HUMAN MOVEMENT AND REHABILITATION - 2020/1

Module Overview

The module provides students with an up-to-date knowledge base on the assessment of human movement with practical focus on clinical gait analysis. It includes an in-depth evaluation of state-of-the-art measurement and analysis tools currently used in clinical and performance management.

Module provider

Mechanical Engineering Sciences

Module Leader

OLDFIELD Matthew (Mech Eng Sci)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

JACs code: H164

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

Normal entry requirements for the Biomedical Engineering MSc degree programme.

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• Motor control and development of human movement skills


• Gait analysis; determinants of gait, the gait cycle, the main classes of measurement (spatial and temporal, kinetic, kinematic, EMG and energy expenditure)


• Technical descriptions and review of tools used in movement analysis: body-worn inertial sensors, oxygen consumption, force plates and platforms, goniometry, observational gait tools, passive/active marker detection, plantar pressure systems, EMG and in-vivo force transducers.


• Theoretical foundations of three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic analysis of gait.  


• Traditional anthropometric measurement techniques, concepts of ‘average’ or representative size. 


• Gait patterns associated with pathology and the underpinning biomechanics principles of movement compensation. 


• An overview of kinematic analysis of upper-limb motion.


• Related topics such as methods used in sports performance analysis and injury prevention strategies.


• Practical laboratory sessions in 3D gait measurement using state of the art motion capture and kinetic measurement systems. 


• Analysis of experimental 3D gait data using dedicated professional software.


• Practical laboratory sessions using EMG and pressure mats.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate

·        an understanding of the methods used in analysing movement analysis and the limitations of measurement and analysis technique – examination

·        their ability apply their understanding of movement analysis techniques to process and analyse raw movement data and to present their findings in a clear and coherent manner – coursework

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

·        Examination [Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ]

·        Coursework [Learning Outcomes 6, 7, 8]

Formative assessment and feedback

Formative feedback will be provided in interactive laboratory sessions and in written format for the coursework submission. 

Module aims

• An understanding of the basis of human movement, functional ability and the limitations inherent in current databases.
• An understanding of the scope and limitations of current methods used to measure and analyse human movement
• The skills required to be able to critically evaluate and appropriately interpret movement data in light of the limitations of the methods and relevance to the application.
• The acquisition of first-hand practical skills in collecting, measuring and analysing movement using state of the art equipment and associated software.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

• Provide students with knowledge of the fundamental concepts involved in analysing movement and their application in rehabilitation scenarios, principally through lectures


• Provide the students with hand-on experience in collecting and analysing movement analysis data, through laboratory sessions.

• 26 hours of lectures


• 14 hours of laboratory sessions

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

Reading list for HUMAN MOVEMENT AND REHABILITATION : http://aspire.surrey.ac.uk/modules/engm260

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2020/1 academic year.