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Trends and Topics in Education
Trends and Topics in Continuing Education Survey
By Michelle Margo, MA, Lana L. Huberty, PhD, and Brooke Burk, PhD
Welcome to the New Year, a time for innovative and fresh ideas for elevating park and recreation professionals through professional development. In the past two years, higher education institutions have reacted to COVID by offering online and hybrid options to the traditional face-to-face courses. With the new delivery format options, higher education institutions can now reach more individuals to assist them with meeting their professional career goals. What institutions of higher education have learned throughout COVID instruction is that education must be flexible to meet unique demands of working professionals, adaptable to adjust to the learning environments for students around the world, and provide relevant, real-world application of new knowledge and theory in a competence-based setting. In recognition of this need, the authors engaged in a research project that was intended to examine the skills or knowledge that recreation and park professionals seek to advance goals (for themselves as well as those they work with).
Where we were…
Many practitioners working in the recreation and leisure studies field are seeking opportunities to upgrade their skills, knowledge, and capacity in the context of their work. The impetus to do so stems from several factors, including the increased professionalization of recreation and leisure careers, the growing need to possess diverse and adaptable skills, the loss of fulltime public recreation positions, and increased competition for jobs in the field. For some, these changes lead them to pursue additional qualifications (e.g., degree completion programs; certificate programs) through postsecondary education. (McKeown & Rich, 2020). Other researchers examined the challenges to the status quo for current and prospective students (Gulley, 2021) which suggests there is an assumption in higher education that most students are roughly 1824 years and are attending four-year, residentially-focused institutions. Even the research on college students and the theoretical underpinnings of how we manage our institutional systems is reliant on these assumptions. We are in a time when institutions (and systems) of higher education need to recognize the changing (well, in many ways, already changed) demographics of those we serve.
This current research project specifically looked to examine the skills or knowledge that professionals seek to advance professional goals for themselves as well as those they work with and supervise.
What we collected…
At the 2021 Minnesota Recreation and Park Association (MRPA) Annual Conference, participants were asked to complete a Trends and Topics in Continuing Education Survey. The assessment tool was created in collaboration by the authors. This assessment was distributed online using a scan code and Qualtrics survey. The survey was a mixed-methods tool with simple demographic questions at the beginning. The survey was completed by 107 MRPA professional members responding. These professional members included park recreation employees, already working in the field, within the state of Minnesota.
M R P A P R O F E S S I O N A L S
What we learned…
The survey included two questions specific
WE VALUE to skills/knowledge
YOUR INPUT! development: What professional skills or U s e t h e Q R c o d e t o e n t e r t h e s u r v e y knowledge do you need C o m p l e t e t h e s u r v e y to advance towards your B w e i n n e n t e r a n e r n o u e d n c e d i n a t t E o x h a i b i d r t H a a l l w i n g S o c i a l professional goals? and what professional skills or knowledge do your staff need to advance towards their professional goals? L e a r n m o r e @ E x h i b i t H a l l b o o t h # 5 9 According to the respondents of the survey, specialized education and knowledge; leadership and management skills; and marketing, communications, sponsorship, customer services, and referendum were the skill areas needed most by Minnesota park and recreation professionals. Specialized education and knowledge include undergraduate and graduate degrees, certifications, licenses and technological skills to support the profession. Leadership and management include, problem solving, critical thinking, innovation, conflict resolution, cultural competency, and empathy. Finally, marketing, communication, sponsorship, and customer service, would provide professionals with skills to connect and share information beyond those working in the field to advance the profession. The participants also stated that the skills and knowledge most needed by today’s parks and recreation professionals they supervise are communication skills including writing and public speaking, marketing and promotions, and personal skills such as problem-solving, time management, and reliability. They also desire employees with experiences with professional networking and a goal to pursue continuing education.
Conclusion:
Keeping in mind these findings, leaders in the RPLS field, both professional and in higher education, can benefit from the following recommendations: • For those working within professional organizations such as
MRPA, continue to offer workshops and trainings in a variety of areas suggested by the survey respondents. • For those working in higher education, the option to have online or hybrid courses is a must as professionals seek to complete their undergraduate and graduate degrees. Parks and recreation professionals should consider connecting with higher education institutions to develop training options and certifications in key areas such as Degree Completion and Event Management to fulfill the need for continuing education and skill building. • Faculty should continue to examine their curriculum to ensure what they are teaching is relevant to the skills needed for effective professional development within the field of sport, recreation, and parks. One key take-away from these findings, is the importance of personal skill development of those who are supervised. Employees can be guided in their skill development by also attending in-service trainings or by attending workshops at: MRPA, Minnesota Ice Arena Manager’s Association (MIAMA), Playground Certification, Minnesota Festival & Events Association (MNFEA) and other professional conferences to enhance the profession of parks, recreation, leisure services, and sport.
References:
1. Janet K. L. McKeown & Kyle Rich (2021) Exploring Work-Life Balance for Recreation and Leisure Professionals Enrolled in an Undergraduate Degree Pathway Program, SCHOLE: A Journal of Leisure Studies and Recreation Education, 36:1-2, 91-104, DOI: 10.1080/1937156X.2020.1789012 2. Needham Yancey Gulley (2021) Challenging Assumptions: ‘Contemporary Students,’ ‘Nontraditional Students,’ ‘Adult Learners,’ ‘Post-Traditional,’ ‘New Traditional’, SCHOLE: A Journal of Leisure Studies and Recreation Education, 36:1-2, 4-10, DOI: 10.1080/1937156X.2020.1760747
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A member of the Minnesota State system and on Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity University. Individuals with a disability who need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this event, please contact Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Services at 507389-2127 (V) 800-627-3529 or 711 (MRS/TTY) at least 5 days prior to the event. This document is available in alternative format to individuals with disabilities by calling the above numbers. RPLSCR 02-22 We Invite You to...
Celebrate All Things RPLS. This event will include: lunch, hot topics in RPLS, a discussion panel of current professionals, networking with students, and an awards reception.
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