About

I am the programme leader for our BA (Hons) Sport and Education degree programme delivered at Kedleston Road.

I am also a Senior Lecturer, teaching on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules across the subject area.

Additionally, I undertake research in the area of motor control, skill acquisition and cognitive functioning. I also provide research support to our MRes and PhD students.

Outside of my roles at the University, I am a volunteer with Special Olympics and work with the SO West Midlands ski group to provide support to our athletes both at training sessions held within the UK and on the slopes at European ski resorts. The field of sport and exercise in individuals with intellectual disabilities is one of a number of research interests I am involved in.

Teaching responsibilities

I am the module leader for the following modules taught across a range of our sport programmes: Level 4 Coaching and Skill Acquisition, Level 5 Research Methods for Sports and Exercise and Level 5 Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology.

I am a member of the teaching team on a number of the modules across the BA (Hons) Sport and Education programme, including Inclusive Adventures in the Outdoors, The Outdoor Classroom, and Professional Placement 3.

I am also a member of the teaching staff on the Level 7 Advanced Research Methods module, as well as acting as a guest lecturer on modules across our BA, BSc and FD programmes on an ad hoc basis. 

Professional interests

I'm interested in the full range of facets within the subject areas of Sport and Education, from issues such as coaching procedures and feedback delivery, to statistical analysis and novel research design.

I have become involved in using single-subject research methodologies in order to illicit learning in individuals across the spectrum of performance, as well as developing an interest in the pedagogy of sport courses at universities, particularly those with an education focus.

The embedding of real-world activities and assessments within our degree programmes is a current interest area that I am developing, and will be bringing students on the Sport and Education degree along for the journey as we investigate the best ways to provide meaningful and developmental experiences on programme of this nature.

Research interests

I have a range of research experiences, including work centred on the programming of simple aiming movements, the influence of response preparation on speeded decision making, and the learning process involved in novel motor tasks. I have also been involved in work in the field of sleep deprivation, and its effect on motor skills and reaction time.

I am also interested in the experiences of teachers at both secondary and primary level who have a responsibility for Physical Activity provision. Specifically I am interested in the training experiences of these teachers, and how the development of skills during undergraduate and postgraduate study influences the confidence and expertise of their PA/PE delivery once in a teaching environment.

Through my connections with Special Olympics coaching groups, I have also  worked in the field of motor learning and performance in individuals with intellectual disabilities and/or additional support needs. As mentioned above, I am starting to carry out investigations into the pedagogy of PE and education-focused courses within sport disciplines at universities, and developing evidenced-based practice to ensure suitable development of industry-relevant skills in students studying on these programmes.

Membership of professional bodies

I am a professional member of BASES (British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences).

Qualifications

Undergraduate qualifications

• BSc (Hons) Sport Science, University of Wales, Bangor

Postgraduate qualifications

• Masters in Applied Sport and Exercise Physiology (MSc), University of Wales, Bangor

Research qualifications

• PhD in Motor Control and Learning, Bangor University

Recent publications

• Khan, M.A., Mourton, S.J., Buckolz, E., Adam, J.J. and Hayes, A.E. (2012)Spatial versus motor grouping in a free choice response selection task. In preparation for submission
• Lawrence, G.P., Khan, M.A., Mourton, S.J., and Bernier, P.M. (2011).The Reliance on Visual Feedback for Online and Offline Processing. Motor Control. 15(2):232-46
• Khan, M.A., Mourton, S.J., Buckolz, E., Adam, J.J. and Hayes, A.E. (2010)The influence of response grouping on free-choice decision making in a response selection task. Acta Psychologica. 134(2) 175-181
• Khan, M.A., Mourton, S.J., Buckolz, E. and Franks, I. M. (2008)The influence of advance information on the response complexity effect in manual aiming movements. Acta Psychologica. 127(1) 154-162
• Khan, M.A., Tremblay, L., Cheng, D.T., Luis, M and Mourton, S.J. (2008) The preparation and control of reversal movements as a single unit of action. Experimental Brain Research 187(1) 33-40