Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring Compassion For The Community And Diversity Through Nursing Experiential Learning, Jaime Sinutko, Nadine Wodwaski, Brooklin Adams

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Background: The aim of Jesuit education is total growth leading to action (Jesuit Institute, 2014a), plus higher Jesuit education seeks to transform students through examining the world around them. The promotion of experiential learning is noted in Ignatian Pedagogy (2014a) by urging the whole person to enter the learning experience. Nursing education, at a Jesuit University, involves educating the whole person within a service-oriented profession. Thus, experiential learning in a nursing course at a Jesuit University is an active component of Ignatian pedagogy, promoting Jesuit values and Catholic identity. This has been challenging since the COVID-19 pandemic forced universities to …

A Quantitative Analysis Of High Impact Practices And Civic Learning Outcomes Among Community College Students, Victoria D. Vogelgesang

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

This study aims to answer the following research question: How is participation in selected high impact practices (HIPs) that promote social capital associated with community college students’ positive civic learning outcomes (CLOs) such as communication and listening, diversity, and consensus-building? This study analyzed responses to the 2019 Community College Survey of Student Engagement using Minitab to conduct chi-square analysis to test the hypothesis that HIPs that build social capital are related to greater frequency of CLOs. The most notable finding is that four of the HIPs—internships, in-class group projects, service-learning, and learning communities—were consistently positively associated with each of the …

Exploring The Educational Impact Of Academic Field Trips Over Time, Tara Parrello, Colby L. Valentine

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Experiential learning can be in the form of internships, field trips, service learning, and research projects. The practical nature of criminal justice is a logical fit for experience-based learning. Specifically, academic field trips may be viewed as examples of short-term experiential education. However, do experiential learning trips have an academic impact over time? Using survey data, the current study examines if students acquire and retain knowledge after a prison tour of Eastern State Penitentiary. Pre- and post-tour surveys of student learning outcomes showed a statistically significant gain between the pre- and post-tour survey results. A follow-up survey explored if students …

“Difficult But Worth It”: Exploring The Experiences Of Women In Engineering During Co-Op, Brittany Arthur, Batsheva Guy, Evie Armitage, Meaghan Labarre, Sydney O'Connor

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Despite an extensive amount of research focusing on women in engineering, the gender disparity within the engineering workforce is the most significant amongst workforce disparities in the United States (National Science Foundation, 2018), with engineering being labeled the “last gender-equitable profession” (Pierrakos, Beam, Constantz, Johri, & Anderson, 2009, M4F-1). Although there is a substantial amount of literature on the experience of women in engineering, there has been little progress in regard to the recruitment and retention of women engineers in higher education and in the workforce over the past several decades.

The current study implements a Participatory Action Research framework …

On The Borders: A Multiaxial Pedagogical Approach To Community-Based Global Learning, Sara A. Williams

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

This article introduces a multiaxial pedagogical approach intended to complement to the Community-Based Global Learning (CBGL) framework for globally-engaged experiential learning. This multiaxial approach emerged from a Spring 2019 course at Miami University titled “On the Border: Immigration Justice in Interfaith Perspective.” The article first offers a brief overview of CBGL, contextualizing its development in historical trajectories of global learning in higher education. It then outlines the multiaxial approach and suggests some contributions it can make to pedagogical design within the CBGL framework. Following this, the article describes how the multiaxial approach emerged from the course’s exploration and design. Finally, …

Experiential Learning Educators As Tempered Radicals And Social Change Agents In Higher Education: The Nsee Fellows Program As Reflective Practitioner-Scholars, Patrick M. Green, Theresa Castor, Dale J. Leyburn, Don Demaria, Andres Jaime

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Excerpt

Experiential learning educators have long fought to justify this form of active learning in their curriculum (Hesser, 2013), and the past several decades have seen a resurgence of, and renewed interest in, experiential learning through forms of hands-on learning, such as: service-learning/community-based learning, educational internships, global study abroad experiences, and undergraduate research opportunities (Kuh, 2008). Given its distinct elements in planning, design, and implementation of teaching and learning (Heinrich and Green, 2020), and its potential outcomes that can lead to deep learning (Kuh, 2008), experiential learning requires educators to contribute ample amounts of time and energy in the planning …

Advocating For Experiential Learning Programs As Change Agents In Higher Education: Imagining A Justice Orientation That Centers Students And Partners While Enriching Practice, Patrick M. Green, Theresa Castor, Dale J. Leyburn, Don Demaria, Andres Jaime

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Excerpt

The National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) Fellows are academic professionals who engage in a community of practice and explore their practitioner-scholar identity through research and scholarly inquiry into experiential education. During some monthly meetings, the discussion focused on how to infuse equity, diversity, and inclusion in internship programs. The fellows ruminated on strategies to create quality internship programs and how to embed experiential learning opportunities into the curriculum so more students could access them. Collectively, these comments highlight what is not always stated but ever-present; that is, the fellows’ justice orientation. The monthly meeting of NSEE Fellows consistently …

