Why Assess Campus Recreation?

Assessment in higher education has taken on increased importance - for many units, it is no longer an optional activity. Today, campus stakeholders, including students, parents, administrators and accreditation bodies are demanding that departments demonstrate the value and effectiveness of programs and services.

Unfortunately, many departments do not have the time or resources to adequately assess their programs, leaving them unable to provide reliable data and evidence to senior administrators concerning the value of programs and services.

NIRSA has teamed with StudentVoice to create a national study of the impact of recreation services on students, examining the usage of Campus Recreation programs and facilities, satisfaction with these services, with an emphasis on the academic, social, emotional and health-related outcomes of Campus Recreation programs.


Why Participate?

This study will allow departments to prove and document the contribution of Campus Recreation to the overall mission of the institution and to the educational experience of students. Study participation will yield actionable data reports and reveal key concepts for the continuing support of Campus Recreation programs, including:

  • Progress towards institutional or departmental goals
  • Areas of success and strength, as well as areas of opportunity
  • Identification of unmet student needs
  • Cost effectiveness and applicability of programs
  • Aid for day-to-day and long-term decision-making and planning
  • Easily benchmark with peer campuses

2008 Project Timeline and Costs

  • January-March: Institutional enrollment open
  • March-May: Survey administration; institutions have access to their data in real-time
  • June: Benchmarking data is available

Project administration costs are $1,500-$2,000, based on student enrollment. The project is free for StudentVoice member campuses.


The Details

Administration

  • An instrument with no more than 50 questions
  • 10 custom questions for campus-specific topics
  • Open-ended questions for student comments
  • Optional questions related to feasibility and support for new facilities
  • Different project branches based on utilization of facilities and services
  • Administered and reported completely online
  • Designed to be completed in less than 15 minutes

Topics

  • A comprehensive look at topics affecting campus recreation.
    • Usage and satisfaction of programs and services:
    • Facilities (current and planned)
    • Intramural and sport club programs
    • Wellness programs
    • Fitness classes/programs
    • Aquatics
  • Development of academic, social, emotional and health-related outcomes
  • Needs assessment that explores unmet student requests
  • Operational issues such as perceptions of student fees, promotion and awareness of campus recreation and accessibility of facilities or programs

Benefits

  • Opportunity to provide evidence about the value of Campus Recreation and gain information necessary to improve and enhance programming efforts
  • Develop a comprehensive assessment program with minimal logistical or technological coordination
  • Ability to collect campus-specific data about programs and services with the power to benchmark with peer and national comparisons
  • Gain support for new programs and services
  • Empower staff to utilize data for self-study and improvement

Responsibilities of Participating Institutions

  • Obtain a random sample of email addresses of a selected student population
  • Specify up to 10 institution specific questions.
  • Seek out institutional approval for survey administration

View the questionnaire

Read the FAQs

View participating institutions from previous years

Sign up for the Campus Recreation Student Outcomes Benchmarking Project

For more information, send an email to info@studentvoice.com.