Subcommittee on Experience-Based Learning
April 2000
Final Report
Background
At its meeting of May 4, 1999, the Strategic Planning Committee decided to request
that the curriculum committee set up a subcommittee on Experience-Based Learning that
includes representation from Career Planning. The suggested charge for the
subcommittee is as follows:
1. review the list and description of current experience based-learning
opportunities, both credit and not credit, prepared by the Dean of the
College’s office
2. draft for faculty consideration a statement on the role and scope of experiencebased learning in our curriculum
3. prepare a set of guidelines for the selection and evaluation/grading of for
credit experiential projects
4. present recommendations for actions that the College should consider in order
to advance the appropriate role of experience-based learning at the College.
The Strategic Planning committee requests that the liaison of the curriculum committee
report back to it on the progress of the subcommittee and that a report be presented to it
by the conclusion.
The topic of experiential education was subsequently introduced as part of the
Faculty Retreat held on campus on August 24 and 25, 1999 where faculty discussed a
wide range of curricular questions. Several of the topics were in turn referred to ad hoc
subcommittees serving jointly as agents of both the Curriculum Committee and the
Committee on Academic Standards and Admissions. Since the concept of experiential
education similarly touches the concerns of both curriculum and academic standards,
discussions led to an agreement to appoint a joint subcommittee for the purposes of this
research. The standing committees jointly review and present the findings of the
Subcommittee on Experience-Based Learning.
The subcommittee drew upon expertise from several areas of the campus
community and its membership included the following persons:
Christy Alford, Assistant Director of Career Planning
Ruth Bettandorff, Associate Dean of the College and Director of Graduate
Studies
Ann Brock, Director of Career Planning
Crystal Conway, Class of 2001
Rosemary Cunningham, Professor of Economics
Subcommittee on Experience-Based Learning, Final Report, April 2000
Tina Pippin, Associate Professor of Religious Studies
David Thompson, Subcommittee Chair, Associate Professor of Theatre
Isa Williams, Director of the Atlanta Semester
Feng Xu, Assistant Professor of Political Science
Naturally, the subcommittee utilized the varied backgrounds of its members in
conducting its business. For a more formal consideration of the topic the subcommittee
consistently turned to materials provided by the National Society of Experiential
Education (NSEE), the country’s leading organization in the field. In fact one of our
members, Isa Williams, was fortunate enough to attend the NSEE annual convention and
return with invaluable materials, many of which form the basis of the language that
follows.
Finally, we should note that the members of the subcommittee entered this project
fully committed to the concept of experiential education. The tone of our deliberations
focused on the most desirable approach for offering Agnes Scott students the means to
use experience to create knowledge. In other words we found ourselves asking “when”
rather than “if” and concentrating upon “how” rather than “why.” We feel that the
language of the original charge to the Curriculum Committee supports our attitude.
Indeed, Strategic Directions for Agnes Scott College cites experience-based
learning as a component of Strategic Direction 1: Academic Excellence. In expressing
the desire “[t]o enhance Agnes Scott’s liberal arts curriculum for the 21st century” the
publication includes the following goal:
Agnes Scott will expand experiential learning, including internships,
collaborative research, independent study and study abroad, providing for:
• Experiential learning opportunities for all students, integrated into the
academic curriculum;
• Access to multiple international study and internship opportunities,
reducing cost through exchange agreements and scholarships (5).
In each of the following sections that we will describe the work of the subcommittee
and the documents produced. The narrative progresses in continuous form while the
supporting documents appear as appendices to the report.
Please note that in keeping with the language of the national dialogue on this concept
many descriptive terms appear throughout our report. We interpret the terms
“experience-based learning,” “experience-based education,” “experiential learning,” and
“experiential education” as roughly synonymous in referring to the programs under
consideration here.