Full Special Issue, Part Ii

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Enriching The Vision Of Campus Kitchen: A Recipe For Justice, Bryan W. Sokol, Melissa A. Apprill, Liam D. John, Ashlei Peterson

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Campus Kitchen provides an environment that is ripe for community-based, experiential-learning experiences, especially on the topic of Eco-Justice. Student volunteers have substantive opportunities to investigate and promote various food justice and hunger advocacy initiatives, as well as form meaningful personal relationships with those whom they serve. Volunteers are encouraged to learn everything from the practical skills of food preparation to the social forces that underlie food insecurity in the community. Still, many Campus Kitchen participants remain unaware of the seriousness of food waste and “throwaway” cultural attitudes that perpetuate hunger. This paper presents data illustrating the different levels of understanding …

Experiential Learning Across Borders: Virtual Exchange And Global Social Justice, Deniz Gokcora, Raymond Oenbring

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

As the populations of college and university students become more diverse and have more demanding lifestyles, postsecondary institutions are showing greater interest in unconventional and innovative ways to offer students international experiential learning. Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), also known as virtual exchange, connects students in two different countries to investigate global realities from a cross-cultural perspective. With international exchange experiences no longer limited to those in certain majors or with financial means, COIL creates more equitable and sustainable access to international engagement. In this study, we describe a COIL exchange between ESL students at the Borough of Manhattan Community …

Democratic Community As A Public Of Others: Combating Failed Citizenship In Refugees, Susan Haarman

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Excerpt

Fadi¹ was a surgeon for 15 years before he and his family were resettled from Syria to Chicago. Since arriving here, he’s been able to take work as CNA in a nursing home and has been trying to figure out what of his education may be able to transfer so that he can enroll in nursing school. His wife, formerly a CPA, has had more success with gig economy jobs, but her choppy English has led to several failed interviews for full time work. “She’s absolutely fluent in French, but alas we did not arrive there,” (Haarman, 2020). …

Using Liminality To Understand How Identity And Temporary Status Influence Interns’ Vulnerability, Michael A. Odio, Christopher M. Mcleod

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Viewing internships as a transitionary stage (i.e., a liminal space) where interns are shedding their student identity and developing their professional identity provides a useful lens for understanding the experiences of interns and holds implications for social and economic justice. As interns adapt to the temporary and transitionary space of the internship they experience powerlessness, ambiguity, and, in many cases exploitation, sexual harassment, and abuse. The stress and precarity of this status are compounded for interns from marginalized or underrepresented groups that must also conform to the (typically white male and middle class) hegemony of the workplace, all of which …

Moving From Dialogue To Deliberation About Campus Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion, Chad Raphael

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Campus communities continue to become increasingly diverse as the U.S. grows more sensitized to, yet polarized over, issues of social justice. In response, many institutions of higher learning are placing greater emphasis on students’ experiential learning about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in co-curricular experiences such as new student orientation and in coursework. Experiential educators can help students forge links between learning about DEI in the co-curriculum and curriculum, and to move from intergroup dialogue to deliberation, which allows student learning to inform institutional learning. This article describes the design, outcomes, and implications of a course on dialogue and deliberation …

Building An Ecosystem Of Diversity Talent Development Through Experiential Learning, Marianna Savoca, Kimberly Dixon, Urszula Zalewski

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Access to professionals and insider knowledge of industry is often limited to students from privileged families, yet most academic support programs focus solely on persistence to graduation. Career readiness through experiential learning has not yet reached strategic importance for these programs. One public research university in the northeast which enrolls a highly diverse student body has created a portfolio of programs to connect underrepresented students with industry partners for career development, experiential learning, mentoring, and networking.

Social Justice Through Service-Learning In Parks & Recreation Management Education, Anne L. Demartini

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

This practice-based approach argues service learning can teach social justice in parks & recreation management education. The US parks system creation and history is rooted in injustice. Use of US parks and park service employment remain inequitable today. Significant work must be done in the provision of recreation and park services to all members of the community, including those who have been traditionally marginalized or underserved. The industry requires recreation and parks professionals at all levels who are informed and intentional about inclusion and social justice, which starts with parks and recreation management education.

