Faculty of Kinesiology

The impact of an undergraduate course instructor: A reflection

We were not too many lectures into our 2nd year Leisure Behaviour course at Acadia University – 30 years ago – when my class heard Dr. Brenda Robertson talk about her recently completed PhD research. She had investigated “leisure in the lives of adolescents who engage in delinquent behavior for fun, thrills, and excitement”.

The stories of her interactions with her study participants were fascinating – an interview, in her van in an alley, with a male participant who had committed a serious crime; a participant who would gain illegal access to a library to read rare books but never considered stealing one and selling it for money; and a member of a gang, who went to McDonalds after a drive-by shooting and described the experience in the same way that some of us might describe a celebratory meal after our team won a soccer game.

Brenda’s research was but one important and captivating teaching tool that influenced me as an undergraduate student. She was an outstanding educator – course assignments and in-class activities were fun and exemplified her creative genius. The interesting examples she used to help us learn have stuck with me for my entire career.

It was hard not to be engaged in any course she taught. In addition to creating a stimulating learning environment, she made the effort to get to know her students – learning what they were interested in or cared about. She was always a source of encouragement and challenged students to push themselves beyond what they may have imagined themselves capable of achieving.

It was Brenda’s encouragement of me as an undergraduate student that drove me to consider and then go to graduate school. It was her passion for leisure behaviour and leisure education that has influenced my own research. Her excitement about her research fueled my own interest in qualitative approaches to studying people’s leisure. And it was her excellence as a teacher that grew my own passion for teaching.

Brenda has many achievement – several teaching awards exist alongside awards that recognize her contributions to the recreation field (e.g., Canadian Parks and Recreation Award of Merit; Recreation Nova Scotia Honourary Lifetime Membership Award).

Beyond these formal achievements, however, the stories she shares about what her former students are up to or have accomplished seem to be where her greatest satisfaction lies. And as I think about various women in my life leading up to International Women’s Day, it is her impact as a teacher on me as a student 30 years ago that felt important to reflect upon.

As a final point, I want to know another reason why Dr. Robertson stands out for as an educator. In my time as an undergraduate student at Acadia (1989-1996) and across two undergraduate degrees (BBA; BRM), less than 15% of my courses were taught by women. The opportunities to have my undergraduate education shaped by women was very, very limited.

As Associate Dean (UG Programs), I am grateful that our undergraduate students in Kinesiology have many opportunities for their education to be shaped by very accomplished women – many of whom have transcended the barriers for women in STEM.

I encourage you to be inspired by their accomplishments as you consider what steps you can take to #AccelerateAction on International Women’s Day 2025 in addressing the systemic barriers and biases women still face in both their personal and professional lives.