The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3 - 22

Mimi Benjamin * Laura Davis

IMPLICATIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
In response to the question "As a result of
working in this position, what have you
learned that you didn't know before?" Kelly
asked, "What haven't I learned??" and Marley
replied, "Everything. Really, everything." This
study underscores the multitude of learning
opportunities available to the RA. Some implications and recommendations for how to
leverage these learning opportunities are provided below.

Assessing Learning
Engaging in assessment of the learning experience of RAs provides residential life departments the opportunity to ask crucial questions
about their RA program. These can include
"Are RAs learning what the department
intends for them to learn?" and "Is there learning that could or should be occurring that requires some different approaches?" In asking
if RAs are learning what is intended, this type
of assessment may highlight gaps in the trainings and other support provided to RAs. If
asked in connection with training feedback,
it may be possible to explore where and how
learning is happening. If most learning is happening on the job, a department can critically
analyze how and where they are spending time
and resources during formal trainings and
focus their efforts on using active learning and
skills practice to simulate the on-the-job learning experience.
It is also important to consider whether
apparent gaps in learning reflect missing
content or if they reflect a disparity between
RAs' actual and perceived learning from their
experience. If the RAs' learning gap is one of

perception only, understanding this may encourage departments to increase intentional
use of learning language in their materials and
create more opportunities for RAs to reflect on
their learning. This may enhance RAs' recognition of learning and skills gained through
the RA experience.

Highlighting Learning
The RA role often focuses on giving to others
through advising, crisis response, and programming. As such, helping RAs further understand their own growth may provide them
with a tangible sense of the benefits of being
an RA. Reinforcement of individual learning could be incorporated in many ways. This
study illustrated the presence of learning language in many of the RA position documents
(position description, training schedules) at
the study's site. Use of learning language may
also be incorporated into recruitment materials; while common benefits of the RA position
often include generalized leadership skills as
well as monetary compensation, naming more
specific learning outcomes could contribute to
potential RAs' understanding of the value of
the position.
Additionally, the role of professional staff
in approaching supervision from a teaching
perspective is critical. According to Lewis and
Contreras (2009), "student employee supervisors have a responsibility to purposefully
select challenges that call upon the specific
concepts, skills, and values that are recognized
as meaningful or important to higher education institutions" (p. 46). Professional staff
members' roles in training and supervision
must have a learning focus to draw RAs' attention to the learning opportunities within this
role and the connection between the RA posi-

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3