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Subcommittee on Experience-Based Learning, Final Report, April 2000
1. Review of Experiential Opportunities
The first phase of the charge involved a review of the ASC experiential learning
opportunities. The list and description of the current opportunities prepared by the office
of the Dean of the College appears as Appendix 1 (p. 6) . We should note that the list
resulted from a survey conducted on campus and that, as with any survey, universal
participation is a goal, not a reality. The list contained herein actually represents an
amended version of the original list.
In reviewing the document the members of the subcommittee almost instantly agreed
upon two key observations. First, it appears that the College offers a significant number
of experiential education opportunities in a wide variety of categories. The catalogue of
internships in the Atlanta area provides one example of the quantity available. For the
1999-2000 academic year Career Planning lists six pages of business partners in fields
ranging alphabetically from accounting to television production. Other documents
provided by Career Planning attest to equivalent or greater success in forging
partnerships for non-profit opportunities and career fair participation. Appendix 2:
Experience-Based Education Programs Coordinated by Career Planning (pp. 7-8) offers a
more detailed indication of the tremendous range of experiential opportunities generated
by a single office.
Second, the breadth of the current categories suggests an enormous range of
conceptual interpretations across campus. By this we mean that the understanding of
what constitutes experiential education or experience-based learning varies markedly
throughout the College. Accordingly the applications of the concept also demonstrate
great variety.
The subcommittee recognizes that our observations are not earth shattering. An
analysis of the list of programs by an experienced educator would, quite probably,
produce similar conclusions. Simultaneously, we realized that the coupling of volume
and range would have a profound effect upon the remainder of our work. Specifically, as
suggested by the second observation above, any statement on experiential education,
regardless of its form must carry sufficient flexibility to accommodate the spectrum of
programs already in place. We feel that the College must embrace the use of experience
as a pedagogy and frame it in such a way that faculty, staff, students and community
partners may take advantage of it and with the degree of formality appropriate to the
individual situation.
2. Statement on Role and Scope
Following our review of current opportunities and incorporating language from
the NSEE, the subcommittee has developed the Experience-Based Education Mission
Statement (Appendix 3, p. 9). The statement, primarily intended to address the charge to
the subcommittee, suggests both mission and working definition of experiential
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Subcommittee on Experience-Based Learning, Final Report, April 2000
education. Please note that additional descriptive passages highlighting the
accomplishments of the College or other factors such as location or community
connections could augment the statement, but do not appear here. After some
consideration, the subcommittee felt that such topics fell under the auspices of public
relations. Without significant expertise in that area represented with the subcommittee,
our members declined to include such language.
In formulating the Mission Statement, as well as the Philosophy of Practice
discussed below, we frequently turned to the NSEE’s Standards Document for guidance.
The Standards Document is designed to support those engaged in experiential learning
and encourage them to “think in a serious way about how to focus on the learning.” The
document calls attention to eight principles followed by questions intended to “encourage
exploration and development of possible strategies” that should strengthen the learning
outcomes in experiential education. The description of these standards falls into eight
principles. The NSEE originally outlined its principles as guidelines for faculty or other
learning facilitators. The subcommittee concurs with the NSEE and recommends its
principles and standards, appearing in brief form in Appendix 4 (p. 10), for adoption at
Agnes Scott.
3. Guidelines for Credit Evaluation/Grading
During the course of our research and deliberations, the subcommittee remained
impressed by the NSEE Standards Document. Upon viewing our progress report in
December 1999, key administrators along with several faculty serving on the Curriculum
Committee suggested that the standards might go a long way in providing the guidelines
that the College needs to further the cause of experiential learning. Seizing upon that
enthusiasm, we have adapted the eight standards into a Philosophy of Practice (Appendix
5, pp. 11-13).
The document serves to establish guidelines for the selection and
evaluation/grading of for-credit experiential projects. The Philosophy of Practice
combines the NSEE concepts with operating procedures and recommended emendations
provided by the Agnes Scott Office of Career Planning and Counseling. It preserves the
categories of the NSEE original, however, each category contains two facets. The first
offers a philosophical foundation. The second provides recommendations for the process
itself. The result should offer those involved in designing and implementing specific
procedures the flexibility that the subcommittee sees as essential.
