Establishing a Learning Outcomes Plan for Campus Recreation

Abstract

Higher expectations among campus recreation professionals for establishing and tracking learning outcomes have become essential components of effective program planning and assessment. This has been motivated by college/university accreditation procedures, the increased expectation to illustrate performance of all college/university services, and the growing transparency of college/university administrative decision making. The demand for quantifiable learning outcomes has exposed the need for continued training of staff and highlighted the need for cultural change among campus recreation programs. Illustrations of a systematic evaluation of learning outcome efforts can provide guidance to campus recreation professionals to make progress toward implementing their own systems. This article presents an example of establishing learning outcomes assessment as part of a campus recreation challenge course program. A general overview of establishing a learning outcomes plan is presented followed by an overview of the challenge course case in point.