Service-learning, a form of experiential learning …

Fundamentals Of Anthropology As Effective Experiential Learning Strategy To Promote Social Justice, Chelsea G. Abbas

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Experiential learning (EL) as it relates to the social sciences, involves going out into the community to conduct field studies or work with different groups who provide new approaches and collaborative perspectives to student learning. EL relies on the fact that students can communicate with distinct populations and oftentimes bridge cultural, linguistic, racial, generational, or geographical divides. As we emerge from a pandemic-induced social isolation into an increasingly siloed and divided political world, creating generative dialogue and skill sets to promote social activism and empathy for the common good is of utmost importance, especially for college students. Two EL experiences, …

Implementing An Experiential Learning Program Focused On Civic Leadership To Produce Social Justice Outcomes, Glenn A. Bowen, Courtney A. Berrien

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

This article describes a civic learning and leadership development program aimed at cultivating civic mindedness and preparing students for social change roles in community settings. Participating students tackle social issues as viewed through a systemic change lens; they explore the root causes of specific social issues and then work collaboratively with community partners to address those issues. The program’s student learning outcomes assessment has shown that participants generally become civic-minded graduates, with the demonstrable capacity and desire to work with others for social change. The authors explain the practice-based approach to the program, summarize social justice outcomes, and delineate program …

Experiential Learning Through Short-Term Study Abroad: A Business Approach, Thomas S. Mondschean, Melissa Markley Rountree

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Excerpt

Passarelli and Kolb (2012) suggest that an experiential education model can be useful in designing and assessing study abroad programs. As business school professors in the Driehaus College of Business at DePaul University who direct and assess short-term study abroad programs, we could not agree more. Our global framework not only encourages students to leave their comfort zones and experience unfamiliar cultural environments, but they are also provided with opportunities to explore issues of academic and business interest with academic, governmental, business, and non-business leaders in other countries. Moreover, they can also observe how public and private organizations operate …

Full Issue

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Community Engagement Through Interactive Field-Based Activities, Carolyn Casale, C. Adrainne Thomas

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

This qualitative case study consisted of social justice interactive field-based experiential learning activities designed to understand community partnerships between a university and local public school. The research question was: How can interactive field-based activities build closer community ties? The theoretical foundation incorporated Ken Zeichner’s “hybrid spaces” with the premise of field-based interactive experiences. The findings indicated the need for further activities that create partnerships between teacher education programs and neighboring public schools.

Engaging Millennial Students Through Community-Engaged Experiential Learning, Maureen Andrade, Jonathan H. Westover

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Millennial students and workers are high-achieving, have a strong desire for ongoing personal and professional development, and tend to be invested in making a sustainable impact on society and in the communities in which they live and work. One avenue to engage these students is community-engaged experiential learning (or service learning). While service learning is not new, this “civically-engaged” pedagogy has increased in popularity and usage. It provides meaningful community-service opportunities that simultaneously teach civic responsibility and encourage life-long civic engagement, while also providing significant real-life, hands-on learning of important skills and vital social understanding. This quantitative study examines the …

Full Issue

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

Finding Remote Service Opportunities Appropriate For A Course On Social Justice, Laura Finley

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

This article identifies challenges for social justice educators seeking to engage students in service-learning during the global pandemic of COVID-19. It discusses the author’s approach to finding continued service hours for students learning remotely who began earning hours with a dating and domestic violence awareness initiative. It shows how the author adapted, lessons learned, and ideas for future.

Chicago Semester Experiential Learning Amid Covid-19, Rebecca Burwell, Jonathan Brooks, Mackenzi Huyser

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Excerpt

Chicago Semester is an experiential education program that was founded 45 years ago by six private, faith-based colleges in the Midwest. During the spring semester of 2020, we were serving 56 traditional-aged undergraduate students. These students came from 16 different colleges with student bodies between 1000-4000 students, mainly located in rural or suburban communities. On March 13, 2020, we made the decision to conclude our in-person programming because of COVID-19. Students moved home and the program continued remotely for the duration of the semester.

Full Issue

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

No abstract provided.

A Model Of Student Learning: A Cross-Disciplinary Examination Of Student Reflections Of Service-Learning Experiences, Elizabeth Goodman, Jonathan Westover, Letty Workman, Maureen Andrade

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

The purpose of this study was to measure and analyze student service and engaged learning outcomes employing the qualitative tradition of phenomenology. This study was based on the “Five R” service and engaged learning framework. The population for this project included 565 students enrolled in sixteen different course sections (eight distinct classes) taught by twelve faculty members across six academic departments in three colleges/schools on the campus of a regional teaching university in the Intermountain West. The results yielded support for each “R” in the framework (reciprocity, reflection, rewards of synergy, responsibility, and reality), thereby supporting the validity of the …

Reframing Experiential Education: A Broader Perspective Of Community Engagement, Marshall Welch

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

This article invites the reader to reframe the traditional perspective of experiential education to a broader conceptualization of community engagement in which various stakeholders, in addition to students, are the beneficiaries of the learning experience. In addition to acknowledging and celebrating the pedagogical approach, this narrative also provides a friendly critique of our traditional and perhaps somewhat limited perspective of experiential education. Challenges and potential detrimental impact are considered, coupled with approaches on how to minimize those issues.