4. Recommendations for Consideration
Finally, the subcommittee offers a series of recommendations related to the
concept of experiential learning. The recommendations, appearing in Appendix 6 (pp.
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14-16), fall into two categories. We offer our thoughts on both the general organization
of experiential education on campus as well as specific concerns related to the promotion
of Career Planning programs, particularly internships. We single out this area because of
its high visibility and potential to serve as an example for other programs.
Additionally, as an underpinning to the specific recommendations the
subcommittee strongly urges the implementation of a follow-up program to address the
information and proposals presented in this report. We suggest that the College contact
NSEE and request a visit by a consulting team who could evaluate our progress, offer
additional recommendations, and counsel the campus on the next logical steps for
strengthening experience-based learning at Agnes Scott while working within existing
resources. Furthermore, we feel that early during Fall Semester 2000 would offer the
ideal time for such a visit. In that way the campus could build upon the anticipated
energy generated by the celebration of other aspects of Strategic Directions such as
Institutional Growth and Physical Modernization while positioning experiential education
as an important component of the College’s vision.
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Subcommittee on Experience-Based Learning, Final Report, April 2000
Appendix 1
Agnes Scott College Experience-Based Learning Programs
Credit Opportunities
450 Internships
490 Independent Studies (when off-campus research is involved)
Atlanta Semester Internships (Isa Williams, Atlanta Semester)
Class field trips/performance attendance (Including Anthropology, Dance, English,
History, Music, Religious Studies, Sociology, Theatre)
Class papers/projects that involve community-based research or observation (Including
Art, English, Political Science, Sociology)
International experiences (study abroad, Global Awareness, Global Connections)
Kauffman Entrepreneurial Internships (Rosemary Cunningham-Economics)
Kauffman Social Internships (Rosemary Cunningham-Economics)
Observations in the field (Astronomy)
Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN)
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
Required practicums/field experience in the community (Including Anthropology,
Education, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology)
SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise, Economics)
Washington Semester
Non-credit Opportunities
Career Observation Program (Career Planning)
Decatur High School Teen Parenting Program (Religious Studies)
Extern Program (Career Planning)
Internships, credit (Career Planning)
Internships, credit, paid (Career Planning)
many students go on to pursue credit with an internship in our program in which
case a faculty member would become the primary learning facilitator but the
student would be involved in Career Planning Intern Program meetings and
activities on a volunteer basis as well.
Internships, non-credit, paid (Career Planning)
Internships, non-credit, unpaid (Career Planning)
Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN)
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
Research Scholars
Summer programs for students at businesses, agencies, etc. (Astronomy)
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Subcommittee on Experience-Based Learning, Final Report, April 2000
Appendix 2
Experience-Based Education Programs Coordinated by Career Planning
Career Planning offers a variety of services and programs at all stages of a fouryear comprehensive career development program. The mission of this program is to assist
students in developing appropriate career goals and effectively implement career-related
decisions.
Ideally, a student begins the process by taking advantage of Career Planning’s
career testing services and structured career exploration activities. Career testing enables
one to develop an awareness of herself by identifying and understanding interests and
personal characteristics related to career options and future job satisfaction. Career
Planning then assists the student in obtaining career exploration resources and connecting
with alumnae and other professionals in specific career areas for further exploration and
consideration.
Perhaps the most marketed phase of Career Planning’s four-year comprehensive
career development program revolves around Experience-Based Education opportunities.
Access to Experience-Based Education opportunities related to a student’s career area of
interest is an important part of the overall career development process. The first-hand
experience provided by such experiences either reaffirms or sometimes redirects a
student’s career-related plans. Therefore the Experience-Based Education programs are
an extension of the self and career exploration stages as well as a vital means to gain
experience that will help a student transition to a profession in her chosen career area at
the final stage of the four-year program.
