Rebecca M. Achen

Servant Leadership and Its Impact on Ethical Climate

Many leaders in intercollegiate athletics are under attack due to an overemphasis on winning and revenue generation. In response, some have recommended a transition to a servant leadership approach because of its focus on the well-being of followers and ethical behaviors (Burton & Welty Peachey, 2013; Welty Peachey, Zhou, Damon, & Burton, 2015). The purpose of this study was to examine athletic directors’ potential demonstration of servant leadership and possible contribution to an ethical climate in NCAA Division III institutions. Participants were 326 athletic staff members from NCAA Division III institutions. Results indicated athletic staff members believed athletic directors displayed characteristics of servant leadership. Athletic department employees perceived athletic directors exhibited servant leadership characteristics of accountability, standing back, stewardship, authenticity, humility, and empowerment most often. Staff members who perceived athletic directors displayed servant leadership characteristics were more likely to report working in an ethical climate. If athletic directors choose to model the characteristics of servantleaders, they could promote more fully the NCAA Division III philosophy of prioritizing the well-being of others, being a positive role model for employees, and fostering ethical work climates within their athletic departments. Examining Athletic Directors’ Demonstration of Servant Leadership and its Contribution to Ethical Climate in NCAA Division III Institutions Athletic directors who lead intercollegiate athletic programs directly influence the lives of hundreds of employees and thousands of student-athletes. Possibly nowhere has this been more impactful than in the 450 institutions holding membership in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). NCAA Division III is unique with studentathletes comprising an average of 19% of undergraduate student bodies and reaching as high as 50% (Sagas & Wigley, 2014). In alignment with NCAA Division III philosophy, athletic directors should prioritize student-athletes’ academic programs and view athletic participation as integral to students’ overall college experiences (National Collegiate Athletic Association, 2016). Servant leadership, a leadership philosophy focusing on putting the needs of followers first with an emphasis on integrity, stewardship, and strong moral values, aligns well with the NCAA Division III philosophy. This philosophy states, “Colleges and universities in Division III place the highest priority on the overall academic quality of the

Measuring social media marketing: moving towards a relationship-marketing approach

ABSTRACT Because social media encourage two-way communication and interaction, they are valuable relationship-building tools for the marketer who chooses to use them to build dialogue and engage customers. In sport, these tools are ideal ways to improve customer relationships because consumers already have a desire to connect with products. However, measurement of the effectiveness of social media as marketing tools remains limited. From a relationship-marketing standpoint, social media should be evaluated based on their ability to improve relationship quality, which leads to a host of positive business outcomes. To do this, sport marketers must measure the impacts of social media engagement on customer relationships. The purpose of this conceptual paper was to explicitly connect social media marketing to relationship marketing and use relationship marketing as a framework for understanding measurement of marketing on social media.

Flipping a Class: Active Learning and More of It

Despite what many claim, just because there is teaching does not mean there is learning. Clear and convincing evidence supports changing the instructional paradigm to a learner-centered classroom. Flipping a class shifts the delivery, often through technologically presented lectures, to free class time for student participation in a plethora of learning activities, such as think-pair-share and discussions, leading to student perceptions of greater learning and more enjoyment. In an action research approach with one class, 72% of juniors and seniors in an undergraduate sport finance and economics class reported out-of-class lectures often positively impacted their learning, and the remaining 28% responded these lectures did sometimes. End-of-course evaluations and surveys were overwhelmingly positive about class engagement, interaction, and enjoyment.

Focusing Teaching on Students: Examining Student Perceptions of Learning Strategies.

This study examined undergraduate and graduate students’ perceptions of the impact of in-class learning activities, out-of-class learning activities, and instructional materials on their learning. Using survey methodology, students anonymously assessed their perceptions of in-class activities, out-of-class activities, and instructional materials as most impactful, helpful, and enjoyable to their learning. Undergraduate college students found Jeopardy games, PowerPoint slides, and checking for understanding/review questions to be most helpful, while 50% often perceived Jeopardy games, Poll Everywhere, videos, and PowerPoint slides as enjoyable active learning strategies. Graduate students perceived small groups, out-of-class writing assignments, and Lino as most helpful to their learning. Additionally, an analysis of student comments about why these strategies were impactful, helpful, and enjoyable revealed 4 themes: fun, learning collaboratively, challenging but helpful, and variety in how students learn. Creating a learner-centered environment that is engaging as well as enjoyable for students positively impacts perceptions of students’ learning, which should encourage teachers to adopt this approach in their own college classrooms.