How do you describe the people who use your facilities?

Hi colleagues! I am keeping this post short, as many of us are working hard to conclude the academic term. This month, I am sharing a research article titled “A Data-Driven Approach for Facility Use Definitions in Campus Recreation.” The article highlights how existing research exploring the relationship between facility use and measures of student success lacks a consistent definition of the users being studied. The discussion section of the publication provides extensive thoughts on defining a user—not just for future research studies, but for goal setting, annual reporting, and participant surveys.

Zegre, S. J., Hughes, R. P., Darling, A. M., & Decker, C. R. (2022). A Data-Driven Approach for Facility Use Definitions in Campus Recreation. Recreational Sports Journal, 46(1), 115-127. https://doi.org/10.1177/15588661221077692

Surveys

If your department is using surveys that ask participants to self-report their facility usage, Table 7 in this article provides a way to segment response options. I recently applied the recommendations to a benchmarking survey that we conducted as part of our 5-year program review. Beyond self-reporting survey data, the usage categories can be applied to the collection and analysis of the facility usage data that you pull from your membership software.

Student engagement dashboards

Another way I have put this research into practice is through using it to define low, medium, and high engagement ranges for the student engagement dashboard that our division is creating. A small group of student affairs departments is beta testing a process to report participation data to a central database; our Institutional Research Office has drafted a dashboard that allows us to explore certain student characteristics, see engagement levels, and uncover themes.

I’m curious how else you may already be using this research article in your daily practice. If you have other examples to share, please reach out and let me know.  Thanks for reading along! As we head into what I hope is a break period for you all, remember that rest is resistance—so take care of yourselves.