Impact of Summer Residential Camps on the Tourism System

A study was conducted to understand the contributions of organized summer camps to the tourism system, as well as their contributions to the local economy. The sources of information families used for trip planning were also explored. Results revealed that summer residential camps in Western North Carolina can be a catalyst for the travel and tourism industry. In addition to the generation of considerable economic impact and substantial tax revenues, summer camps also draw the majority of camp families and staff to travel great distances to local areas, spend large amounts of money there, and actively participate in tourist opportunities

Exploring PERMA in spectator sport: Applying positive psychology to examine the individual-level benefits of sport consumption

Sport spectating provides numerous benefits for sport organisations and individuals. In this paper we use a positive psychology approach to examine the individual-level benefits of sport consumption in order to investigate the activation of five domains of well-being: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment (PERMA). Using a two-study panel research design, we collected qualitative data from a sample of Australian Rules Football consumers. In the first study, we explored how the PERMA domains were activated during the season. Study two included a follow-up interview with eight initial respondents in the off-season. We found evidence of four PERMA domains that were activated in the sport spectator context by a variety of consumer experiences. The emergence of these domains in both studies suggests sport marketers would benefit from actions including: creating more social spaces within their stadiums, hosting regular off-season events, and creating social-media based competitions which promote fan engagement and interactions throughout the calendar year

Understanding the Role of Motivation in Professional Athletes

Our study examines the overall motivation of professional athletes in an effort to assist sport organizations in understanding their most important asset, the players. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the experiences and motivations of professional athletes within a team setting. Researchers conducted individual semi-structured interviews with 13 professional American football players. Seven themes were present within the data including a love of the game, selfmotivation, sense of community, professional development, engagement with fans, assist the league, and lack of financial support, which was identified as a deterrent to motivation. Teams should increase investment in the professional development of players as valuable human resources to increase overall organizational success. Subscribe to JAS

Build a Community to Retain Students in Online Programs

The proliferation of online or distance education continues to increase at unprecedented rates (Allen & Seaman, 2010). Although online programs have the capacity to increase enrollments without the need for brick and mortar buildings and classrooms, student attrition continues to be a significant challenge (Stanford-Bowers, 2008). The online Masters of Parks, Recreation, Tourism & Sport Management (PRTSM) at NC State University has addressed student attrition by incorporating the principles of learning communities into program development and delivery. The early result of this initiative is a current student retention rate of over 90%. Although relatively new, the concept of learning communities was created to minimize negative student experiences through linking or clustering of courses for a cohort of students (MacGregor et. al., 1999). With online courses, students often report a sense of isolation and remoteness that can serve as both a barrier to learning and as a contributing factor to early dropout (Conrad & Donaldson, 2004). The low attrition rate achieved by our online Masters of PRTSM may be due to the community building activities within courses and across the program among both students and faculty. The following community building strategies /activities are currently used: (1) students enter and complete the program as a cohort group; (2) students are required to attend an on-campus 2-day orientation to the program; (3) each student creates an autobiographical video; (4) students are provided with personal and timely attention from admission through to graduation; (5) social media is used to facilitate ongoing interaction among students and faculty; and (6) weekly online sessions with full audio, chat, and shared whiteboard are a required component of all classes. In addition to building a learning community among students, the NC State University program has been equally successful at creating a community among online course instructors. Faculty meet regularly, consult with each other on course content and delivery issues, and participate in each other’s classes. While it is difficult to discern the unique contribution of each community building activity to our overall student attrition rate, the overall results are quite compelling. This presentation will include a detailed discussion of community building activities and suggestions for incorporating these principles into any online education program

Transforming Face ­to ­Face Activities into Distance Learning Activities: Increasing Student Engagement

As universities look to innovative ideas during these lean economic times, more departments are offering distance learning courses as an attempt to bridge the gap in their budgetary shortfalls, through generating additional funding and increasing class sizes (Foster & Carnevale, 2007). Unfortunately many times, faculty simply transform a face‐to‐face course into a distance education (DE) course without truly understanding the need to change the pedagogy necessary for a successful DE course (Carnevale, 2000; Xenos, Avouris, Stavrinoudis, & Margaritis, 2009). The purpose of our presentation is to explore the value of distance education and to present the challenges involved with transforming face‐to‐face courses and activities for DE courses. Transforming a face‐to‐face class into a distance learning class is relatively simple for course content; however, making the distance learning class as interactive as the face‐to‐face class is more challenging. There are obstacles inherent to distance learning as it pertains to group activities, student input, class activities, and sense of community among students; however these obstacles can be eliminated with the use of creative solutions and through the use of technological innovations. For example, simulated face‐to‐face interactions can be created by using online communication software (e.g., Elluminate) for conducting a virtual classroom experience. Additionally, the appropriate IT support plays a key role in the successful development and implementation of activities for student engagement. Attendees will be shown the differences between synchronous and asynchronous methods for online teaching and be given specific examples from our previous experiences in DE courses. We will identify ways to modify face‐to‐face activities into DE activities that will cater to all types of learners, thus offering a richer learning experience. Participants are encouraged to bring their face‐to‐face course syllabi and activities/assignments to our presentation, as there will be an opportunity to develop an action plan for transforming face‐to‐ face course activities to DE, specific to their course needs. This workshop is not about technical issues, but tailored toward teaching staff wishing to gain a better understanding in developing online courses and student engagement through online activities. Outcomes Participants will be able to: • Identify the positives and negatives of student engagement with online learning • Identify IT support needed in providing quality online learning experiences • Develop potential synchronous and asynchronous online learning and teaching activities specific to course needs • Design an action plan for implementation of distance learning activitie

Physical activity constraints among latinos identifying clusters and acculturation differences

Abstract: Understanding leisure-time physical activity among Latinos is a national public health concern. This study examined constraints to leisure-time physical activity among Latinos in North Carolina in relation to their level of acculturation. Data (N = 457) were obtained through a community survey. Four subgroups with similar constraints were identified using cluster analysis