SS 536 EXPERT PERFORMANCE IN SPORTS

SPRING 2010
Department of Exercise, Sport, & Leisure Studies

Professor: Dr. Jeffrey T. Fairbrother Office: HPER 343

Telephone: (865) 974-3616 (office) E-mail: jfairbr1@utk.edu
Classroom: HPER 239 Office Hours: Wed 1:30-2:30 PM
Meetings: TR 12:40-1:55 PM Thu 2:00-3:30 PM

UT CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course will examine expertise in athletic performance with a primary focus on the
development & maintenance of expertise. Special emphasis will be placed on theoretical &
practical perspectives on the study of sport expertise as they intersect with issues regarding sport
psychology, race, aging, gender, or other socio-cultural factors.

PURPOSE AND CONTENT OF COURSE

I designed this course to provide you (graduate students in Sport Studies and related majors)
with up-to-date information regarding theories and concepts related to expert performance in
sports. This course will give you a broad understanding of some of the major issues in sport
expertise and its development. It will also prepare you to critically evaluate common claims
regarding expertise and effectively communicate evidence-based knowledge about important
theoretical, empirical, and practical issues in the field. In addition to the textbook, we will use
peer-reviewed research and various popular media resources.

The content of this course represents an overview of research on issues in expert performance in
sports. Additional emphasis will be placed on selected areas of research in published journal
articles and practical issues related to sports expertise.

MY CONTRIBUTION
I view my role as that of a facilitator who helps you take advantage of different opportunities to
learn about issues related to expert performance in sports. The primary way we will accomplish
this will be through in-class discussions about class readings and assignments.

Of course, part of my role will be to evaluate your performance in the course. The evaluations
are described below. In addition to evaluating your performance, I will also do the following:
1. Provide additional information to clarify material in readings and discussions
2. Facilitate classroom discussions
3. Assist you in making connections between ideas presented in various readings
4. Serve as a resource as you prepare for and complete course assignments

1
COURSE ORGANIZATION
This course uses a discussion-based format that requires participation on the part of all students.
Discussions will be based on assigned readings, especially as they relate to your work in
completing the evaluations that are described below. All of our work will be directly connected
to one or more themes associated with the major topics listed below.

I will evaluate your comprehension by assessing the quality of participation (both in class and
online) and by using the grades you achieve on the evaluations described below.
MAJOR TOPICS
1. Defining expertise
2. The Deliberate Practice Framework
3. The Expert Performance Approach
4. The Developmental Model of Sports Participation
5. Dimensions of expertise
6. Biological & environmental contributions (the so-called nature vs. nurture debate)
7. The structure of practice of expert athletes
8. Tactics, decision-making, perception, attention, & memory in sports experts
9. Retaining sports expertise
10. The great debate regarding whether or not a general theory of expertise is justifiable

LEARNER OBJECTIVES
Note: To achieve the objectives listed below, I may need to adapt the contents of this syllabus
and the course. I will not make changes unless I believe they will have a positive influence on
the direction of the course or are critically important to your learning. You can be assured that
treating you fairly will always be an important part of my consideration regarding any possible
change.

So, here are the objectives. After successfully completing this course, you will be able to:
1. Evaluate scientific evidence regarding the relative contributions of heredity & acquired
capabilities to expert performance in sport
2. Discuss the current perspectives & critical issues in the study of sport expertise as they
relate to the major topics of the course
3. Describe the main components of the Expert Performance Approach
4. Discuss the development of expert performance as outlined in the Deliberate Practice
Framework, and Developmental Model of Sports Participation
5. Discuss the theoretical & practical impact of age, race, gender, and other socio-cultural
factors on the study of sport expertise as it is currently conducted
6. Describe the characteristic profiles of expert athletes with respect to decision-making,
perception, & memory

REQUIRED TEXT
Starkes, J. L., & Ericsson, K. A. (Eds.). (2003). Expert Performance in Sports: Advances in
Research on Sport Expertise. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

