Repositioning Campus Recreation: A Case Report on Designing Program Evaluation Procedures

Abstract

The nature and tradition of campus recreational services stresses the importance of recreation staff evaluating their programs. The increasing diversity among college students and the escalating expectations of campus patrons, donors, and accrediting bodies have required campus recreation professionals to increase their foci on standards and benchmarks of practice and outcomes of services. While most campus recreation programs engage in some form of evaluation, very few have invested in the development of a comprehensive evaluation system that critically reviews program outcomes. Outcome evaluation is accomplished with careful planning and attention, similar to many other operational systems and activities such as risk management or budgeting. The result can be useful information that can position the campus recreation program for more growth as well as increased integrity across campus. The purpose of this article is to introduce the growing need for comprehensive program evaluation in campus recreational services. In addition, this article will present a case report on establishing direction for evaluation. Recommended actions by the campus recreation staff for establishing comprehensive evaluation plans are also discussed.