Of the three Experience-Based Education programs offered through Career
Planning, the Internship Program is perhaps the most widely known. Successful
internship experiences require students to be fairly clear on general career goals and
therefore, before encouraging a semester-long internship experience, the office of Career
Planning offers two introductory Experience-Based Education opportunities.
Career Observation Days
Ideally, this one-day experience takes place after a student has utilized Career
Planning to assess her interests and personality characteristics and to explore compatible
career areas. A Career Observation Day allows a student to observe a professional in a
career field of interest. The purpose is to gather relevant information about a particular
profession to use as a tool in making academic and career decisions. The visit generally
includes observation, informational interviewing and may involve minimal hands-on
activities. A successful Career Observation Day can result in an offer to extern or intern
with the sponsor at a later date. A Career Observation Day is usually arranged during
Fall, Winter and Spring breaks.
Externship Program
An externship is a five-day experience spent with a professional in a career area
of interest to the student. The student may work alongside her sponsor, concentrate on a
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Subcommittee on Experience-Based Learning, Final Report, April 2000
special project and/or visit different departments to broaden her understanding of the
career. Successful externships often provide students with future internship and job
leads. Externships are available every other year during Winter breaks.
Internship Program
An internship is a professional commitment that usually coincides with an entire
academic term. An internship enables a student to gain practical experience in areas
related to her academic interests or career goals. Participating in an internship allows
further testing of career possibilities; application of academic theories to “real-life”
situations; development of skills and exposure to professionals, which help to make one
more marketable for the future job search or graduate school application process.
Career Planning acknowledges that students learn and develop through active
participation in meaningful, diverse experiences by listing over 300 off-campus
internship opportunities. In addition, the Career Planning library houses several national
internship directories and a computer lab with access to internship web sites.
Furthermore, Career Planning supports and promotes several internship programs, such
as the Governor’s Intern Program and INROADS, which are organized and structured
through outside constituents.
Although our internship listings cater to a variety of career fields, a student with a unique
interest may not find an opportunity which directly lends itself to her personal, academic
or career needs. With the assistance and support of Career Planning, the student can
develop her own leads and follow through with the appropriate methods of application.
A major component of the internship program revolves around preparing prospective
interns for a successful application and internship experience. The Career Planning staff
works closely with students to ensure their readiness and marketability for suitable
internship opportunities. Through career assessments and individual counseling, a
student can gain a clear sense of her career goals, an important first step in locating
appropriate and rewarding internships. Orientation sessions are conducted to familiarize
and prepare students for the internship experience. Additionally, resume, cover letter and
interviewing workshops and individual appointments are provided to further equip
students with the necessary skills to secure an internship. The Career Planning staff also
facilitates group intern meetings during the semester to assist students with the processing
and critical reflection component of the experience and to help insure that all students are
gaining valuable exposure and experience. Career Planning staff members also assist
students with exiting issues such as establishing a final internship week and requesting
evaluations and letters of recommendation.
Last year 98% of students who applied through Career Planning’s Intern Program were
accepted into an internship of choice. Based on these statistics and considering additional
Experience-Based Education opportunities offered through Career Planning and various
academic departments, it is evident that the College can guarantee at least one
Experience-Based Education opportunity related to each student's career area of interest.
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Subcommittee on Experience-Based Learning, Final Report, April 2000
Appendix 3
Experience-Based Education
Mission Statement
Experience-Based Education supports Agnes Scott College’s commitment to the
liberal arts by contributing a form of pedagogy that simultaneously encourages students
to view the world as a reality in process while examining theories and practices in
relation to their personal and professional values. This form of pedagogy is based on the
belief that action, reflection and critical thinking intensify student learning and
development. Through academic seminars or independent studies with faculty
supervision, students are encouraged to investigate multiple perspectives as they operate
in both theoretical principles and organizational practices. Through participating in
Career Planning programs, students are encouraged to investigate career-oriented
opportunities while assessing the value of their experience. Experience-Based Learning
serves to reinforce student knowledge related to her academic, career and personal
interests while also preparing her for professional and civic engagement as well as social
responsibility.
