Active bodies: introducing the study of sport and exercise
This introductory module builds on your general or professional interest in sport and exercise, using the body as its central theme. It provides essential knowledge of key concepts, including how the body moves, how training improves performance, and how to fuel it effectively. You’ll also explore the benefits of an active lifestyle, investigate why activity levels vary among individuals, and examine a range of contemporary issues in sport and exercise. You’ll be able to apply your understanding of these concepts to your own participation in sport and fitness, or to careers such as fitness training, sports coaching, or P.E. teaching.
What you will study
This module provides a solid base in sports and fitness, introducing key ideas to help with further study or personal growth. You’ll explore core sport and exercise topics while building skills that can be used for future learning and career opportunities. The module has six parts:
Investigating the active body
This first topic sets the scene for the module, introduces the module materials, and explains the support available during your studies. In addition to exploring the differences between the terms ‘sport’ and ‘exercise,’ you will study why it is important for humans to be physically active and how this impacts physical and mental health, self-identity, and self-confidence.
Where, how and why are people physically active?
The next section examines the factors that influence sport and fitness participation among different population groups. You’ll reflect on what has shaped your own engagement with these activities and explore how broader social contexts impact people’s involvement.
Training the body: faster, higher, stronger
This topic builds on your understanding of physiology. It examines the components of fitness and how to test and develop them using various methods. It introduces the core principles of anatomy and physiology, including the anatomy of the skeletal and muscular systems and the body’s energy systems.
The moving body: performance and injury risk in sport and exercise
This topic introduces the basic principles of biomechanics, explaining how humans move and how movement can be made more efficient and effective. You’ll explore how to apply these principles to enhance athletic performance and prevent injury.
Fuelling the body
This section explores the components of a healthy diet by examining the structures and roles of carbohydrates, protein, and fats. You’ll also study the importance of vitamins, minerals, and water, and consider the role of nutrition in optimising health and performance in sport and exercise activities.
Exploring the active body through different perspectives
In this final topic, you’ll choose three focus areas to explore. Options include examining why people participate in extreme ultra-endurance sports, how data is gathered from the body, issues surrounding disabled bodies and disability sports, the role of sports clothing, and the significance of physical play in childhood. Each area is examined from physiological, psychological, and sociocultural perspectives, providing a well-rounded understanding.
Entry requirements
This module is a broad introduction to sport and fitness, and no assumptions are made about your prior knowledge or educational background. As an OU level 1 module, it provides core subject knowledge and develops the study skills required for higher education and distance learning. These skills will also support your progress to modules at OU level 2 and beyond.
There are no fitness requirements for enrolling in this module. None of the activities involve strenuous exercise, and any physical activity that requires it can be performed by a friend. Your role is focused on monitoring and observing.
Preparatory work
To help you prepare for this module, we recommend you take our free OpenLearn course, Exploring Sports Coaching and Psychology.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
marking your assignments and offering detailed feedback to help you improve
providing individual guidance, whether that’s for general study skills or specific module content
guiding you to additional learning resources
facilitating online discussions between your fellow students in the dedicated forums.
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Assessment
Course work includes:
4 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs)
1 Interactive computer-marked assignment (iCMA)
What's included
You will have access to a module website, which includes:
a week-by-week study planner
study guide
module book
interactive content
assessment resources
Computing requirements
Primary device – A desktop or laptop computer with at least 8 GB of RAM and a quad-core processor (2.4 GHz minimum speed). It’s possible to access some materials on a mobile phone, tablet or Chromebook; however, they will not be suitable as your primary device.
Peripheral device – Headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone for online tutorials.
Operating systems – Windows 11 or the latest supported macOS.
Internet access – Broadband or mobile connection.
Browser – Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge are recommended; Mozilla Firefox and Safari may be suitable.
Our OU Study app operates on supported versions of Android and iOS.
Software – Any additional software will be provided or is generally available for free.
If you have a disability
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone, and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying E114 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our Disability support website.
Future availability
Active bodies: introducing the study of sport and exercise (E114) starts once a year – in October.
This page describes the module that will start in October 2027.
We expect it to start for the last time in October 2032.