Rate My Professor Neil Anderson

Neil Anderson is a Senior Teaching Fellow at the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Otago. He completed his entire academic journey at this institution, obtaining a BPhEd in Exercise & Sport Science and Exercise Prescription & Management in 2001, a PGDip in Dance Studies in 2001, an MPhEd in Sports Pedagogy in 2004, and a PhD in Motor Behaviour in 2019, all from the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences. After earning his master's degree, Anderson held various positions in the sport science and physical education industries before returning to pursue and complete his doctorate. Throughout his career, he has practiced, taught, and researched educational gymnastics and physical activity, contributing to both practical applications and academic scholarship in these areas.

Anderson's research interests encompass the development of postural control, physical literacy, and sport science pedagogy. He teaches SPEX 202 Motor Behaviour, focusing on motor learning and development principles. His key publications include his doctoral thesis, Anderson, N. J. (2019). The effect of educational gymnastics on young children's movement skills, University of Otago; Anderson, N., Button, C., & Lamb, P. (2022). The effect of educational gymnastics on postural control of young children, Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 936680; van Duijn, T., Ng, J. L., Burnay, C., Anderson, N., Uehara, L., Cocker, K., & Button, C. (2021). The influence of equipment and environment on children and young adults learning aquatic skills, Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 733489; Anderson, N. (2023). Sport and exercise sciences students’ and teaching assistants’ perceptions of rubrics in tertiary education, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 28; and Anderson, N. (2025, November). Innovation in laboratory material delivery, verbal presentation at the University of Otago Learning and Teaching Symposium. These works demonstrate his focus on enhancing movement skills, pedagogical tools, and learning environments in sport and exercise contexts.