Choice of sprint start performance measure affects the performance-based ranking within a group of sprinters: which is the most appropriate measure?

Sprint start performance has previously been quantified using several different measures. This study aimed to identify whether different measures could influence the performance-based ranking within a group of 12 sprinters, and if so, to identify the most appropriate measure. None of the 10 performance measures ranked all sprinters in the same order; Spearman's rho correlations between different block phase measures ranged from 0.50 to 0.94, and between block phase measures and those obtained beyond block exit from 0.66 to 0.85. Based on the consideration of what each measure quantifies, normalised average horizontal external power was identified as the most appropriate, incorporating both block velocity and the time spent producing this velocity. The accuracy with which these data could be obtained in an externally valid field setting was assessed against force platform criterion data. For an athlete producing 678 +/- 40 W of block power, a carefully set-up manual high-speed video analysis protocol produced systematic and random errors of +5 Wand +/- 24 W, respectively. Since the choice of performance measure could affect the conclusions drawn from a technique analysis, for example the success of an intervention, it is proposed that external power is used to quantify start performance.     

The Future of Public Sector Academic Validation—key issues

Since its creation in 1964 the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) has been responsible, both for the awarding of degrees in the public sector of higher education and for the validation of the courses leading to those degrees. The 1987 Government White Paper, ‘Higher Education: Meeting the Challenge’ (DES, 1987) marked the first step towards the creation of a new system of accreditation of institutions and a shift in emphasis from external to internal validation. This paper fills in the background to this change of direction before discussing various issues which arise out of it such as the problems of defining academic quality, public accountability, the appropriate role of the Government in education and what the future holds for the CNAA and education as a whole in the age of accreditation which is about to dawn.     

Pursuing Internationalization as a Means to Advance the Academic Mission of the University: An Australian Case Study

Strategies for internationalization are central to the shape Monash University has taken and the goals it has set for its future. Using Monash as a case study, this article examines issues involved in the pursuit of internationalization through the internationalization of the composition of the student body, the establishment and enhancement of a presence overseas, and the internationalization of the educational experience. The guiding principle stressed throughout is that, in order to remain central rather than marginal, international activities must significantly advance the core academic functions of the university.