How RecRe Can Power Experiential Learning

If you want students to be more engaged on campus, give them a reason to run something.

Experiential learning is one of the most effective ways to develop skills, confidence, and community, because it turns students into active operators rather than passive participants.

Turning RecRe Into a Hands-On Learning Opportunity

RecRe isn’t just a locker system. It’s a living, breathing operation that students can manage, improve, and grow. Across campuses, RecRe is being used as a real-world learning lab where students gain experience in marketing, entrepreneurship, and operations while providing a service their peers love.

When students take on the role of RecRe Managers, they are responsible for managing a small but meaningful business on campus. They oversee a fleet of assets, track usage, and work with administrators to make RecRe even more valuable to the student body.

Here’s what that hands-on experience can look like:

Marketing Initiatives: Students design posters, run small campaigns, or create social content to promote items like “Item of the Week” or event-driven promotions.

Entrepreneurship: They learn to think like small business owners, balancing supply and demand, identifying new gear to offer, and finding creative ways to drive awareness and participation.

Inventory Management: RecRe’s dashboard gives students real data to analyze. They track checkouts, monitor uptime, and report on which items are most popular or underutilized.

Surveys and Feedback: Students can design and distribute short surveys to collect feedback, then make changes based on what their peers actually want.

Operations and KPIs: Students take ownership of performance metrics like usage rates, uptime, and satisfaction, learning to interpret results and suggest data-driven improvements.

Preparing Students for the Tools of Tomorrow

Technology is changing faster than ever, and students need more than theory to keep up. They need the chance to engage with modern tools, make decisions in real time, and understand how to manage systems that mirror the real world.

By overseeing RecRe, students gain hands-on experience with software, automation, and analytics. They learn how technology connects to service delivery, accountability, and user engagement. These experiences help them build the digital literacy and adaptability that every industry now demands.

It’s not just about learning one tool. It’s about developing the curiosity and flexibility to learn any tool that comes next. College should teach students how to learn, not just what to learn. RecRe helps make that possible by turning a simple operation into a platform for applied learning, problem-solving, and growth.

Why This Matters

The most forward-thinking campuses today are investing in experiential learning because it builds both student success and institutional value. These experiences help students connect classroom theory with tangible outcomes and prepare them for life after graduation.

When a student manages a RecRe box, they aren’t just learning how to run an operation. They’re learning how to solve problems, work across departments, and make decisions that have visible, immediate impact. They see what leadership looks like in action and get a sense of what it means to serve their community.

Building Real Value for Students and Campus Life

Each RecRe box is more than a convenience tool. It’s a community touchpoint that drives engagement, creativity, and collaboration. When students are empowered to manage those touchpoints, the impact multiplies.

They learn ownership.

They develop communication skills.

They gain a sense of pride in running something that other students use and depend on.

These opportunities turn everyday campus operations into learning moments. They make campuses more vibrant and give students a reason to connect with their environment in real life, not just online.

Ready to Explore the Idea?

If your campus is exploring ways to expand student involvement and offer applied learning experiences, RecRe can help. The RecRe Manager program gives students the chance to run a service, manage data, and measure impact while enhancing student life on campus.

Reach out to learn more about how experiential learning through RecRe can help your students gain real-world skills while building a stronger, more engaged campus community.