The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3 - 23

Learning Resulting from the Resident Advisor Role

tion and future career goals. This focus may
include their use of learning language through
supervisory and staff meetings, the expression of staff expectations, and discussions with
these students about what they are learning
through the RA experience. The presence of
departmental learning outcomes and creation
of departmental materials that integrate learning language may contribute to a departmental culture of learning, making integration of
learning discussions a natural part of the supervisory experience for RAs.

CONCLUSION
Recognizing the nearly ubiquitous presence
of an RA-like position on residential campuses and elevating the learning of student staff
in these positions presents an opportunity to
further underscore the out-of-classroom learning experience of students on college and
university campuses. Additional research is
necessary to understand both the learning and
the opportunities for learning in this student
staff role. While not the focus of this study, understanding how RAs learn in addition to what
they learn would be beneficial for professional
staff crafting the RA experiences.
According to Noel-Levitz (2010), "the fact
that most of today's students will work during
their college years-coupled with the researched advantages of working on campus-
underscore[s] the importance of bringing more
thought, attention, and careful programming
to this area" (p. 2). Bringing thoughtful attention to the learning of RAs is one way to
enhance their overall experience.

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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