Health Performance Science Master Track 2025-2026

Multidisciplinary evaluation of human movement

Credit Hours:
6
Coefficients
6
Level:
Master 2
Language:
English
Coordinator:
Mathieu BERGER
Number of hours:
60 hours (40h of practical work and 20h of tutorials)

About the course

This course offers a comprehensive exploration of human movement analysis, combining methodologies and insights from biomechanics, applied physiology, and neurophysiology. Students will gain both theoretical knowledge and practical expertise in evaluating human movement through advanced tools and techniques.
The course emphasizes a hands-on approach, guiding students through the entire research process—from developing a rationale grounded in scientific literature to designing and conducting experiments, interpreting results, and producing professional research reports.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Conduct targeted searches of scientific literature to identify relevant articles addressing a specific research problem.
  • Design and implement a comprehensive human movement evaluation protocol tailored to answer to a research hypothesis.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in using various field and laboratory tools to assess devices, training methods and their impact on health.
  • Analyze and interpret movement data critically, applying appropriate statistical and data analysis software.
  • Effectively communicate and present evaluation findings to both academic and practitioner audiences, utilizing clear and professional reporting techniques.
  • Introduction / Team project brainstorming (3h)
  • Defining a hypothesis and objective / state of the art / pitch (6h)
  • Design a research protocol / choose appropriate material & methods (6h)
  • Prepare a study protocol for ethics (3h)
  • Present and sell you project (3h)
  • Experiment (21h)
  • Data analysis and interpretation (6h)
  • Preparing and writing a report (6h)
  • Communicate your findings (6h)
  • Practical Assessment (/20):

Group-based evaluation of a science communication video presenting research findings + individual contributions to the semester-long project & experimental skills.

  • Oral Assessment (/20):

Group presentation of the research project and findings to peers and scholars.

  • Written Assessment (/20):

Submission of a scientific article-style report on the experiments. 

Prerequisites & Assumed Knowledge

– Basic exercise physiology and biomechanics
– Field and laboratory assessment – tests in applied physiology, neurophysiology and biomechanics
– Research methodology & Statistics

References

  • Lauren Sherwood. Human Physiology: From cells to Systems 9th edition (2015).   
  • Jean-Benoît Morin & Pierre Samozino. Biomechanics of Training and Testing: Innovative Concepts and Simple Field Methods (2018). 
  • Michael H. Herzog, Gregory Francis, Aaron Clarke. Understanding Statistics and Experimental Design (2019).