In the autumn term of 2016 we [Philip Gaydon and Jonathan Heron] led the first iteration of the 'Sport, Philosophy and Practice' module. As can be seen from the interview extracts on the SPP Handbook pageLink opens in a new window, the process of designing and delivering the gymnasium event, holding planning meetings in situ, and reflecting on how we had arrived at our shared interest in sport and exercise greatly affected the module’s shape and the resources available to it. Indeed, the first week of the module contained a recreation of the event’s gymnasium space for exploration and discussion.

A full outline of and bibliography for the module can be found hereLink opens in a new window, and we will be reflecting more fully upon how the module went in relation to innovative and radical pedagogies in a future publication.

What can be celebrated now is the positive student feedback on the module. 100% of those who took the module said they would recommend it to future students and that it had met their expectations. Students also gave an average response of 4.3/5 when asked if they thought what they did on the module would be useful to them in the future and when asked if they felt they had engaged with staff and students from other disciplines the average score was 4.7/5 for both.

When it came to written feedback, the sentiment was overwhelmingly positive, with students from all faculties taking the time to note something positive. To take just a few:

• “I can gladly say that doing this module has probably been one of my best decisions at university. As a business student, it taught me something different and engaged me in philosophical thinking which is not something I do on my course in general.”
• “The best module I’ve taken and well catered for a multi-disciplinary collective.”
• “Really enjoyable and insightful. Makes me want to have a career in sport! I learned important things about my own beliefs/philosophical stand points. This course really influenced my home modules and informed my dissertation.”
• “Great module, really enjoyed it. It got me thinking about sport differently. I was a bit out of my comfort zone, but out of your comfort zone is a good place to be.”
• “It was one of the best classes I have had in my student life.”