Mary Head

RCLS 385: Programming in RCLS

Reflection Paper
December 10, 2015

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Ten weeks ago, I never would have thought that our programming class would produce
such a successful event. This event positively influenced all parties involved, especially the
FACE organization and their participants. Throughout this paper I will recap the programming
process and illuminate certain downfalls and successes my group and I faced. I will also address
certain difficulties faced throughout the quarter, and what I could do in the future to remedy such
problems. Next I will address the instructors role in the programming process and how that
affected the final product. I will end by speaking about how this class will be useful to my future
in recreation and tourism management, and what practical skills I have gained through the
reading and hands on experiences.
Items Learned:
There are many lessons I learned over the quarter, both on a theoretical and personal
level. Many concepts I learned through the class presentations were new to me. Ideas about risk
management, budgeting and evaluation were all things I learned this quarter. In order to
successfully put on a program, there are many more necessary steps than I had originally known.
Programming is much more than simply coming up with an idea and executing it. There are
many logistical aspects that are necessary in operating a successful event. In terms of Risk
management, it is important to know emergency procedures to ensure a successful and safe
event. Without these emergency procedures, there is the possibility of the event injuring
participants and staff, as well as legal measures being taken. The budgeting aspect of
programming was a concept that was completely foreign to me prior to this class. I realized that
it takes all parts of a program to submit budgets in order for the budgeting team to successfully
implement the budget. Without a budget, no groups can purchase tools to begin their jobs and
nothing would get done. I did not realize the extent of work it takes to evaluate a program. I

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think the evaluation process is often overlooked because it happens after a program is complete,
and much of the work is unseen by the public.
Lessons Learned:
A main lesson that I learned was how to successfully market an event, due to the fact that
I was on the marketing committee. I believe that the marketing for the Face to F.A.C.E. Winter
Festival was an integral piece in the overall accomplishment of the event. Without marketing, the
event would not have been promoted and nobody would have attended to support the event. I did
not realize the various avenues in which marketing can take place. While I knew about flyers and
media coverage, I did not realize role interpersonal networking played when constructing an
event. This was exemplified well by Tracee and Elizabeth in the marketing group. Tracee used
the multitude of her personal references to network the event among community members. By
sending out letters to special guests Tracee was able to promote the event to individuals who had
personal relevance to the event. Elizabeth went out of her way to create connections with
members of the community who donated to produce monetary gains with the silent auction.
These connections were crucial to the marketing group.
In programming the event there were some difficulties during the process. One difficulty
was that when working with F.A.C.E. there were some discrepancies with conflicting ideas.
F.A.C.E. had certain preconceived ideas about what they wanted the event to be. These ideas
were completely valid because it was their event; however it made us as a class alter our ideas
about the event. Another challenging area in the programming process was learning how to work
in groups. In my group there were many different personalities and opinions, and this made
getting things done difficult at times. These ideas were important to create a diverse event and

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without them, the event would have been less successful. Our group had to figure out how to best
use these ideas while still being realistic to the cause. When our group figured out to
communicate, we were able to hone these ideas and successfully promote the event.
Biggest Challenges:
If I were to redo the programming process, there were some things I would have done
differently. The first thing I would have done differently was done a personality survey or assets
assessment to place group members into teams. By doing this, groups would be consisted of
individuals qualified to perform each assignment. Another thing I would do differently if I am to
program an event in the future is allowing more time to produce an event. Although the context
of the class did not allow for a longer event, in the future I would create a longer time frame to
execute the event. Another thing I would have done differently would be create a shorter window
for the event. I believe if the event were shorter it would have allowed for the volunteers to be
more passionate during the event. I think that would did not have enough activities to do that
would justify the event being that long. As a group something I might have done differently
would have been to designate group roles and responsibility. Where our group developed some
emergent leaders throughout the process, I think we needed to have a set of responsibilities so the
responsibilities were more equally divided.
Instructor Benefits and Challenges:
I think one of the important roles the instructor played was being so passionate about the
event. The instructor successfully introduced us to the organization and made us excited and
passionate about F.A.C.E.. The instructor also helped us learn the various parts of event
planning, execution and evaluation. Another thing the instructor did well was that he used his

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knowledge from prior events to help our event be more successful. There is one part of the
programming process I feel that the instructor could have done differently. While the instructor
gave us free reign in our groups, I think we lacked accountability because there were no grades
required. Things like the submitting budgets and surveys were not always completed because we
were not being graded on their completion. While we should have turned these in on our own
accord, the reality is sometimes grades are required.
Application of Learning Objectives:
In the future there are many ways I can apply the lessons learned to my life and my
career. One way I am already utilizing the skills learned is through programming events at my
sorority. I did not realize the importance of risk management, and so the executive team and I
helped to create a new emergency procedure plan. Another lesson from this class I will take into
the future is learning the importance of interpersonal contacts. Throughout college, we meet
thousands of people and I think it is easy at times to forget who we know. I know now that it is
important to value our friendships and foster our networks as we dont know when we can use
those connections in our future.
To conclude, this event was overall a major success. The funds raised at the Face to
F.A.C.E. Winter Festival will greatly help the organization of F.A.C.E. Personally I learned many
lessons about the programming process over the past 10 weeks. The instructor greatly helped us
to become passionate about the non-profit organization F.A.C.E.. While there were some aspects
of the process I would change in the future, I learned what worked and what did not work. I have
already implemented these lessons learned, and I will continue to do so as I grow in the field of
Recreation and Tourism Management.