Learning Outside of the Walls: Extra Curricular Activities and Student learning

Examining the various benefits of integrating curricular and co-curricular experiences for the students on college campuses, this study posed the questions: What was the impact of student engagement in co-curricular activities on cumulative grade point average? What was the impact of student engagement in co-curricular activities on their quality of relations with others and community? Dependent variables included: academic performance, sense of community, and quality of the students\u27 relation with others. Participation in the co-curricular activities was the independent variable. A questionnaire adapted from the campus life involvement survey was used to determine the various impacts of co-curricular activities on college students. The target population for this study was undergraduate students at the University of Dayton in the School of Education. The study targeted 200 participants whose ages were no less than 18 years old. Descriptive statistics were used to report frequencies, distributions, and tendencies. Inferential statistics were used to report the relationship between students\u27 engagement and their level of academic achievement. Findings of this research study provided valuable information that will increase understanding of co-curricular impacts on student achievement, their quality of relations with others and their senses of community. The study provided insights about the undergraduate students\u27 impacts from participation co-curricular activities on college campuses. This study provided significant information for the educators in higher education about the impacts of participating in these activates. Understanding how such activities support students through their college lives, professionals may be urged to encourage students to participate as a way to enhance their academic achievement, their quality of relationships with others, and their community.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stander_posters/1198/thumbnail.jp