OATdb Archive

2014 - 2015

Recreational Sports

Goal
Informal Student Staff Performance
Informal Staff training and monthly or weekly in-service meetings are designed to give student employees communication and problem solving skills necessary perform their job responsibilities.

Objective
Informal Staff Communication Training
Students who participate in training on Communication and monthly in-service meetings will show a 6% increase in strongly agree when asked if they have grown or improved in Effective Communication skills as a result of their employment with Recreational Sports. This increase will bring informal staff up to the average of the other Recreational Sports program area employees for problem solving.

KPI
2014-2015 Survey Results Compared With 2013-2014 Survey Results.
Student staff in the informal program area will be administered the Campus Labs Survey on skills that employers look for. In 2013-2014 informal staff scored 6% less than the average for all other program areas in communication.
Through training and monthly meetings informal staff will self-report on the same survey administered during the 2014-2015 academic year at the same level or above to the rest of the student staff in the area of communication. (6% increase from 2013-2014)

Result
Survey Results - Communication
During the Fall and Spring training a focus was put on communication skills and problem solving. Informal Staff were administered a Campus Labs Survey at the end of the spring 2015 semester that had the same questions as the one administered in the spring of 2014.
One of those questions was:  As a result of my employment with the Department of Recreational Sports, I have grown or improved in the following areas . . . - Effective communication

Informal Staff scored the following each year:
2013-2014 – Strongly Agree – 55.26%
2014-2015 – Strongly Agree – 64.71%
There was an increase of almost 9%.


Action
Communications Training
We will be including more communications based topics in staff trainings and meetings for continued growth. This includes:
Weekly Supervisor Meetings
Monthly Staff Meetings
Semi-Annually All-Staff trainings
Yearly Student Leadership Retreat

Training topics/workshops will either be specifically about communication or have components of communication as part of the topic. i.e. a conflict resolution or customer service training will touch on communication and how it plays a role in the success of that topic.


Objective
Informal Staff Problem Solving Training
Students who participate in training in Problem Solving and monthly in-service meetings will show a 6% increase in strongly agree when asked if they have grown or improved in problem solving skills as a result of their employment with Recreational Sports. This increase will bring informal staff up to the average of the other Recreational Sports program area employees for problem solving.

KPI
2014-2015 Survey Results On Problem Solving Compared To 2013-2014 Results
Informal Supervisors (Lead Staff) will be administered the Campus Labs Survey on skills that employers look for. In 2013-2014 informal staff scored 6% less than the average for all other program areas in Problem Solving skills.
Through training and weekly in-service meetings supervisors will self-report on survey administered during the 2014-2015 academic year at the same level or above to the rest of the student staff in the area of problem solving. (6% increase from 2013-2014).


Result
Survey Results - Problem Solving
During the Fall and Spring training a focus was put on communication skills and problem solving. Informal Staff were administered a Campus Labs Survey at the end of the spring 2015 semester that had the same questions as the one administered in the spring of 2014.
One of those questions was:  As a result of my employment with the Department of Recreational Sports, I have grown or improved in the following areas . . . - Problem solving skills

Informal Supervisor Staff scored the following each year:
2013-2014 – Strongly Agree – 52.63%
2014-2015 – Strongly Agree – 47.66%
There was a decrease of 5%.

While these results were disappointing we did notice in the survey data that students who had just graduated and had the most years of experience did not take the survey. The lower number could be due to the lack of experience of the supervisors that took the survey as over 80% had less than 2 years’ experience working in Recreational Sports.


Action
Problem Solving Training
Will be including more problem solving topics in staff trainings and meetings for continued growth. This includes:
Weekly Supervisor Meetings
Monthly Staff Meetings
Semi-Annually All-Staff trainings
Yearly Student Leadership Retreat

Training topics/workshops will include:
CPR/First Aid
Customer Service
Evacuation Drills
Documentation


Objective
Problem Solving Evaluation On Injury And Incident Reports
Students (Informal Supervisors/Lead Staff) who participate in training in Problem Solving and weekly in-service meetings will score at least 80% on a rubric evaluating problem solving skills  on injury and incident reports and will score better than on reports completed before training and in-services were conducted.

Indicator
Pre And Post Test Of Reports
Injury and incident reports will be graded using a rubric to identify problem solving skills demonstrated by Student Supervisors (Lead Staff) in the Informal Recreation program area of Recreational Sports.

Criterion
80% Proficiency On Problem Solving Rubric
Staff will score at least 80% on the rubric for injury and incident reports demonstrating sufficient knowledge of problem solving skills when dealing with these types of situations.

Finding
Rubric Results
Only 1 incident report out of 72 scored less than 80% overall and all but 5% scored over 90. In looking at individual areas within the rubric we found that there was a lower rate for of completion for actions taken by staff which was a more relevant measure of problem solving.
Only 64% scored 100% correct on the action taken by staff. The survey showed some interesting trends with what staff missed that can now be addressed such as not identifying who the staff member was, transportation not filled out correctly, and left room number off.

Criterion
Increased Demonstrated Knowledge Of Problem Solving
Staff will score higher on a rubric evaluating problem solving skills on injury and incident reports after training and in-services compared to reports submitted before additional training occurred.

Finding
Comparison Results
Overall the results showed improvement from FY 2014 to FY 2015. Having the injury forms on hand for previous years allowed us to apply the rubric to last year and compare the results.

In FY 2014 39% of staff scored 100 on the rubric
In FY 2015 51% of staff scored 100 on the rubric
This is a 12% increase.

In FY 2014 88% scored over 90 on the rubric
In FY 2015 94% scored over 90 on the rubric
This is 6% increase

In FY 2014 100% scored over 80 on the rubric
In FY 2015 99% scored over 80 on the rubric
This was a 1% decrease


Action
Injury Reports
The rubric will be enhanced so that there is more understanding of how to grade the different criteria.
We will continue to evaluate injury reports.
We will review and discus injury reports and how to handle these incidents in the weekly supervisors meetings.
We are moving to an electronic form.
We will host a "Code Red" drill to practice skills.
We will hold mock court cases, at semiannual all staff training, based on completed reports to show the effect of reports in litigation and the importance of filling them out correctly.


Goal
Bearkat Camp
Sam Houston State University Bearkat Camp.

Objective
Developing Interpersonal Relationships
Students who participate in spirit camps for freshman or transfer students will develop interpersonal relationships and a sense of community with other students before the start of the academic year.


KPI
Survey Results - Interpersonal Relationships
Outcome will be measured through a survey with the following questions:

  • How comfortable were you establishing relationships? Not at all comfortable to Extremely Comfortable.
  • Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements: - I fostered interpersonal relationships while at Bearkat Camp.

Result
Survey Result - Interpersonal Relationships
The survey results show that participants of Bearkat Camp were able to establish some relationship with other participants before attending their first semester at SHSU. While interaction is sometimes forced at camp due to the activities designed to have participants interact most felt comfortable doing so.

How comfortable were you establishing relationships?
37% Extremely Comfortable
46% Very Comfortable
15% Moderately Comfortable
1% Not Very Comfortable
1% No at all Comfortable

I fostered interpersonal relationships while at Bearkat Camp
74% Strongly Agree
22% Moderately Agree
2% Neither Agree or Disagree
1% Moderately Disagree
0% Strongly Disagree
1% Not Applicable


Action
Bearkat Camp Improvements
These survey questions yielded positive results. We will continue to evaluate these questions on a yearly basis to see if changes to the program make an impact on these results. There will be a number of format changes for next year’s Bearkat Camp that should allow for more opportunities for team building and should enhance the student's experience. These include an additional team building exercise separate from ropes course activities, changes to the scavenger hunt to reduce travel time between activities and allow for more time at individual stations that touch on traditions of SHSU and the addition of free time activities to enhance the experience of the students.

Objective
Feeling Connected To Sam Houston State University
Students who participate in spirit camps for freshman or transfer students will be able to recognize a connection to the university

KPI
Survey Results - Connection To SHSU
Outcome will be measured through a survey with the following questions:

  • Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements: - This program generated a sense of pride in attending SHSU.
  • Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements: - I know more about SHSU as a result of this program.
  • Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements: - I feel better prepared to be a student at SHSU.

Result
Survey Results - Connection To SHSU
This program generated a sense of pride in attending SHSU.
92% Strongly Agree
6% Moderately Agree
2% Neither Agree or Disagree
0% Moderately Disagree
0% Strongly Disagree
1% Not Applicable

I know more about SHSU as a result of this program.
84% Strongly Agree
13% Moderately Agree
2% Neither Agree or Disagree
0% Moderately Disagree
1% Strongly Disagree
1% Not Applicable

I feel better prepared to be a student at SHSU.
85% Strongly Agree
12% Moderately Agree
2% Neither Agree or Disagree
0% Moderately Disagree
0% Strongly Disagree
1% Not Applicable


Action
Bearkat Camp Improvements
These survey questions yielded positive results. We will continue to evaluate these questions on a yearly basis to see if changes to the program make an impact on these results. There will be a number of format changes for next year’s Bearkat Camp that should allow for more opportunities for team building and should enhance the student's experience. These include an additional team building exercise separate from ropes course activities, changes to the scavenger hunt to reduce travel time between activities and allow for more time at individual stations that touch on traditions of SHSU and the addition of free time activities to enhance the experience of the students.

Objective
Spirit And Traditions Knowledge
Students who participate in spirit camps for freshman or transfer students will be able to recall spirit and traditions of Sam Houston State

KPI
Survey Result - Traditions Knowledge
Outcome 3 will be measured through a survey with the following question:

  • Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements: - Bearkat Camp enhanced my appreciation of University traditions.

Result
Survey Results
Survey results indicate that participants in Bearkat Camp believe that they have a better understanding of the traditions of SHSU and thus hopefully feel more connected to the university as well as be more involved in those traditions.

Bearkat Camp enhanced my appreciation of University traditions.
88% Strongly Agree
9% Modertly Agree
2% Neither Agree or Disagree
0% Modertly Disagree
0% Strongly Disagree
1% Not Applicable


KPI
Skit Obeservation For Traditions Knowledge.
Direct observation through skits performed as part of Bearkat Camp that display participants’ knowledge of SHSU traditions.

Result
Skit Observation Results
After campers go through a scavenger hunt that gives them information about the history and traditions of SHSU they do skits that express those concepts in a competition between camp "tribes". The skits were graded on content and a play a factor in determining a winner of the competions. This helps us to see whether or not they were able to retain the information received during the days events.
4 different skits covering 4 traditions were evaluated on a scale of 0-10 with 10 being the highest that protrayed everything that was discussed during the day.
Rivalries - 8 out of 10
Day in the life of Sam 9-10
Tripod - 7-10
Benefits of attending Bearkat Camp 10-10

Action
Bearkat Camp Improvements
These survey questions yielded positive results. We will continue to evaluate these questions on a yearly basis to see if changes to the program make an impact on these results. There will be a number of format changes for next year’s Bearkat Camp that should allow for more opportunities for team building and should enhance the student's experience. These include an additional team building exercise separate from ropes course activities, changes to the scavenger hunt to reduce travel time between activities and allow for more time at individual stations that touch on traditions of SHSU and the addition of free time activities to enhance the experience of the students.
We will also improve the skit matrix to include specific criteria.

Objective
Higher Retention
Students who participate in spirit camps for freshman or transfer students will be retained at a higher rate than students who do not attend

KPI
Retention Of Bearkat Camp Participants
Outcome will be measured through comparing retention rates of participants’ vs non participants. In October of every year the participants will be compared. This allows for an accurate account of which students matriculate or graduate.


Result
Retention Results
We have compiled retention rates since 2009 for participants vs non participants of Bearkat Camp and Transfer Camp.
First year retention rates of Undergraduate Bearkat Camp particpants was an average 8% higher than non participants since it started in 2009. Transfer Camp was 8% higher for participants than non participants since 2012.
The Retention rates varied from year to year with a low of 3% higher to a high of 12% higher.
Second and third year retention rates remained strong with an average of 9% higher for participants vs non participants.
The attached document shows each year retention rates for all first time freshman, Bearkat Camp or Transfer Camp participants and Non Bearkat Camp or Transfer Camp students.


Action
Retention Rates
We will continue to montior retention rates of Bearkat Camp participants vs. Non Participants.

Objective
Higher Graduation Rates
Students who participate in spirit camps for freshman or transfer students will graduate at a higher rate than students who do not attend.


KPI
Graduation Rates Of Bearkat Camp Participants
Outcome will be measured through comparing graduation rates of participants’ vs non participants. In October of every year the participants will be compared. This allows for an accurate account of which students matriculate or graduate.

Result
Graduation Rate Comparison
We have compiled Graduation Rates since 2009 for participants’ vs non participants of Bearkat Camp and since 2012 for Transfer Camp. The Transfer Camp participant Graduation Rates are similar after 2 years to non-participants however year 3 will be a better indicator as more participants and non-participants would expect to graduate.
The comparisons for First-Time Freshman graduation are most representative for the participants’ vs non participants from 2009 and 2010.

2009 4 year Graduation Rate
Bearkat Camp Graduation Rate: 35%
Non-Bearkat Camp Graduation Rate: 21%
Difference of +14%

2009 5 year Graduation Rate
Bearkat Camp Graduation Rate: 57%
Non-Bearkat Camp Graduation Rate: 43%
Difference of +14%

2010 4 year Graduation Rate
Bearkat Camp Graduation Rate: 36%
Non-Bearkat Camp Graduation Rate: 24%
Difference of +12%


Action
Graduation Rates
We will continue to montior graduation rates of Bearkat Camp participants vs. Non Participants.


Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement

1. Club Sports leadership training format was changed from group sessions to individual leadership meetings with club representatives. The feedback from Club Sports Officers was overwhelmingly positive as clubs felt more comfortable asking questions, they felt that their needs were important, that their needs were being addressed and that they formed better relationships with the department. In "exit" interviews with club officers each one expressed gratitude for the time spent with each individual club because of these meetings. When group meetings were taking place clubs didn't feel as comfortable asking questions and some clubs felt they weren't being helped as much as they could have.
2. We saw an increase in fundraising dollars and thank you letters but did not reach the 75% mark. These remain student organizations and leadership turns over every year.  Training is an ongoing process and those clubs that perform well in their administration of the club all hit the 75% mark. Those that show that they are lacking in leadership and struggle to survive as a club usually do not meet the 75% mark.
3. We have started a club sports golf tournament to help clubs raise money. This has decreased the need for clubs to do multiple small fundraising programs and has increased the amount of money they can get from one event that all club sports participate in.
4. The group fitness instructors performed demo's and had to score a passing grade in order to teach that format.  All instructors successfully completed this and now teach another format. This training continues for new hires to reach the same goals.
5. We have hosted certification workshops (ACE certification) to provide professional development opportunities to instructors and provided off campus opportunities (TexFit and NIRSA) as well.
6. Instructors that were with us for an entire year are now are proficient in multiple formats. New instructors continue to develop to teach multiple formats.
7+8 Training was developed to enhance the areas that scored below 60% strongly agree including: Ability to make decisions and solve problems, Ability to plan, organize and prioritize work, Ability to motivate and encourage others and Managing emergency situations. Managing emergency situations and ability to make decisions and solve problems were specifically addressed in 2014-2015 OATDB. There findings are listed above.
9. Fusion software was not purchased until December of 2014 and it took the entire spring semester to implement. July 2015 the program was put into beta testing and was fully operational for the fall 2015 semester. This data is now being collected and will be compared with the general retention rates at the end 2015-2016 academic year.


Plan for continuous improvement 1. We will increase training in communication and problem solving for our supervisors and student staff.
2. We will host "Code Red" drills and mock court cases to develop skills and show the consequences of not following procedures.
3. We will continue to evaluate Bearkat Camp effectiveness on relationship building, sense of community/belonging and spirit and traditions knowledge on a yearly basis to see if changes to the program make an impact on these results. There will be a number of format changes for next year’s Bearkat Camp that should allow for more opportunities for team building and should enhance the student's experience. These include an additional team building exercise separate from ropes course activities, changes to the scavenger hunt to reduce travel time between activities and allow for more time at individual stations that touch on traditions of SHSU and the addition of free time activities to enhance the experience of the students.
4. We will repeat the GPA and Retention objectives for 2015-2016 with the implementation of Fusion management software.