Enhancing the Experience: An Analysis of Collegiate Recreation’s Impact on Student Learning

Collegiate recreation has the opportunity to impact student growth beyond physical activity. Serving as one of the university’s largest employers, collegiate recreation provides students with opportunities to achieve desired university learning outcomes. The purpose of this exploratory case study was to examine what on-the-job activities and experiences impact the five learning domains: career development, civic and community engagement, leadership, ethics and values, and responsible independence. BGSU undergraduate students who have been employed with BGSU Recreation and Wellness for a minimum of one semester were recruited to participate in this study. Respondents who agreed to participate in the study competed a self-administered questionnaire by rating the frequency of their experiences in 13 on-the-job activities and experiences and questions about the five learning domains. The result of analysis indicated there are statistically significant relationships between many on-the-job experiences and the five learning domains. Collaboration, problem solving, task repetition and informal interactions with supervisors were found to be on-the-job activities relating strongest to the five learning domains