COURSE WEBSITE

2
This course will utilize a blog (http://ss536.posterous.com/) and the UT Blackboard system
(http://online.utk.edu/).

EVALUATION
Google Reader Assignment 10%
Online Assignments 10%
Blog Posts 70%
Participation 10%
Total 100%

GRADING
A 90-100% C+ 77-79% F Below 60%
B+ 87-89% C 70-76%
B 80-86% D 60-69%

DISABILITIES NOTE
Please speak with the instructor as soon as possible if you have a disability that may require
assistance or accommodations, or you have questions related to any accommodations for testing,
note takers, readers, etc. Students may also call Disability Services at 974-6087.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Students are expected to abide by the Honor Statement of the University of Tennessee. This
statement can be found in Hilltopics. Each student must adhere to the Honor Statement by
turning in original work in all assignments & exams. Any violation of the Honor Statement will
be dealt with according to the rules outlined in Hilltopics.

ELECTRONIC DEVICES
Please turn off all phones, pagers, & other electronic devices prior to coming to class.

COUNSELING SERVICES
The Student Counseling Centers offers a full range of counseling services to all UT students
registered for at least six hours of coursework. There is no charge for any of its services (except
for ADHD testing). It is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays all year. (It closes only during the
12 days per year of official university closing). Emergency services are available all hours it is
pen. Non-emergency clients can access services by coming in during the walk-in hours, 10-11:30
a.m. & 1-3:30 p.m. every day. No appointment is needed. Students, faculty, & staff may ask for
consultation or arrange for many of our other services by telephone (974-2196).

ACADEMIC POLICIES & PROCEDURES

Please see the Graduate Catalog and Hilltopics for full descriptions of University of Tennessee
academic policies and procedures.

3
DESCRIPTION OF EVALUATIONS

Google Reader Assignment (10%)

For this assignment, you will first establish a Google Reader account (www.google.com/reader)
and subscribe to the course blog located at http://ss290.posterous.com/. Announcements and
general communications will be delivered via this blog. Your reader subscription will
automatically update your account and indicate when a new post has been submitted.

Throughout the course of the semester, you will also subscribe to 10 additional blogs that
provide information that can help you develop professionally. See the schedule for due dates. I
will post an entry on the course blog asking you to submit a comment about your subscription
that is due. In your comment, you will tell me and the rest of the class (and the entire world,
actually) which blogs you have subscribed to (with URLs so others can subscribe if they are
interested) and describe how these new subscriptions will benefit your professional development.

For each new blog subscription, briefly describe the blog. Tell us about its general focus and the
type of information it delivers. Also give us a specific example that shows how reading this blog
can be helpful. The most common way of doing this will be to point us to a helpful article on the
blog and tell us something like, “Hey, I just read this article from the Team USA news feed
about how Britain is looking for potential Olympic basketball and rowing athletes by using a
nationwide call for “tall and talented” athletes (http://tinyurl.com/yad4wus). This raises some
interesting issues regarding the need for sport specific deliberate practice. Do you think this
strategy would work to generate true experts?”

Note: The URL for the article I mentioned above was quite long and so I used a URL shortening
service that can be found at http://tinyurl.com/. Make sure you do this when you need to link to
pages with long URLs.

Online Assignments (10%)

From time to time, I will post an assignment on the course blog asking you to complete a short
assignment online. These assignments will vary depending upon current events that occur as the
semester progresses. Typical examples might include watching a video, visiting a website,
responding to a survey, and posting comments in response to a question.

Blog Posts (70%)

For this assignment, you will create a group blog with several other students using the service at
http://posterous.com/. Together, you will decide on a name for your blog and then create a
group profile for the site. After that, you will each post at least four articles as your own
contribution to the blog. You will need at least a minimum level of contact within your group to
make sure that the topics of your articles are not too similar. Your grades for this assignment
will be based on the articles that you write and post.

Each of your articles should be written to communicate some element of one of the major course
topics to a broad audience. The format of some of your articles will be specified by me. For
others, you will be free to choose the format from several options. You may also propose a new

4
format if you have an idea for one. Be certain, however, that I have approved your proposal
before you start writing your article.

