Engaging Students in Community-Based Projects: The Integration of a University Research Institute and Core Leisure Curriculum

Abstract

Steeped in a rich history of formal connections between institutions of higher education and the citizens and communities in which they are embedded, the importance of engaging education in the community has long been recognized for its myriad of benefits to all involved including increased funding for university research, more informed practice through applied research, and enhanced quality and relevance of the teaching curriculum. The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is committed to community engagement as evidenced in the University’s strategic plan that seeks to increase community engagement through a range of initiatives. Within this goal of community engagement, the authors have developed and implemented a formal partnership between an institution's research institute and a course in the core curriculum for recreation students. This ongoing partnership provides real-life, hands-on experience that better prepares the students for collecting stakeholder input in their future careers. Simultaneously, it provides partners with limited resources an option to work with the university through faculty-led student work.