Apr 8, 2019
By Dave McBride, Instructor
Online courses allow students to learn at their own pace, take courses from anywhere that has internet access, and engage in meaningful discussions and dialogue with classmates and instructors. Unlike typical classroom courses, where some students may be uncomfortable speaking in class discussions, online courses typically provide participants with greater opportunities to think and reflect on course readings before providing their thoughts, perspectives and opinions in course discussion forums and assignments. This allows students to engage in deeper learning and self-reflection that often leads to transformational learning opportunities that can be applied to their personal lives and work.
Recreation 1160 “Foundations of Leisure and Recreation” is one of the foundational courses for the Recreation Leadership Diploma Program, and is also a required course for Bachelor of Recreation Management Program students who have not completed the Diploma Program. Here are some examples of significant course learning from students who are nearing completion of the Spring 2019 RECR 1160 online course:
Stephanie S:
This course has provided me with a much deeper understanding of recreation and leisure, and how each and every leisure activity provides me with a new perspective and brings me closer to “Schole” (personal development that results from one’s leisure choices) and my “ideal self-image.” I have discovered how interconnected recreation is to my wellbeing and how it contributes to my overall “wellness,” which extends far beyond physical health. Each and every concept that has been discussed in the course in some way is connected to my leisure and has given me a different outlook and perspective on leisure and recreation both in my own personal life and the impact that I can have on others as a working professional in the field of health and fitness.
Brendan T:
During the course when we were reading about the different Recreation Ideals, it became apparent to me that there was a deeper understanding of what leisure was and how the experiences and effort that an individual puts into leisurely activities can affect them deeply. This came in the form of not only reading about leisure ideals, but because we were assigned the story ideals and scope assignments it made me reflect on the ideals and how each leisure activity / organization had some of these key ideals instilled into their objective or programs.
Kayla D:
From doing assignments where we had to go to different places and experience new types of recreation it opened my eyes to what is out there in the world, and that I need to go out and experience it more often. I really enjoyed and learned a lot from doing the scope assignments where we learned about commercial sector, publicly funded and not-for-profit & voluntary sector, I found the scope assignments very interesting. This class was a really great experience and I hope to continue on with my journey into recreation and leisure.
Stephanie J:
I can honestly say that I have gained so much from taking this one class. I never really acknowledged that as an individual we require leisure in our daily lives and it’s something we almost always incorporate whether we recognize it or not. Leisure occurs around us every day, but we have to really take a moment to really acknowledge it and understand the purpose behind it. This class ended up having more personal value to me that I would have thought. It gave me the opportunity to explore and try new things, things I would never do for many reasons, but this made me come out of my comfort zone, take time out to actual enjoy the little things around me and understand the value it has. There’s so much I have gained from this class that I can’t even begin to express.