In this practical assessment task, you will further develop your skills in accordance with Exercise and Sports Science Australia's standards. These standards include but are not limited to; Goal Setting (Exercise and Sport Psychology), Pre-screening and Initial Client Assessments, Motor Control and Learning Assessments, Exercise Physiology and Exercise and Sport Assessments, and Biomechanics Assessments. This assessment task is divided into three parts, Part A, Part B, Part C, and Part D with each part outlined in further detail below. Due dates for each part of this assessment item are also detailed below. All of these tasks are performed and assessed individually.  You will be provided with information regarding the assessments, such as pre-screening tools, tests, assessments, SOAP notes, and workbook tasks via the unit Moodle website and lectures, you should be familiar with this content prior to attending the compulsory residential school. 

The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment item.

Part A: Goal Setting (Telehealth):
You will complete the Goal Setting (Telehealth) assessment as outlined below (Component 1). You will be required to complete this via Zoom and record yourself and a (simulated) client and upload the video file to the unit Moodle page prior by the due date. Recording and submission instructions are provided on the unit Moodle page. The simulated client cannot be another student enrolled in this unit. 
Part A due date: The Goal Setting (Telehealth) video file must be submitted via the unit Moodle page by Week 4 Friday (8th August 2025) 5:00pm AEST. The recorded presentation preference is .mp4 format and you must ensure that this video is playable and has audio. Late penalties will be applied until a playable recorded presentation is received. Should you not submit a playable recorded presentation, a mark of zero (0) will be awarded.

Part B: Practical Assessments:
During the residential school you will be provided with designated practice times for each of the assessments (Components 2-5, detailed below). You will also be provided with multiple case studies that will form the basis of your remaining practical assessments. You will then be required to select the most appropriate tests/assessments in relation to your case studies, as aligned to these components. During the practical assessments you will conduct your chosen screening and/or tests/assessments, interpret data from the results, and answer questions regarding your test selection and performance. 
Part B due date: Students will be assessed on their practical competency during their designated residential school by a member of staff. See Term Specific Information for residential school dates. 

Part C: SOAP Notes:
Following the completion of your practical assessments, you are required to create and submit handover notes associated with the outcomes of the practical assessments that you performed, following the SOAP notes format. You will complete a total of five separate SOAP notes, one for each of the practical assessments listed below (Components 1-5). 
Part C due date: SOAP notes must be submitted via the unit Moodle page by Week 7 Friday (5th September 2025) 5:00pm AEST.

Part D: Linking Theory to Practice: 
In this task you will be required to complete a short workbook on theoretical content related your duties as an exercise and sport practitioner, and how it links to professional practice.
Part D due date: The Workbook Activity must be submitted via the unit Moodle page by Week 10 Friday (26 September 2025) 5:00pm AEST.

The assessments are aligned to ESSA Standards and as a result you will be assessed on the following five (5) components:

1. Goal Setting (Telehealth)
2. Pre-screening and Initial Client Assessments
3. Motor Control and Learning Assessments
4. Exercise Physiology and Exercise and Sport Assessments
5. Biomechanics Assessments

Further information relating to this assessment task, including a residential school schedule, is available on the unit Moodle website.

Level of GenAI use allowed: 
Level 1: No AI. This assessment item must be completed entirely without Al assistance, ensuring that students rely solely on their existing knowledge, understanding, and skills.

In the absence of an approved extension, any submissions received after the due date will incur penalties in accordance with the CQUniversity Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

This is a Pass/Fail assessment item, in order to pass this assessment item you must achieve 70% or greater for Parts A, B, and C as listed below. Furthermore, for each assessed practical activity (Part B) you must achieve 70% or higher, including a "pass" for all mandatory risk/safety management components within the rubric. Specific requirements and detailed marking rubrics are available on the unit Moodle page.

Part A: Goal Setting (Telehealth) assessment will be marked according to the criteria below (10 marks):

• Greeting of the client
• Use of affirmations and reflective statements
• Ability to effectively set goals with the client
• Communication and demeanor
• Professional presentation
• Providing a verbal summary with the client

In the event you that you fail Part A there will be one opportunity to re-attempt this component by completing an additional Goal Setting (Telehealth) video. In the event that you fail the re-attempt you will fail this assessment item and may not be able to pass this unit.