Required formats (2 articles):

1. At least one article summarizing a peer-reviewed research article using the Did You
Know …? format
2. At least one article that describes how a specific target audience (e.g., parents or coaches)
can apply selected information from the course in a practical setting. For example, you
might write an article explaining the key ideas in the DMSP that can help parents of
budding figure skaters make sound decisions about training.

Optional formats (2 articles):

1. Athlete profile that connects elements of the persons’ experiences or beliefs to one or
more major course topics
2. Interview a coach, athlete, or other person involved in high-level sports. Discussion must
be centered on questions emerging from one or more major course topics. This can be
done in person or via email, chat, or phone. You will need to get the person’s permission
in writing or via email before you can post your article.
3. Assessment of internet media or services (websites, blogs, articles, etc.) that connects the
content of the reviewed media to one or more major course topics
4. Book or movie review using a framework derived from one or more major course topics
5. Propose your own format!

Note: Your articles will be openly available to the entire world that has internet access. Be sure
that you follow accepted conventions governing originality (i.e., regarding plagiarism and
copyright infringement), citations and other forms or credit (e.g., for photos you use), and usage
(i.e., correct grammar and style). Remember that the consequences for publishing someone
else’s work as your own are potentially far greater than any blemishes on your academic record.

Your articles should be written for an educated audience that does not necessarily have any
background in the study of sport expertise.

Posting Deadlines:
January 31
Feb 28
March 31
April 30
post your articles by 5:00 pm

Participation (10%)
To earn a high participation grade, you will need to prepare thoroughly for each class so that you
can consistently raise thoughtful questions and comments during discussions. In addition, you
will need to actively engage in all classroom activities throughout the semester.

5
EXPECTATIONS
My expectations for you this semester are as follows. I expect you to:
• Behave in ways that support learning—yours and your classmates’
• Ask for help when you need it
• Do your own work. You are free to consult with others as you think about your
assignments, but the work you turn in should be yours
• Turn in all of your assignments on time (Note: I will not accept late assignments)
• Arrive at class on time and ready to participate

6
SCHEDULE
This schedule is tentative & will change if needed. The listed readings will typically be
supplemented with journal articles or other sources posted on the course blog. Please read all
assignments before coming to class.

Date Day Topics & Readings

14 R Introduction
Defining Expertise
Google Reader and Blog set-up
19 T Read Ch. 1 and the following articles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expert;
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/30/8391794/index.h
tm; http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/07/magazine/07wwln_freak.html
Jan
Dimensions of Expertise
Read Ch. 2
21 R
Bring one article from the internet that discusses expertise in at least one of the
dimensions described in Ch. 2
26 T The Deliberate Practice Framework
28 R Read Ericsson, Krampe, & Tesch-Romer, 1993
2 T The Expert Performance Approach
Read Ch. 3
4 R Listen to mp3s from Doc, Jeff, & Heather in the Morning Show
9 T
11 R Open--Topics to be determined
Feb 16 T The Developmental Model of Sports Participation
18 R Read Ch. 4
23 T Biological & Environmental Contributions
Read Howe, Davidson, & Sloboda, 1998,
25 R http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1879593,00.html, Ericsson &
Charness, 1994
2 T The Structure of Practice
4 R Read Ch. 5
9 T
SPRING BREAK
11 R
Mar 16 T Tactics
18 R Read Ch. 6 and McPherson & Kernodle, 2007
23 T Decision Making
25 R Read Ch. 8 and Baker, Cote, & Abernethy, 2003
30 T Perceptual Expertise
1 R Read Ch. 9 and Williams, Ward, Smeeton, & Allen, 2004
6 T
8 R Open--Topics to be determined
13 T Memory
Apr 15 R Read Ch. 12 and Gray, 2004
20 T Retaining Expertise
22 R Read Ch. 10 and TBD
27 T The Great Debate
29 R Read Ch. 14 & 15
May 11 T Final Exam (10:15 am-12:15 pm)