Reasons for choosing an exercise and sport science degree: Attractors to exercise and sport science

An overview of Australian exercise and sport science degrees

“…Undergraduate course offerings in Exercise and sport science (EXSS) are common in Australian universities, and these courses are typically multidisciplinary, enabling accreditation in specialized areas (Stevens et al, 2018;Spittle et al, 2021). As this area is multidisciplinary in nature, there has been debate as to whether EXSS practitioners should specialize in a particular area or diversify their skillset (McCunn, 2019).…”

“…There are a range of career options for EXSS students upon completion of their degree, with the most common Australian industry roles being exercise physiologist, strength and conditioning coach, sport scientist, high performance manager, sport physiologist, or academic (Dwyer et al, 2019). A key motivation for students entering an EXSS degree is their desire to remain involved in sport (Spittle et al, 2021). Despite this, EXSS students often have limited understanding of career opportunities before entering the workforce (York et al, 2014).…”

360°VR: Application for exercise and sport science education

“…Authentic learning approaches refer to role-playing and problem-based exercises that focus on real-world, complex problems and their solutions in multidisciplinary learning environments ( 15 ). Given the multidisciplinary nature of the ESS field of study ( 3 , 5 ), authentic learning appears to be appropriate for developing key skills. An example of an innovative authentic learning approach is mixed reality technologies, such as 360° Virtual Reality (360°VR) as recommended by Stanley ( 16 ).…”

“…Given the multidisciplinary nature of ESS, students can have a limited understanding of broader opportunities in the industry before entering the workforce ( 35 ). 360°VR can introduce students to these opportunities, or reignite motivations behind choosing their degree ( 3 ) in an immersive experience. A potential approach to provide this introduction or motivation is conducting virtual field trips ( 16 , 36 ).…”

“…Soft skills are integral for early career success for higher education graduates (1). An example of an industry where these skills are vital is Exercise and Sport Science (ESS) (2), where over 2,000 students each year from 30+ Universities graduate (3). Developing these soft skills supports graduates to extend beyond technical skills and be productive and competent in a dynamic workplace (4).…”