U.S. higher education institutions are being called to question their central nature, priorities, and functions, with prominent and unprecedented attention being given to accountability and the measurement of student learning outcomes. As higher education evolves in how it assesses student learning and leisure studies and recreation departments…

The question of how close a recreation program approximates the original objective of the programer can only be answered by extensive evaluation. The true value of the total recreation program may be determined by evaluating the benefit of a recreation program to the participant. (JN)

Because of the changing values of the American public, lawsuits in cases of personal injury are on the upswing. Recreation professionals must be prepared to encounter these situations by establishing accident reporting procedures and obtaining appropriate insurance. (RJG)

Presents strategies and guidelines for generating new action-oriented ideas for recruiting and retaining diverse staff in the recreation field. Recruitment strategies include introducing high school youth to an agency, providing financial assistance, and becoming aligned with certain higher education institutions. Retention strategies include…

Evaluation is one method of determining accountability in human service programs. A generic evaluation approach contains several steps: (1) stating a purpose for evaluating the program; (2) identifying evaluation questions; (3) identifying the nature of evaluation information; (4) collecting evaluation information; (5) analyzing evaluation…

International sources suggest that Australian human service agencies must implement meaningful processes to meet increasing demands for accountability in service delivery. The development of adequate services for the disabled in Australia is influenced by the principles of normalization--the use of culturally valued means in order to enable,…

A model is presented to demonstrate that systematic evaluation by design or planned, purposeful evaluation of recreational programs is possible. The evaluation model concepts of control group, randomization, and pretest and posttest are explained. (JN)

Describes the design and application of the Student Affairs Program Evaluation Process at the University of Nebraska. An evaluation team including students and faculty was set up to study counseling, recreation and orientation programs. Weaknesses and strengths of the process were discussed and suggestions made for appropriate followup activities.…

Purpose of the Fort Gay-Thompson Urban/Rural project was to combine the efforts of school and community persons so as to provide a more effective educational program for the west central section of Wayne County, West Virginia. To date, the school-community planning process had resulted in needs assessment and career education programs,…