The COVID-19 pandemic affected and continues to modify students' social life and as a result may impact their long-term development. This study is a part of a larger research project focused on the psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on university students. For this manuscript, we employed content analysis to analyze 1,327 quotes…

Sense of belonging among undergraduate college students improves the likelihood of retention and graduation, along with the overall association with positive mental health and well-being. College students build a sense of belonging with their peers through various forms of involvement opportunities, including informal campus recreation activities.…

After the publication of the special issue on "the contemporary college student," the authors received numerous comments and questions about its concluding piece on "the future college student." There were three questions we found in need of further attention, which we explore in this manuscript: (1) How will the generational…

The lack of connectedness experienced by college students during the COVID-19 pandemic was problematic. An innovative approach undertaken in a (virtual) graduate classroom at Clemson University was the concept of team teaching. Team teaching allows a group of instructors to work together to enhance student learning. Upon course completion,…

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many instructors to find new ways to achieve learning outcomes and connect to students within a hybrid or online teaching landscape. However, some of the creative ways instructors connected with students can now be used both in online classes and as we adapt back into full-time in-person instruction. Virtual notebooks…

The quality of undergraduate student writing is cause for concern among academics and industry professionals alike. Because writing apprehension is thought to be a contributing factor in the current deficit of undergraduate writing proficiency, the Writing Apprehension Test (WAT) was administered to parks, recreation, and tourism students to…

This paper discusses use of a scaffolded videomaking assignment to encourage students to engage with new literacies -- creation of media that blends text, sound, and imagery -- to expand the range through which students demonstrate knowledge and application of philosophical concepts in everyday Therapeutic Recreation (TR) practice. Technology is…

Creativity is a useful skill in the recreation profession, yet it is rarely treated as a fundamental skill in the preparation of undergraduate recreation majors. The purpose of this overview is to illustrate the need for creativity in the workforce and how best to nourish student creativity through undergraduate teaching. We review…

Although students in the broad field of leisure studies may pursue a variety of opportunities post-graduation, employment within local parks and recreation represents one potential career path. Unfortunately, the Great Recession disproportionately impacted local parks and recreation relative to competing public services. As such, this article…

In a matter of weeks--and in some cases, days--teachers were asked to move the remainder of their semester-long, in-person courses to the online environment, restructuring assignments and methods of content delivery along the way. Now, we live in-between, as people have navigated hybrid, stops and re-starts. What helped us then can help us in the…

Short-term faculty-led study abroad programs have been offered in various institutions across the United States. Despite the many program offerings, students who are interested in the niche marketplace have been experiencing limited program participation. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to introduce the use of online communication…

COVID-19 restrictions required course delivery pivots. This is a review of a basic change to a class format and new content inclusion.

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent teaching adaptions highlighted issues of equitable student access. Resulting pivots in response to the pandemic, however, offer opportunities to adapt pandemic related pivots to traditional learning environments in ways that will increase student access. This brief manuscript highlights different ways students…

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacted opportunities for internships in parks, recreation, tourism, and sports. The government mandated numerous agencies to close. Many agencies that remained open reduced staff, froze budgets, shifted programs online, and discontinued internships. The senior internship for Parks, Recreation, and Tourism…

Recreation Management faculty developed an alternative online experience in place of the internship in response to two conditions created by the pandemic: (1) uncertainty of students being able to obtain internships; and (2) student safety. The vision was to have students build and practice problem solving skills, inspire innovation as well as be…