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Discussion Paper Index PageCONTINUING EDUCATION IN PARKS AND RECREATION: TRENDS, ISSUES AND POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS
Michael Huffman and Mel Humphries; Bureau of Sport
and Leisure Commerce,
Memphis State University
(0riginally published in Trends, Vol. 30, Number 3, 1993, pp. 4-8)
Within recent years the field of recreation and parks has been actively seeking recognition as a profession. And while many would debate whether or not such recognition has occurred or is even possible, it can be argued that leaders in the field's professional organizations have implemented two practices characteristic of all traditionally recognized professions. First, for several years the National Recreation and Park Association / American Association of Leisure and Recreation (NRPA/AALR) has been accrediting university parks and recreation curricula. Second, many employees in the field have elected to participate in a voluntary certification program sponsored by NRPA's National Certification Board. One of the requirements to remain certified is the attainment of two Continuing Education Units (20 contact hours of participation in organized continuing education activities) over a 2-year period. Because of the relative youth of this program, it seems appropriate to examine it in more detail. More specifically, what is continuing education? What is its purpose? What are some of the issues associated with Continuing Education Programs and how can such programs be facilitated in the future?
Continuing Education Defined
Continuing Education is a non-credit program of study planned and organized around learning experiences designed to meet specific learning objectives. This non-credit activity is usually planned in response to an assessment of educational needs for a specific target population.
The Continuing Education Program offers a way of helping individuals gain recognition for their voluntary efforts to update, broaden, develop and enhance their knowledge and skills. It also provides a standardized unit and record system helpful in professions where Continuing Education is mandated.
The standardized unit awarded for program participation is identified as the Continuing Education Unit (CEU). A CEU is a uniform unit of measurement adopted by most regional college and school accreditation associations. A CEU is typically defined as "10 contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education adult or extension experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction and qualified instruction." The CEU is used to recognize an individual's participation in a non-credit activity. While the CEU is a form of credit for an individual's participation in approved programs, it is not academic credit. However, when CEU's are awarded to a person, a permanent record is usually maintained by the university sponsoring the program. This record is maintained just as a credit transcript would be, enabling the individual to obtain a record of CEU's accumulated.
It should be noted that the CEU is a flexible unit of measure for non-credit activity and may be used to record an individual's participation in formal classes, courses, programs and informal or non-traditional modes of non-credit education including various forms of independent study.
Who Should Provide Continuing Education?
During its brief history, Continuing Education programs for employees in parks and recreation have almost exclusively been sponsored by NRPA/AALR or their affiliate state organizations. A major issue for many other professions has been whether or not Continuing Education should be a primary obligation of the initial educating organization (i.e., the professional school or college) or of the organized profession. There seems to be no universal agreement on this subject. Traditionally, Continuing Education for teachers has been almost entirely provided by universities and colleges, although there are trends to place it elsewhere. While most of the post-baccalaureate education of teachers can be considered Continuing Education, it frequently leads to the earning of a master's degree. Given the fact that many employees in the field of parks and recreation have degrees in other academic disciplines, there may be some merit in adopting this approach as one of several methods of continuing education.
Continuing Education in medicine takes a different approach. Quite extensive in nature, it usually involves several different organizations. Medical colleges, centers, clinics, hospitals and professional societies frequently collaborate to organize Continuing Education opportunities that are normally short in duration and frequently geographically dispersed within a state. Thus with this approach physicians are not necessarily required to close their practices in order to obtain CEU's. As one writer has suggested, Continuing Education in medicine merits the careful study of other professional groups who are still in the stage of early or limited development of Continuing Education programs.
Is There Potential for Discrimination?
A second issue associated with Continuing Education programs is the issue of potential for discrimination. It should be noted that a preponderance of the Continuing Education programs provided to recreation, parks and leisure service professionals has been traditionally offered as formal classes or courses at national, regional or state professional meetings. This model of delivery is seriously lacking in flexibility as it apparently. limits professional growth and development to those fortunate to have the travel funds and time to attend these meetings. Particularly impacted are entry and lower level staff and employees in smaller parks and recreation departments. Even Continuing Education programs provided at annual state organization meetings can limit the potential numbers of participants because in many states, such programs can be located hundreds of miles away from potential participants.
Another potential category of participants against whom many Continuing Education programs discriminate is the group of individuals interested in serving the professional organization itself. For professionals who are officers and members of committees and boards, obligations at professional meetings can provide few opportunities to attend Continuing Education sessions.
Are the Formats Used for CEO Programs Adequate?
As stated earlier the majority of Continuing Education sessions available to recreation and park professionals occurs in the form of sessions and courses at professional meetings. While this format can be geographically and financially limiting to many participants, there are other format issues as well. Because of requirements established by NRPA, the minimum length of a Continuing Education session is 2 hours. While such a requirement may be acceptable for conferences lasting more than one day, it can be restricting for educational efforts of shorter duration. As a result, many conference organizers are forced to plan their programs around CEU requirements rather than take advantage of what might be more appropriate scheduling opportunities. As a result of this requirement, many program participants interested in obtaining CEU credit find that they are locked into attending a few longer sessions on a narrow range of subjects rather than having the freedom to attend a larger number of shorter sessions on a broader variety of subjects. This situation is analogous to the argument of teaching "depth" versus "breadth" which has been debated in educational circles for years.