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Subcommittee on Experience-Based Learning, Final Report, April 2000
Appendix 4
National Society For Experiential Education (NSEE)
Standards Document
NSEE recognizes that both the experience and the knowledge created are of importance.
The standards document assumes that the faculty member or learning facilitator will take
primary responsibility for ensuring both the quality of the learning experience and of
resulting work produced. The eight principles (briefly defined below) “underlie the
pedagogy of experiential education.”
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
INTENTION:
All parties must be clear from the outset why experience is the chosen
approach to the learning that is to take place and to the knowledge that
will be demonstrated, applied or result from it.
PREPAREDNESS & PLANNING:
Participants must insure that they enter the experience with sufficient
foundation to support a successful experience.
AUTHENTICITY:
The experience must have a real world context and/or be useful in
reference to an applied setting or situation.
REFLECTION:
Reflection is the element that transforms simple experience into a learning
experience. For knowledge to be discovered and internalized the learner
must test assumptions and hypotheses about the outcomes of decisions and
actions taken, then weigh the outcomes against past learning and future
implications. This reflective process is integral to all phases of
experiential learning.
ORIENTATION & TRAINING:
For the full value of the experience to be accessible to both the learner and
the learning facilitator(s), and to any involved organizational partners, it is
essential that they be prepared with important background information
about each other and about the context and environment in which the
experience will operate.
MONITORING & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT:
It is important that there be a feedback loop related to learning intentions
and quality objectives and that the structure of the experience be
sufficiently flexible to permit change in response to what that feedback
suggests.
ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION:
Outcomes and processes should be systematically documented with regard
to initial intentions and quality outcomes.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
All parties to the experience should be included in the recognition of
progress and accomplishment.
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Subcommittee on Experience-Based Learning, Final Report, April 2000
Appendix 5
Philosophy of Practice
The following document serves to establish guidelines for the selection and
evaluation/grading of for-credit experiential projects. The philosophy presented here
utilizes the eight principles found in the Standards Document of the National Society of
Experiential Education, combining them with operating procedures and recommended
emendations provided by the Agnes Scott Office of Career Planning and Counseling.
Each category includes two facets. The first offers a philosophical foundation.
The second provides recommendations for the process itself. The result should offer
flexibility in designing appropriate procedures.
INTENTION
• The student must take the initiative to define and share with the learning facilitator
her goals for the experience. The best internships, for example, are those in which the
student, the off-campus supervisor, and the faculty supervisor have agreed on the
nature of the work and understood the evaluation methods.
•
The discussion of intent and refinement of goals should precede any formal
application process. A written presentation of student objectives should help to form
the foundational materials.
PREPAREDNESS & PLANNING
• Participants must insure that they enter the experience with sufficient foundation to
support a successful experience. From the outset student, learning facilitator and
sponsor must agree on the identified learning intentions of the student and adhere to
them as goals. They must also define related activities aimed at reaching these goals
and set the parameters of the overall experience (such as anticipated time
commitments).
• The student should seek the assistance of the on-campus learning facilitator and any
off-campus supervisors in completing the design of the experiential opportunity. The
process of designing the experience should lead to the drafting of a learning contract
among all involved parties. The learning contract may take many forms, including,
but not limited to, application form or forms, a written proposal or a standard
business résumé and cover letter.
AUTHENTICITY
• The experience must have a real world context and/or be useful in reference to an
applied setting or situation. Agnes Scott recognizes that learning through field
experience can be a valuable adjunct to classroom learning. The College will
endeavor to make worthwhile experiences possible for qualified students whose
academic programs would benefit from such opportunities. Field experiences should
supplement, rather than substitute for, the acquisition of academic knowledge.
