Publication Date

12-2004

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Dr. Steve L. Spencer (Director), Dr. Raymond A. Poff, Dr. Randall E. Deere, Dr. Elmer Gray

Degree Program

Department of Kinesiology, Recreation and Sport

Degree Type

Master of Science

Abstract

This study identified current trends in website design and development for college and university recreation programs accredited by the NRPA/AALR Council on Accreditation. Emphasis was on design, content, governance, and development. The study was an attempt to provide insight for program administrators by identifying current practices related to website design and development. This was the first study to identify current trends in website design and development at nationally accredited recreation programs. This information can be used to evaluate existing websites and plan future website development.

Data were collected using an electronic survey instrument created with E-listen software. Three invitations were emailed to program administrators at college and university recreation programs accredited by the NRPA/AALR Council on Accreditation (n=98). Basic descriptive statistics including measures of central tendency and frequency distributions were calculated to address the research questions.

The results of this study showed that faculty were most often responsible for their program’s website construction, content and design input, and maintenance. Students did not play a large role in these responsibilities. The websites were most commonly maintained monthly.

The most common components available on program websites were informative and served as marketing and recruiting tools. The majority of websites did not contain components for student entertainment or communication. Over half of the websites included links to professional organizations’ homepages. Just under half of the websites did not include a link to the National Recreation and Park Association.

Disciplines

Education | Instructional Media Design

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