Part B: Practical Assessments will be marked according to the criteria below (10 marks each):

• Selection of appropriate practical assessment(s) or screening tool for the person described in the case study
• Justification and reasoning for the practical assessment(s)
• Correct setup of practical assessment(s)
• Communication and professionalism
• Correct performance of the practical assessment(s)
• Considerations for safety and risk
• Ability to reflect on practical assessment(s), performance, and outcomes

In the event you that you fail any of the Part B practical assessments or do not “pass” any of the mandatory risk/safety management components you will automatically fail that practical component. There will be one opportunity to re-attempt the failed component during the residential school. In the event that you fail the re-attempt you will fail this assessment item and may not be able to pass this unit.

Part C: SOAP Notes are a written task and will be marked according to the criteria below (10 marks each):

• Clear and detailed subjective information
• Clear and detailed objective information
• Clear and detailed assessment information
• Clear and detailed plan
• Spelling, grammar, and use of clinical abbreviations where appropriate

In the event you that you fail this component there will be one opportunity to re-attempt this component by re-submitting the required SOAP note(s). In the event that you fail the re-attempt you will fail this assessment item and may not be able to pass this unit.

Part D: Linking Theory to Practice is a workbook task and will be marked according to the criteria below (10 marks)

• Ability to describe and evaluate scenarios 
• Accuracy of information
• Ability to link theory to practice

In the event you that you fail this component there will be one opportunity to re-attempt this component by re-submitting the workbook. In the event that you fail the re-attempt you will fail this assessment item and may not be able to pass this unit.

In this assessment task you are required to write about a "critical incident" (positive or negative) that occurred during your placement. A 'critical incident' does not need to be a dramatic event; rather, an event that is of significance to you. This could include the following situations:

• When you felt you had done something well…
• When you made the wrong decision…
• When something went better than expected…
• When you lacked confidence…

In order to protect the confidentiality of clients, students or staff at your placement, you should not disclose any personal information that can identify individuals in your reflections, for example name(s) of the client, students, staff, or the organisation. Most importantly, you need to be genuine and honest in your reflections. This assessment item will require you to reflect on the incident in a way that contributes to your personal and professional growth and development. This assessment task should be submitted in the provided Word document template, which is available on the unit Moodle website.

In the absence of an approved extension, any submissions received after the due date will incur penalties in accordance with the CQUniversity Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Level of GenAI use allowed: 
Level 3: Al may be used to help complete the task, including idea generation, drafting, feedback, and refinement. Students should critically evaluate and modify the Al suggested outputs, demonstrating their understanding.

Your Critical Incident Reflection will consist of answering six (6) questions that relate to the critical incident that you have identified, and will be marked out of 60:

• What happened, where, and when? Give a brief history of the incident (5 marks)
• What is it that made the incident ‘critical’? (5 marks)
• What were your immediate thoughts and responses? (5 marks)
• What are your thoughts now? What has changed/developed your thinking? (15 marks)
• What have you learned about (your) practice from this? (15 marks)
• How might your practice change and develop as a result of this analysis and learning? (10 marks)
• Format, spelling, grammar, and APA referencing (5 marks)

This is a Pass/Fail assessment item, in order to pass this assessment item you must achieve 50% or greater from the total marks available. A detailed marking rubric is available on the unit Moodle website.

In this assessment task, you will undertake a minimum 50 hours of placement under the supervision of an ESSA approved placement site and be assessed on your competency as a student Exercise Scientist. Your competency in this assessment will be graded as Pass or Fail.

You are required to submit two (2) Professional Placement Evaluations.

Professional Practice Evaluation 1 is due at the completion of 25 hours (mid-point).

Professional Practice Evaluation 2 is due at the completion of 50 hours (end-point).

Irrespective of when you commence your placement, both Evaluations must be submitted by Review/Exam Week Tuesday (14 October 2025) 5:00 pm AEST. In the event your documentation contains insufficient detail or is incomplete and requires resubmission, the resubmission must be no later than Tuesday 21 October 2025 5:00 pm AEST.