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Subcommittee on Experience-Based Learning, Final Report, April 2000
•
Discussions among the student, learning facilitator and sponsor should result in
providing specific information concerning potential work assignments. A student
proposal or assignment should provide sufficient detail concerning the type of work
so that its appropriateness for credit in the proposed department can be judged. The
student should take the initiative to draft a “learning contract” that clearly states her
learning objectives and the related activities as identified by those involved in
creating the project.
REFLECTION
• Reflection is the element that transforms simple experience into a learning
experience. For knowledge to be discovered and internalized, the learner must test
assumptions and hypotheses about the outcomes of decisions and actions taken, then
weigh the outcomes against past learning and future implications. This reflective
process is integral to all phases of experiential learning.
•
The student and learning facilitator will decide on regular reflection activities such as
journal composition or essay writing. A portion of the learning contract should
outline such activities.
ORIENTATION & TRAINING
• For the full value of the experience to be accessible to both the learner and the
learning facilitator(s), and to any involved organizational partners, it is essential that
they be prepared with important background information about each other and about
the context and environment in which the experience will operate. Sponsors are
expected to orient the student to the organization’s policies and culture and to
provide training for duties which may be included in the experience.
•
Students should seek advice from the learning facilitator in describing the
assignment or experiential opportunity including an indication of anticipated
orientation and training.
MONITORING & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
• It is important that there be a feedback loop related to learning intentions and quality
objectives and that the structure of the experience be sufficiently flexible to permit
change in response to what that feedback suggests. Learning facilitators should meet
with the student during the experience to monitor involvement and facilitate
reflection. Meetings between the student and sponsor are required to provide the
student with a chance to ask questions, receive feedback on performance and seek
guidance for further activities.
•
Students, sponsors and learning facilitators should confirm their commitment. For
sponsors this does not mean constant "over the shoulder" supervision, but rather
making sure that the student understands the assignments, is given proper preparation
for them, and is allowed to sample the nature of the organization. The sponsor may
become an "interpreter" of the student's experience, but should not have to be a
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Subcommittee on Experience-Based Learning, Final Report, April 2000
full-time teacher. In fact, as part of her educational growth, the student should have
to use some initiative and, at times, work alone. (It is our intent that the sponsor also
will benefit from the student's work and presence.) Learning facilitators should
design, distribute, and collect sponsor and student evaluations and record data for use
in continuous improvement measures.
ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION
• Outcomes and processes should be systematically documented with regard to initial
intentions and quality outcomes. Therefore, assessment and evaluation should
follow as a product of efforts in defining intention and planning for the experiential
project. As indicated above, the best experiences are those in which the student, the
off-campus supervisor, and the faculty supervisor have agreed on the nature of the
work and understood the evaluation methods. The student, drawing upon the
guidance and experience of faculty, staff, or sponsors, will agree to performance and
learning evaluation methods and agree to discuss results in face-to-face meetings.
• Since credit for an internship is awarded by Agnes Scott College, the responsibility
for assigning the grade rests with the faculty supervisor. The student will work with
the faculty supervisor (and Career Planning where appropriate) in agreeing upon the
bases for evaluation. Credit internships at Agnes Scott College are graded on a
Pass/Fail basis, with hours of credit requested at the time of application and
determined by the assistant dean of the college on the basis of the faculty member's
evaluation at the end of the internship. The faculty member may use evaluation tools
such as papers, daily journals, weekly meetings, and/or observations of the student
experience. These should be part of the initial agreement. Because the faculty
member will also need some evaluative information, an off-campus sponsor may be
asked to evaluate the student's performance.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
• All parties to the experience should be included in the recognition of progress and
accomplishment. Students will be recognized for their involvement and learning and
encouraged to share their experiences with other students. Students and learning
facilitators will recognize the effort of sponsors and work to enhance positive,
reciprocal working relationships.
•
Acknowledgement may take several forms including the distribution of information
related to completed experiential projects, commentary upon areas of success or
areas for improvement. It may also include more traditional posting of academic
results such as grading, earning credit and bestowing of honors.
