
LO5. Outline the different options for tacking physical inactivity in each domain
LO6. Describe the historical and contemporary causes of inactivity and formulate potential solutions

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The assessment description of the Final Assessment task has been clarified. Links to all published papers, editorials/blogs and audiovisual material used in the module quizzes has been made available to students for review outside of the timed quiz.

Additional information

This is an Open Learning Environment (OLE) unit of study and is entirely online.

Previously the university offered a 0 credit point version of this unit (OLET1513). This unit no longer exists and any reference to this unit is not relevant.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

OLET1514: Health Challenges: Physical Inactivity

Semester 2, 2023 [Online] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect