Campus Recreation

Aim: This study aims to identify university students' perceived barriers to campus recreation activities and explore how virtual reality (VR) applications can facilitate overcoming these obstacles. Method: A mixed-method approach was used. First, the Leisure Constraints Scale was administered to 154 students. Then, 12 students with the highest perceived barriers participated in a VR session. They engaged in games or 360° videos, preferably. After the session, a focus group discussion was conducted. Structured interview questions were derived deductively from the sub-dimensions of the Leisure Constraints Scale, and the data were analyzed thematically. Results: In the quantitative part of the study, a significant difference was found based on the grade variable (p<0.05). In the qualitative part, 50 codes were identified under three themes: intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural constraints/negotiations. Participants viewed VR as an alternative to activities inaccessible in real life. While most evaluated this positively, one participant highlighted the potential for dissatisfaction due to its inability to replicate real-life experiences. VR was highlighted as a preferable option over field-based activities due to its ability to address financial, facility, and time constraints, and its perceived advantage in time management. Conclusion: The revealed key insights: (i)VR can serve as an alternative to inaccessible activities in daily life, (ii)campus recreation activities are limited and poorly advertised; VR provides broader access, (iii)the diversity and cost-free nature of VR is attractive, and (iv)VR may lack the interpersonal interactions inherent in face-to-face activities.

This research was part of a large intervention study implementing the European Sports Leadership Programme (ESLP). This paper reports the outcomes of the qualitative study that employed focus groups to assess the students' perceptions of the 15 competencies determined according to the Framework for qualifications of the European Higher Education Area, before and after the ESLP. Focus groups were carried out at each of the five universities. The ESLP involved university students working as a sports leader for 24 months with the aim to engage more students in university sport, whilst they took part in a graduate employability programme. Each university recruited five sports leaders in their second year at university, to deliver 10 new sport and recreational activities targeting the wider inactive or semi-active student population. Findings highlighted that Organization and planning, Oral and written communication, Development of planning and decision making, and Teamworking, followed closely by Emotional control and Adapting to new situations, were the most commonly reported competencies. They affirmed that this programme had helped to develop these competencies. Use of information, communication and technology, Communication in a foreign language, Research and Emotional control were the most common competencies that students stated they needed to improve further. This research found that implementing the ESLP helped to develop students' perceptions of their workplace and career competencies. The ESLP is therefore, recommended as one approach to helping universities to develop student's workplace and career competencies.

Abstract: The European Union stresses the importance of sport as a tool for social and economic development, although there are still few intervention programmes that have been analyzed, it is justified that this type of programme should be carried out in universities. The main objective of this intervention was to analyze whether significant differences would occur after the programme intervention in the analyzed transversal competences of the student volunteers as a measure of involvement. Participated 61 university students (29 female and 32 males, Mage = 23.20 years, SDage = 9.79). Two tests were carried out, at the beginning of the intervention (pre-test) and after 24 months of the intervention (post-test). There were improvements from pre-test to post-test in organization and planning (Δ = .07, d = .35), management of knowledge and information (Δ = .10, d = .32), emotional control (Δ = .09, d = .39), autonomous work (Δ = 0.03, d = .40) and adaptation to new situations (Δ = 0.0...

The primary objective of the European Sport Leadership Programme (ESLP) was to improve good governance in university sport, through the training of carefully selected students to promote and increase physical activity among the university population. As part of this, the aims were to promote voluntary activity in sport, and to provide quality training to improve leadership in sport. It is important to highlight the innovative aspects of the proposal, which is designed to meet a number of needs present in European universities. ESLP is a pioneering project in the governance of university sport at a European level and takes into account various areas of university sport strategy, from participation or recreation to the elite. This proposal also implements an innovative sports leadership programme with the dual objective of increasing opportunities for students to be active, while allowing them to gain valuable opportunities to help improve their overall employability as future graduat...

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a sport leadership programme (ESLP) on variables related to the leaders’ perception regarding instrumental, personal, and systemic skills in university students. In doing so, the second purpose was to analyse the trans-cultural validity of the Cuestionario de Evaluación de Competencias Transversales de Grado (CECTGRA). Participated 61 students as leaders, 25 mentors and 25 employers, from five European countries. The design was pre-test-post-test, following a longitudinal approach of 24 months to evaluate the effects of the ESLP on variables related to the leader’s perception. An adaptation of the CECTGRA was administered. The questionnaire was valid and reliable to know the effects of the ESLP on the students’ perceptions. However, the sports leaders did not improve their perceptions of competence regarding development, mastery and relevance after the application of the programme. From the finding of this study it is rec...

This research was part of a large intervention study implementing the European Sports Leadership Programme (ESLP). This paper reports the outcomes of the qualitative study that employed focus groups to assess the students' perceptions of the 15 competencies determined according to the Framework for qualifications of the European Higher Education Area, before and after the ESLP. Focus groups were carried out at each of the five universities. The ESLP involved university students working as a sports leader for 24 months with the aim to engage more students in university sport, whilst they took part in a graduate employability programme. Each university recruited five sports leaders in their second year at university, to deliver 10 new sport and recreational activities targeting the wider inactive or semi-active student population. Findings highlighted that Organization and planning, Oral and written communication, Development of planning and decision making, and Teamworking, followed closely by Emotional control and Adapting to new situations, were the most commonly reported competencies. They affirmed that this programme had helped to develop these competencies. Use of information, communication and technology, Communication in a foreign language, Research and Emotional control were the most common competencies that students stated they needed to improve further. This research found that implementing the ESLP helped to develop students' perceptions of their workplace and career competencies. The ESLP is therefore, recommended as one approach to helping universities to develop student's workplace and career competencies.

Campus Recreation and its programs can be used as a way to combat the national trends of decreasing enrollment and retention (Weaver, Forte, & McFadden, 2017; Kampf & Teske, 2013). In fact, 62% of students indicate that Campus Recreation programs are a factor when choosing an institution and 67% indicate that recreation programs were a factor when deciding to stay at a particular institution (Forrester, 2014). As a program within Campus Recreation, Club Sports specifically is perceived to have the greatest health and wellbeing benefits out of all Campus Recreation programming (Lower, Turner, & Petersen, 2013). Due to the voluntary nature of Club Sports, Transformational Leadership (Bass, 1985) may be the most prevalent leadership style (Chan & Mak, 2014). The purpose of this study is to determine if Club Sport Presidents exhibit Transformational Leadership characteristics. The Global Transformational Leadership Survey (Carless et al., 2000) was sent to all Club Sport members. Fall ‘...

Mobile gaming has become immensely popular with the growing ease of access and the variety of inexpensive options now being offered. Pokémon Go, a cellular phone game that combines augmented reality (AR) and global positioning system (GPS) location to catch digital characters in the real world, is a free download that has broken participation records with its popularity. This article briefly reviews the evolution of mobile gaming and AR and then highlights the recent popularity and potential physical activity and recreational benefits of Pokémon Go. Moreover, this article also details how a Pokémon Go event was successfully hosted at Winthrop University by the Office of Recreational Services. In order to encourage more movement and social interaction, activity stations were integrated into the event that participants were able to complete for incentive prizes. A survey was completed after the event by the participants who returned to the starting point after visiting all four available stations. Survey results captured participants' perceived positives and negatives to playing Pokémon Go, their motivation for attending and overall opinion of the event, and their distance traveled during the event. Pokémon Go is an AR game that can be used to encourage recreation and movement. AR can provide many benefits and incentives when utilized in various technologies and curriculums. This article may assist recreation and physical activity leaders in creating events which integrate physical activity through mobile technology in a fun, unique way.

Mobile gaming has become immensely popular with the growing ease of access and the variety of inexpensive options now being offered. Pokémon Go, a cellular phone game that combines augmented reality (AR) and global positioning system (GPS) location to catch digital characters in the real world, is a free download that has broken participation records with its popularity. This article briefly reviews the evolution of mobile gaming and AR and then highlights the recent popularity and potential physical activity and recreational benefits of Pokémon Go. Moreover, this article also details how a Pokémon Go event was successfully hosted at Winthrop University by the Office of Recreational Services. In order to encourage more movement and social interaction, activity stations were integrated into the event that participants were able to complete for incentive prizes. A survey was completed after the event by the participants who returned to the starting point after visiting all four available stations. Survey results captured participants' perceived positives and negatives to playing Pokémon Go, their motivation for attending and overall opinion of the event, and their distance traveled during the event. Pokémon Go is an AR game that can be used to encourage recreation and movement. AR can provide many benefits and incentives when utilized in various technologies and curriculums. This article may assist recreation and physical activity leaders in creating events which integrate physical activity through mobile technology in a fun, unique way.