Program Analysis of Student Athlete Workshop Beyond VT

Abstract

This research study evaluated the effectiveness of the Virginia Tech Office of Student Athlete Development’s Beyond VT event. Study participants attended the Beyond VT event, a career development workshop offered to graduating senior student athletes in preparation for their transition into the working world. Interviews were conducted with nine event participants from seven different sports. Through literature review comparisons of similar student-athlete development programs/workshops, results have been examined to determine the findings through qualitative evaluation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, analyzed, and resulting unique codes were grouped into categories revealing six emerging themes for future program improvements. The results indicated participants felt more comfortable moving into the working world after attending the Beyond VT workshop; however, student-athletes still felt uneasy about the transition due to missing information dealing with additional financial advice, effective time management adjustments, finding new self-identity, and the uncertainty of a plan B. This research can be used to further develop programming efforts in the Office of Student Athlete Development at Virginia Tech, as well as other student-athlete development offices around the country, in terms of preparing student-athletes for life after graduation.