Program Detail

Goal 2: Students graduating from the department shall demonstrate the ability to design, implement, and evaluate services that facilitate targeted human experiences and that embrace personal and cultural dimensions of diversity. 2a Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate the ability to conduct needs assessments and design recreation and related experiences clearly reflecting application of knowledge from relevant facets of contemporary professional practice, science, and philosophy. 2b Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate the ability to facilitate recreation and related experiences for diverse clientele, settings, cultures, and contexts. 2c Students graduating from the program shall demonstrate the ability to evaluate recreation and related experiences and to use evaluation data to improve the quality of offerings.

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2a RA 139 - Evaluation Project 2b RA 77 - Program Plan Management 2c RA 128 - Budget project

Program Plan – RA 139 The program plan addressed Goals 4 and 6. Students created a program plan for a local recreation agency based on knowledge of the agency and its potential clientele. Of the 17 students, 14 achieved a grade of 70% or more on the program plan. Overall, the students appeared to be able to apply what they learned over the course of the semester. The one area that appeared to create the most challenge for the students was in aligning goals and objectives; and, not necessarily grasping that the outcomes (objectives/data) of their programs might play a role future funding. They may have understood the context in a superficial manner, but it was not necessarily reflected in the product they produced. As far as breaking the project up into smaller pieces of the whole, this seems to work effectively in gaining maximum participation. In addition, breaking up the components seemed to provide students the space to focus on each task/activity individually. Evaluation Project – RA 77s Goals 4 and 7 were both primary elements of the evaluation project. For Goal 4 students had to submit their written evaluation projects and verbally communicate them to an audience of their peers. The elements of Goal 7 were covered in the 3 preliminary/phases of students’ evaluation projects. Phase 1: Introduction, Rational, Study Context; Phase 2: Annotated Bibliography; Phase 3: Methods. All of the eighteen students who completed the evaluation project achieved over a 70% on the project. The evaluation project on its own does not allow students to be exposed to SPSS and opportunities for data entry and analysis. While students designed their individual evaluation projects, the course collectively gathered data on winter recreation participation in the central valley. Students were provided the opportunity to code, enter, and analyze a subset of the data which they assisted in gathering. This proved to be a valuable learning experience that the students were able to make direct applications from. Budget Project - RA 128 Fall — 30 students in the class. Average grade for budget assignment was 70.58%. 66.6% of students in class received a grade of 70% or higher on the budget assignment. Spring — 24 students in class. The average grade for the budget assignment was 77%. 79% of students in class received a grade of 70% or higher on the budget assignment.

Students graduating from the department shall be able to demonstrate entry-level knowledge about operations and strategic management/administration in parks, recreation, tourism and/or related professions. 3a Students graduating from the program shall be able to recognize basic facts, concepts, principles, and procedures of management/administration in parks, recreation, tourism, and/or related professions. 3b Students graduating from the program shall be able to apply entry-level concepts, principles, and procedures of management/administration in parks, recreation, tourism, and/or related professions.

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3a - RA 179 Conference Attendance 3b - RA 135 Marketing Plan

RA 179 Conference Attendance: 45 of the 50 students enrolled in the spring course attended a professional conference related to their field. Students were required to obtain permission from their advisors to ensure the conferences they attended were relevant to their particular emphasis in the field. The largest attendance was the California Parks and Recreation Society Conference with close to half the students choosing this option. The financial support students received for attending these conferences was well orchestrated by the Recreation Administration Department. Students were asked to write a paper reflecting on their experience of attending their respective conferences. Each of the papers demonstrated an appreciation of the experience in connecting with professionals in their field and a greater understanding of professional opportunities. However, approximately 25% of the students did not include professional contacts in their assignment suggesting that they did not make the effort to personally connect with professionals. This part of the assignment could be shored up in the future by requiring information interviews and giving students tips on how to effectively network. RA 135. Of the students enrolled in 135 during fall and spring semesters 3 did not complete the course. The remaining 65 students scored an average of 81.8% on the marketing plan assignment.