Graduate Learning Outcomes

 List of Outcomes Expected for Graduates 

 The set of standards provides the general student learning outcomes for the graduate program. These outcomes have been adapted from the Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (COAPRT) standards and set the foundation for parks, recreation, tourism and related professional curricula in the following three areas:

• Foundations. Include the background, nature, and scope of the profession, including its history, philosophy, and social and behavioral science underpinnings.

•  Provision of services and experience opportunities for guests, visitors, participants, clients, or other constituent groups.  The provision of service and experience opportunities includes, but is limited to recreation programming and leadership, heritage and environmental interpretation, site design and management, experience design, and related processes.

•  Management/Administration.  This dimension refers to both operations management/administration and strategic management/administration.  Operations management/administration includes planning, organizing, staffing, directing, leading controlling, reporting, finance, resource acquisition, marketing, and critical thinking.  Strategic management/administration refers to processes that managers in parks, recreation, tourism and related professions use to optimize the success of the organization within the external systems in which their organization operates.  Strategic management/administration involves creating, maintaining, and deploying plans-of-action that address changing circumstances in social, economic, environmental, or financial environments; new technology; and new competitors.

Graduate Core Learning Outcomes

•  Students will demonstrate knowledge of, a) the nature & scope of the recreation professional, b) techniques and processes used by professional workers in these industries and, c) the foundation of the profession in history, science and philosophy. 
• Students will demonstrate knowledge of operations and strategic management/administration in recreational services.
• Students will demonstrate knowledge of and ability to, a) apply research and evaluation methods and practices and, b) utilize the results of research and evaluation to improve practice/services. 
• Students will demonstrate through a practicum experience the potential to succeed as professionals at an administrative or supervisory level in recreational services. 
• Students will demonstrate the ability to design, implement and evaluate services that facilitate targeted human experiences and that embrace personal and cultural dimensions of diversity. 

In addition, standards have been developed that address expected outcomes specific to  therapeutic recreation and recreation administration. 

Therapeutic Recreation Specific Learning Outcomes 

1.  Students will demonstrate the ability to assess, plan, implement, document, and evaluate individualized         therapeutic recreation services that facilitate targeted outcomes.  

2.  Students will demonstrate the ability to assess the needs of groups of individuals, conceptualize, develop, and implement comprehensive therapeutic recreation programs and evaluate program effectiveness. 

3.  Students will demonstrate knowledge and practice of various interventions and facilitation techniques used in the delivery of therapeutic recreation services. 

4.  Students will demonstrate knowledge of various management, marketing, and accounting principles and practices associated with the delivery of therapeutic recreation services. 

5.  Students shall demonstrate through a culminating experience, the sustained ability to apply the therapeutic recreation process, use diverse, structured ways of thinking to solve problems related to different facets of professional practice, engage in advocacy, and stimulate innovation.

Recreation Administration Learning Outcomes 

1.  Students will demonstrate knowledge and application of planning and development of recreational services. 

2.  Students will demonstrate knowledge and application of legal issues related to risk, safety, and security in recreational services.

3.  Students will demonstrate knowledge and application of recreational facility design and management.