From Theory to Professional Practice: Reforming the Bachelor’s Programme in Sport Science at the Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen (SFISM)

Abstract

Based on the results of the institutional programme evaluation (EVAS), which revealed a lack of strategic orientation, unclear professional relevance, and decreasing student satisfaction, the Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen (SFISM) initiated a comprehensive reform of its Bachelor’s programme in Sport Science, following the ideas and principles of competency-based curriculum design (Walkenhorst, 2017).

As the only University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland offering a sport science programme, SFISM is legally mandated to provide professionally qualifying higher education. Consequently, the new Bachelor’s programme explicitly links scientific reasoning, sport practice, and employability within a coherent, competency-based learning architecture. The curriculum is structured around three professional domains within the sports world that reflect SFISM’s institutional expertise: Teaching, Optimisation, and Organisation of Sport.

Embodied experience provides the foundation for learning. At the core of the reform lies the concept of threefold sport practice:

Self-realisation – personal movement experience and reflection as the basis for a deep understanding of sport science principles.

Professional practice – the application and transfer of knowledge in authentic teaching, coaching, and organisational contexts.

Scientific practice – evidence-based engagement with sport, movement, and performance within ScienceLabs and the Research Internship.

A major structural innovation is the shift from a disciplinary to a thematic organisation of the curriculum. Instead of parallel, isolated courses, six-week thematic modules (e.g., Learning Movements, Training, Teaching and Education) integrate theoretical, practical, and reflective components. A key pedagogical element across all modules is the systematic integration of theory and practice, supported by a newly introduced weekly teaching format designed to explicitly connect academic concepts with practical experiences and professional tasks.

A particular focus is placed on fostering deeper learning – the ability to integrate, transfer, and apply knowledge meaningfully across contexts (Mthethwa-Kunene, Rugube, & Maphosa, 2022). Deeper learning is promoted through case-based learning, ScienceLabs, and SportsLabs, as well as through interdisciplinary transversal learning weeks in which students develop competences such as communication, ethical reasoning, and sustainability through applied projects.

The reform also emphasises learner autonomy and responsibility. Within guided self-study, students plan, monitor, and evaluate their learning progress independently, document reflections in learning journals, and use peer feedback to ensure coherence and quality. Lecturers increasingly act as facilitators and learning coaches rather than traditional instructors.

The contribution will present the curriculum design and initial evaluation results from the pilot phase, discussing their implications for implementation and effectiveness.

References

Mthethwa-Kunene, K., Rugube, T., & Maphosa, C. (2022). Rethinking Pedagogy: Interrogating Ways of Promoting Deeper Learning in Higher Education. European Journal of Interactive Multimedia and Education, 3(1), e02204. https://doi.org/10.30935/ejimed/11439

Walkenhorst, U. (2017, März). Studiengangentwicklung – von der Idee zum Curriculum (HRK nexus Impulse für die Praxis, Ausgabe 13). Hochschulrektorenkonferenz.