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Subcommittee on Experience-Based Learning, Final Report, April 2000
Appendix 6
Experience-Based Learning Recommendations
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
I.
Employing a full-time Director of Experiential Learning is essential to enhancing
the liberal arts curriculum.
The college should allow that the first major task for the director must be
submission of a plan for organizing all aspects of experiential learning.
Implementation should begin once plan approvals are secured. As a member of
the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE), the college has access to
excellent consulting teams that can support the planning efforts.
The director should support faculty responsible for “for-credit” internships:
such an assignment may call for a joint academic and administrative appointment.
The exact appointment must be decided before hiring a director.
The director should provide a means by which we are able to effectively
centralize our community connections and identify multiple ways that
community organizations support our experiential learning initiatives.
This office will also have responsibility for working with faculty and
administrators to identify professional organizations (such as Campus Compact)
that will contribute to our experiential learning initiatives.
II.
Providing faculty support for experiential learning activities is fundamental to
achieving academic excellence.
The college must examine and redesign systems of faculty rewards for
experiential learning. For example, how faculty receive credit for experience
based projects, the appropriate use of a banking system for future release credit,
resource allocation to support experiential learning especially in smaller
departments and reductions in individualized experiential arrangements replaced
by student groupings into seminar or capstone courses.
III.
A number of curricular issues must be addressed as experiential
learning is further integrated into the academic curriculum: (a director of
experiential learning should be able to provide guidance regarding curricular
issues.)
•
•
How will experiential learning opportunities be affected by the proposed 44/3-2 conversion?
How can faculty ensure the quality of transfer credit for experiential
learning courses approved with other institutions?
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Subcommittee on Experience-Based Learning, Final Report, April 2000
•
•
IV.
Must the faculty agree upon one specific student procedure for experiential
learning (e.g. A learning contract)?
Where should we seek consistency in our experiential learning initiatives?
The college must effectively promote the availability of experiential learning as
important to the student’s academic growth and career preparation.
While the college cannot “guarantee” internships, opportunities are available to
every student and should be promoted as such. The college should create an
admissions brochure listing experiential learning courses and sites. In addition,
the web site should be up-dated to reflect experiential learning opportunities.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PUBLICIZING INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
I.
Reference a variety of Experience-Based Education (EBE) opportunities, which
include programs offered through Career Planning and academic departments in
addition to internships.
II.
Emphasize actions a student can take to become developmentally ready to commit
to a semester-long internship.
Briefly outline Career Planning’s comprehensive career development program
and reference the pre-internship preparation components of programs offered
through academic departments. (Not all students will take the initiative to become
developmentally ready for internships before graduation, which adds importance
to the first recommendation of emphasizing the significance of EBE opportunities
in addition to internships.)
III.
Use the word “guarantee” only with the word “opportunity.”
It is important that we communicate that the College can guarantee the
opportunity (the lead, the connection, and the resources to effectively apply) and a
“placement” is contingent on the student's effort and the sponsor's immediate
needs.
Of all the EBE opportunities, this is especially true of internships, which require
that the student convince a sponsor of her ability to become and asset early on in
the semester.
Career Planning does not match or place students in internships. Career Planning
assists students in achieving internship offers.
Even some of the academic departments that do intend to “place” students have
had internship sponsors reject students due to lack of focus, lack of prior
experience, or poor self-presentation skills. (Perhaps reference should be made to
the services available through Career Planning that aim to make a student as
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Subcommittee on Experience-Based Learning, Final Report, April 2000
marketable as possible for her desired internship e.g., resume assistance, cover
letter assistance, mock interviews, advising on appropriate follow-through.)
IV.
Guarantee opportunities “related to a chosen career area of interest.”
It is important not to guarantee an opportunity “in a major” or “in a career area.”
Experience-Based Education opportunities, especially internships, aren’t available
at the bachelor’s level in all disciplines and fields, i.e. psychotherapy.
16