Lesson 5

Jalen Holston| jalenh4@vt.edu| 10/5/21

Description of Project & Background:

Virginia Tech football emphasizes having every player prepared to produce when they’re on the
field. To develop future players, they have implemented a program specifically for redshirting players.
This evaluation plan will be used to evaluate Virginia Tech’s fall redshirt weight training program for
redshirt players on campus. The goal of this evaluation is to find the effectiveness of the program, what
areas of the program could be improved, and if the players are benefitting from the program. Virginia
Tech’s fall weight training program is employed throughout the entire fall semester from August to
December 2021.

Rationale

Virginia Tech football’s strength and conditioning program is a department within the team that
strives to get the athletes they work with stronger, recover from injury faster, to find new ways to help
their athletes perform at their best. Virginia Tech’s fall redshirt weight training program is held for an
entire semester and workouts are held on campus in Virginia Tech’s Merryman Center. Virginia Tech’s
fall weight training program is held three days out of the week (Sunday, Thursday, and Friday) and
continue every week up until the end of the regular season. The strength staff will provide ground base
exercises, track miles per hour, and yardage ran for redshirting players. The strength staff within the
team has great importance as their work directly impacts the production output and overall success on
the field of the athletes. Some incoming players take a redshirt year in order to preserve their playing
eligibility during their career. The new rule in college sports lets redshirt players participate in up to four
games without counting towards their eligibility, so it is very likely they have to still be prepared to play
during the season. This opportunity gives them more time to prepare and get extra work with strength
coaches to transform their bodies to be ready to perform at its peak.

I don’t see and potential deficiencies for this evaluation as it is important to continue to improve
the program within itself. I believe an evaluation of the Virginia Tech fall redshirt weight training
program is needed ultimately because the players are depending on the program to produce on the
field. Programs like this are needed to develop and transform incoming freshman into the college and
NFL stars they dream to be. It is important to make sure programs like these are also forever evolving,
improving, and finding ways to become better for those who participate in them.

Purpose:

Purpose Statement
 The evaluation will be a formative evaluation because it is meant to determine if there are ways
to improve the strength and conditioning program for redshirt players, to find how effective the
program is, and to see what is working and not working within it. This evaluation of the program will
help to find if the redshirt players participating are being benefitting, what could be improved, and to
find what isn’t working well and what is working well within Virginia Tech’s fall redshirt weight training
program. Once the evaluation is concluded, the results will be used to show the findings that seek to
help improve the Virginia Tech fall weight training program.

The evaluation I will do will target two levels of Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model. The levels of
Kirkpatrick evaluation that I will focus on will be levels 1 – reaction and level 3 - transfer. For level 1 of
the evaluation I will be looking to get information that will help improve Virginia Tech’s fall redshirt
weight training program. As the program grows they want to strive to put out the best training methods
for players so they can perform at their best ability. With level 3 of the evaluation I will be finding what
works in the program and what needs to be fixed within it. Virginia Tech’s fall redshirt weight training
program could be doing great things, but it could there is always room for improvement.

Guiding/Key Question:

1) How well is the Virginia Tech’s fall redshirt weight training program being implemented?
2) How effective are the workouts/training sessions within the Virginia Tech fall redshirt weight
training program?
3) To what degree did Virginia Tech’s redshirt weight training program attain the expected goal?
4) How could the Virginia Tech redshirt weight training program be improved?
5) How do the redshirt players feel about Virginia Tech’s fall redshirt weight training program?

Stakeholders

Ben Hilgart – Virginia Tech Football’s Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, primary stakeholder

Justin Fuente – Virginia Tech’s Head Football Coach, secondary stakeholder

Sample/Sampling Strategy

As the Virginia Tech’s redshirting program continues during the fall semester I will be observing
the redshirting freshman class workout and lift in the program. The participants in the weight training
program will be the redshirting freshman class and the instructors are Virginia Tech’s weight training
staff. The freshman class will be the population. The class is represented by 28 student-athletes, but I
will only be using data of 15 to 20 players as some will burn their redshirt. I will be random sampling by
selecting random players from the team. I will use some of the data already recorded that was used to
identify the redshirting freshman’s’ weight, speed, and weight lifting maxes before they were in the
program. While I observe them, I plan to record their weight, speed, and weightlifting data throughout
their time in the program this semester. After they have completed the program I will go on to record
their new weight, max speed, and their max weight lifts. I will also be recording the different workouts
that the program provides to the players. I will be taking the results I find and compare that with data
that was previously recorded to find what was the results of the program.