The Professional Practice Evaluation assessment item comprises an assessment tool that your placement supervisor will complete regarding your goals, performance, and capabilities while on placement. It is expected that you and your placement supervisor complete the Professional Practice Evaluations together. This should be viewed as an open process designed to enhance your placement experience and exercise assessment, prescription, and delivery skills. You must complete the templates available on the ESSC13009 Moodle site for Professional Placement Evaluation 1, which documents the first 25 hours of your placement, and for Professional Placement Evaluation 2, which documents the second 25 hours of your placement. During your placement, you will be evaluated by your placement supervisor at the end of 25 hours and the end of 50 hours of placement. Together, Professional Placement Evaluation 1 and Professional Placement Evaluation 2 must show evidence of your competency in completing your 50 hour placement. In the absence of an approved extension, evaluations that do not contain sufficient detail, or are not completed by the placement supervisor(s) will be returned for corrections and you may not be able to pass this assessment item, or this unit, unless the evaluations are completed according to these instructions. You will have one (1) opportunity to resubmit returned evaluations.

Please Note: Failure to comply with the Professional Practice Placement agreement for any site with regard to student attendance, expectations, behaviour, or communication during a placement may result in cancellation of all placements at that site. Consequently, this may result in a Fail grade being awarded for the unit to which non-compliance applies and rescheduling of placement site(s) for other units where WIL activities are required.

Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 1: You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

Further detail regarding placement and this assessment task will be made available on the ESSC13009 Moodle site.

The Professional Practice Evaluations comprises an assessment tool your placement supervisor will complete regarding your performance and competency while on placement. The evaluation tool shall consist of two sections: Professional Practice Competencies and Exercise Scientist Competencies.

Professional Practice Evaluation 1 is a formative assessment and the outcomes of this assessment are used to help identify areas in which you are doing well in and areas that need improvement.

Professional Practice Evaluation 2 is a summative assessment and you must attain the minimum pass mark to pass this assessment item.

A template for this assessment will be made available on the ESSC13009 Moodle site, covering these areas:

Professional Practice Competencies

• Professional behaviour and demeanor
• Communication with clients, family members, and/or carers
• Communication and teamwork with colleagues
• Critical thinking and analysis
• Self-improvement and development

Exercise Scientist Competencies

• Client assessment
• Interpretation of findings
• Development of exercise plan(s)
• Implementation of exercise plan(s)
• Evaluation of exercise plan(s)

Please note: In line with the practicum standards, exercise science students are able to deliver exercise programs designed by an AEP to clinical populations but are unable to deliver exercise assessment or prescription for clinical clients. Students are also not able to provide any part of the billed service under private health insurance schemes. Students and their supervisors should familiarise themselves with the relevant scope of practice before undertaking practicum activities.

In this assessment task, you will provide detail and evidence of your 50 hours of ESSA-approved placement and be assessed on how this evidence aligns with ESSA Accredited Exercise Scientist (AES) professional attributes. Your evidence presented in this assessment will be graded as Pass or Fail.

A separate Record of Student Engagement must be completed for each unit and each site. You must complete the template available on the ESSC13009 Moodle site, which also includes a logbook of the hours you have completed. When completing this assessment please ensure you check the ESSC13009 box as the relevant ESSC unit. The Record of Student Engagement must also be signed by your placement supervisor. An example of the level of detail required for the Record of Student Engagement will be made available on the ESSC13009 Moodle site.

The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.

Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 1: You must not use Al at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

The Record of Student Engagement is graded as Pass/Fail. Sufficient detail is required in regard to the client description and description of services, reference to the appropriate ESSA AES professional attributes, as well as the detail and adequacy of the placement hours. In the event of completing placement across multiple sites, the Record of Student Engagement must be completed for each site.

Your Record of Student Engagement will be marked according to the following criteria to comply with the guidelines stipulated by ESSA:

Sufficient detail of dates, hours, client(s) description (anonymised), description of services, supervisor's name, and supervisor's signature. Reference to the appropriate ESSA AES professional attributes completed during placement. A breakdown of hours for "Exercise Assessment, Prescription, and Delivery" (Category 1) and "Sport Science Other" (Category 2) tasks is included, using the descriptors available on the ESSC13009 Moodle site. This document will be typed and uploaded as a .doc, .docx, or PDF file.

An example of the level of detail required for the Record of Student Engagement will be made available on the ESSC13009 Moodle site. Records of Student Engagement that do not contain sufficient detail, are not signed by the placement supervisor, or are not clearly typed, will be returned for corrections. You may not be able to pass this assessment item, or this unit unless the Record of Student Engagement meets the requirements described above, which are in accordance with ESSA standards. If a Record of Student Engagement is returned for corrections you will be given one (1) opportunity to resubmit that Record of Student Engagement.