27345 Designing and Planning Leisure Experiences

Subject level: Undergraduate

Handbook description

This subject provides leisure experience planning fundamentals for leisure managers. It focuses on program planning and development and specifically on key skills, principles and effective management practices. It examines how facilities and programs are planned, managed, operated, evaluated and maintained. Also covered are issues ranging from provision of childcare to security and safety issues, as well as case studies and future directions.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of how to plan and implement leisure experiences across a range of organisational settings.
2. Apply leisure planning and design skills, such as community needs assessments and program scheduling.
3. Identify appropriate inclusive responses to leisure delivery issues encompassing equity and diversity considerations.
4. Design and implement program evaluation and analyses procedures.

Contribution to graduate profile

This subject will provide students with a foundation of professional knowledge, skills and values necessary for a career in leisure management and related industries. Students will develop work-ready skills relevant for leisure industries and learn how to assess, plan, design, implement and evaluate leisure experiences for range of organisational settings. Students will be exposed to a range of planning models that are used in leisure settings to cater for community and consumer needs. The design of leisure experiences will be explored within a framework of social and corporate responsibility. On successful completion students will have gained relevant expertise in leadership, management, planning, research and programming.

Teaching and learning strategies

Teaching and learning strategies include lectures, workshops and field visits. Content for this subject will be supported by UTS Online.

Content

• Leisure experience theories and approaches
• Models of participatory planning
• Program development cycle
• Feasibility studies and needs assessment
• Functional aspects of program planning and delivery
• Budgeting
• Promotion and marketing
• Scheduling, staffing and operations: ticketing, merchandising and customer service
• Legal and risk management issues
• Inclusion and diversity.

Recommended text(s)

Edginton, C., Hanson, C., Edginton, S. and Hudson, S. (2003). Leisure Programming: A Service-Centered and Benefits Approach, 4th edition. Boston: McGraw Hill Publishing Co.

Indicative references

Cordes, K. A. and Ibrahim, H. M. (1996). Applications in Recreation and Leisure: For Today and the Future. St Louis: Mosby Publishing.

Appenzeller, H. (ed) (1998). Risk Management in Sport: Issues and strategies. Durham, N.C.: Carolina Academic Press.

Carter, J. (ed) (1997). A Sense of Place. An Interpretive Planning Handbook. Scotland: Tourism and Environment Initiative.

Grantham, W.C., Patton, R.W., York, T.D. and Winick, M.L. (1998). Health and Fitness Management. Champaign, Ill.: Human Kinetics.