7.1 Data Collection & Methods

Data Related Key Note

Question
Quantitative KQ2: How effective I chose this because I
are the need to get statistical
workouts/training data of redshirting
sessions within the player’s weight lifting
Virginia Tech fall numbers, speed times,
redshirt weight and body weight
training program?
Quantitative KQ3: To what degree I chose this because I
did Virginia Tech’s need statistical data to
redshirt weight find if the goal of
training program development was
attain the expected met.
goal?
Qualitative KQ4: How could the I chose this because I
Virginia Tech redshirt need to get narrative
weight training data from the
program be participants. I don’t
improved? need statistical data.
Qualitative KQ5: How do the I chose this because I
redshirt players feel need narrative data
about Virginia Tech’s from the participants
fall redshirt weight in the program.
training program?

7.2 Data Collection Methods

I will collect the needed data by conducting surveys and using collected data. Surveys will be
given via email. The surveys will serve as an instrument to help me get a better understanding of how
the program could be improved and how do players feel about the program. The survey will consist of
questions about the program and give redshirt players the opportunity to give their own opinionated
statements. I also wanted to include the collected data weighting lifting maxes, speed maxes, and body
weight numbers. All of this data is recorded throughout the program.

- Website for survey

Please answer the following questions truthfully and to the best of your knowledge:

Open ended questions

1) Could you describe how you feel about Virginia Tech’s fall redshirt weight training program
2) Think about your time in the program, what were the best parts about the program?
3) Think about your time in the program, what were the worst parts about the program?
4) How could Virginia Tech’s Fall redshirting weight training program be improved to serve its
participants better?

Multiple choice

5) How would you rate the program?

a. Very satisfied
b. Satisfied
c. Neither
d. Not satisfied

Do you agree with the following statements?

6) Virginia Tech’s fall redshirting weight training program has benefitted me on the field.
a. Strongly agree
b. Agree
c. Strongly Disagree
d. Disagree
e. Neither
7) The weight training staff has properly instructed me how to properly lift weights.
a. Strongly agree
b. Agree
c. Strongly Disagree
d. Disagree
e. Neither
8) The weight training staff have shown their knowledge and experience of weight training through
their instruction.
a. Strongly agree
b. Agree
c. Strongly Disagree
d. Disagree
e. Neither
9) I have become faster and stronger since completing Virginia Tech’s Fall weight training program.
a. Strongly agree
b. Agree
c. Strongly Disagree
d. Disagree
e. Neither
10) Virginia Tech’s weight training staff provided me with a state of the art and appropriate learning
environment during weight training sessions.
 a. Strongly agree
b. Agree
c. Strongly Disagree
d. Disagree
e. Neither
11) I would recommend Virginia Tech’s fall weight training program to future redshirting players
a. Strongly agree
b. Agree
c. Strongly Disagree
d. Disagree
e. Neither

7.3 Data Analysis Methods

I will use the analysis process to analysis the data. To start, I will need to review the purpose of the
evaluation is to see if the program is meeting its expected goals. I will summarize the results of the
surveys into different categories (negative/positive) and ideas that point of the strengths and
weaknesses of the program. Next, I will identify the patterns I find within the data and interpret the
data. I will present the finished data within a table that was collected through the raw data.

8. Logistics and timeline

Task Target Completion Responsible Person Required Resource

Date

Develop evaluation plan 10/15/21 Evaluator Evaluation plan

template

Survey completion 10/17/21 Evaluator, redshirt Time, Redshirt

players players, survey

Analyze collected data 10/19/2021 Evaluator Survey data

Staff report update meeting 10/19/2021 Evaluator, instructors Data, time, notes

Report to stake holders 10/21/2021 Evaluator, stakeholders Evaluation reports,

data
9. Estimated Cost and Budget

Category Description Unit Price (Cost) Quantity Cost

Labor Evaluator 0$ 25+hours 0$

Labor Strength coaching 0$ 20hours 0$

staff & participants

Materials Redshirt players, 0$ 0ea 0$

laptops, coaching
staff

Equipment Weight room 0$ 0ea 0$

equipment, GPS
tracker, Bodpod

Facilities Virginia Tech 0$ . 0$

Services N/A . .

Software N/A . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

Considering that I am currently a student-athlete inside Virginia Tech athletics, I have access to
all facilities, equipment, staff, and participants within this evaluation. I will not have to pay any fees to
get my evaluation completed.