Facilitating Continuing Education in the Future
Given the relatively brief period of time that a formal but limited Continuing Education program has been in place for recreation and park professionals, it seems logical to ask how might future Continuing Education efforts be improved? It is time that alternative strategies be explored that could provide CEU's to the park and recreation professional work force in a variety of settings. Figure 1 [see original article] shows a three-dimensional model for conceptualizing the design of future Continuing Education programs. The three major axes (a) Medium/Format, (b)Location and (c) Content/ Discipline/ Sponsor illustrate the broad spectrum of potential educational opportunities. From the model, the following non-traditional CEU delivery modes are offered as examples of viable options for future training and development:
Long Distance Learning Via Satellite Transmission. College and university campuses are developing long distance learning classrooms that will offer a new mode of bringing CEU's into the workplace. Interactive video systems can be used to provide for two-way verbal exchanges as courses are in progress. This will allow in-service time to be dedicated to continuing education activity. As a result, CEU's can be earned on the job.
"Canned" Courses on VHS Tape. Video tape offers a viable option for professionals unable to attend live presentations or formal courses. The VCR and monitor are standard pieces of communication equipment in most workplaces today. This mode of learning is appropriate for small groups as well as individual use. In addition, the workplace or home can be used for this medium.
Audio Tapes. More than 60 percent of human intelligence is transmitted through sound. Educational research has shown that many individuals prefer to access information through auditory channels. Therefore audio tapes also offer a viable option for professional growth and development. There are few places where cassette or CD players are not readily available. This medium provides individuals with an option to study and learn at home in addition to the workplace. Further, it should be noted that many conference presentations are routinely recorded onto audio tape and thus provide many potential off-site learning opportunities.
Computer Aided Instruction. Recent advances in computer technology such as multi-media and hyper-media have greatly reduced the difficulty of developing computer-aided instruction packages. Many large corporations are using such technology. There is no reason to believe that similar packages could not be developed for professionals in parks and recreation.
CEU's as In-Service. The Continuing Education program can be easily brought into the workplace. In-service programs provide an excellent vehicle for CEU delivery. Sometimes it is more feasible to bring the educational program to the professional as opposed to bringing the professional to the educational program. This is especially true during times when funding is facing reduction and restriction.
Professional Internships and Sabbaticals. Many individuals learn best through active participation. Professional internships and sabbaticals, either paid or voluntary, have the potential of allowing professionals to expand their skills and diversify their experience by working with other agencies and organizations.
CEU's as After-Work Programs. The Continuing Education program can also be easily scheduled after normal working hours in the workplace. Inter-agency and university cooperative agreements could greatly facilitate this notion. Such programs could provide an excellent opportunity for elective learning by those employees volunteering to participate.
CEU's as Extension/Correspondent Course Work. Academic credit has been presented as extension and/or correspondent credit for a long time. This strategy has possibilities for selected types of continuing education courses. Homework could focus on professional reading, viewing videos, listening to tapes or other forms of learning and discovery. Of particular importance is the opportunity for education through reading. The allied health professions provide numerous Continuing Education opportunities to participants who read articles from professional journals. One of the biggest limitations of research in the field of recreation and parks has been its dissemination to and utilization by practitioners. As an example, the international journal Leisure Studies has fewer than 150 subscribers in North America. The Journal of Leisure Research has only a few thousand subscribers, the vast majority of which are libraries and professors. Continuing Education credit extension or correspondent course work has a great potential to help narrow the gap between research and practice.
University Campus-Based CEU's. Colleges and universities offer a wide variety of continuing education programs each quarter or semester. In addition most continuing education departments are delighted to receive specific requests, especially if a cohort of students can be identified. Most college and university programs can be tailored to individual needs and interests as well as scheduled at the most opportune times.
CEU's for Attending Related Discipline Conferences. The recreation, parks and leisure services field is very much a multi-disciplinary quasi-profession. Conferences involving conservation, planning, management, human resources, marketing, public relations, advertising, physical education, performing arts and many other related fields offer excellent opportunities for earning CEU's in settings similar to but different from traditional NRPA or state association professional meetings. Cross-fertilization and discipline mixing is potentially enriching for all concerned. This strategy holds many possibilities for CEU's.
Summary
Leaders in the field of parks and recreation are to be commended for their interest in encouraging the continuing education of professionals. While past efforts have produced some outstanding educational experiences, much can be done to broaden the scope and increase the number of educational opportunities in the future. Continuing Education program planners must expand their perspectives on what constitutes appropriate media, locations and sponsors if professional education is to excel in the future.