Education Commons^™

Helping Students Maximize Their Degrees As Competitive Tools: The Value Of Experiential Learning, Cassandra Spencer, April Perry

The William & Mary Educational Review

It is a common misconception among students that following graduation there will be an abundance of job opportunities, and by simply earning a degree, they will be competitive in the job market. Through a review of relevant literature, this article examines college graduate employment statistics and the skills employers desire most in new hires. Using this literature as a contextual lens, the benefits of experiential learning as a way for college students to maximize their degree is discussed. The research shows that these types of learning opportunities are essential in helping students grow, learn, realize their potential, explore different career …

Smu-X: An Innovative Approach To Preparing Students With Skills For The Future, Gary Pan, Gan Hup Tan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

The SMU-X Initiative is a paradigm shit which focuses on learning as opposed to teaching as well as a mind-set shift to get the university to collaborate both internally and with our external stakeholders more. We strive to do this by introducing innovation curriculum based on an experiential approach that is interdisciplinary and hands-on. It gets the SMU community to collaborate and step out of their silos by encouraging group effort in solving complex issues.

Addressing The Past, Embracing The Future: An Analysis Of How Historic Inequality Has Created Current Obstacles To Learning English In Brazil And A Proposal For A New Community-Based Approach, Aja C. Bryant

MA TESOL Collection

This paper contextualizes current challenges to English learning in Brazil within the educational history of the country. It explores the ways in which language, both native literacy and foreign, has been used to set apart and advantage the elite class, while educational policy and approaches have served to pacify and control the majority. This history has left psychological, cultural, and economic legacies which inhibit learning today. Nevertheless, modern globalization is placing increasing pressure on Brazilians to achieve fluency in English and other languages. This paper briefly outlines the new and complex intellectual and social skills needed to participate in a …

Experiential Learning Approaches To Principles Of Management, Robert Lloyd

Administrative Issues Journal

This paper describes a lesson plan that can be used in an undergraduate course in principles of management. The lesson plan helps students learn the basic concepts of management and the functions performed by managers – planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Through traditional lecture and classroom discussion, the students will better understand these concepts. This lesson plan also helps students recognize these functions through observation. Finally, to ensure that student’s have fully internalized each function of management, they will have the opportunity to apply the concepts through a group project. Upon completion of this lesson plan, the students should be …

The Bank Street Program: Child Growth And Learning In Social Studies Experiences (1952), Charlotte B. Winsor

Bank Street Thinkers

"The teachers and psychologists who are the Bank Street group lay no claim to the discovery of any new axioms in educational practice. They have invented no method, no device, no gadget that opens magic doors to learning. What they have done is to establish principles based upon the needs and purposes of children, related to the world in which they live..." This article illustrates a program at City and Country School in which class jobs, such as running the school post office, supply store, and printing shop form the base for social studies experiences. Applying a philosophy similar to …

Case Studies To Enhance Graduate Employability: Entrepreneurship., Madelaine Judd, Shelley Kinash, Linda Crane, Cecily Knight, Matthew Mclean, Kirsty Mitchell, David Dowling, Ros Schwerdt, Caroline Lovell

Linda Crane

This is one in a series of case studies to enhance graduate employability. The theme of this case study is: • Entrepreneurship (graduates in start-up businesses and graduates employed by entrepreneurs) Entrepreneurship signifies an alternative means to traditional notions of graduate employability. Entrepreneurial start-ups are increasingly established by recent graduates as a means of self-employment. An educator described ethical entrepreneurship as “being able to work out when things are going wrong, in your own humble way, with your own level of intelligence and what you are born with, how to try to manage that situation in an efficacious fashion to …

The Schoolyard As An Outdoor Classroom: Learning Through Experience, Jason W. Spray

Dissertations

When teaching ecology concepts, teachers often overlook utilizing the schoolyard as an outdoor classroom. This study examined the use of the schoolyard to teach ecology concepts in order to improve environmental knowledge and attitudes among fifth grade African-American students. The “Nature Unleashed” curriculum was the primary source for the lessons. This curriculum encompasses experiential learning and place-based education. The curriculum, taught over a six-week period, utilized hands-on activities inside and outside of the classroom. There were 248 fifth grade African-American students (N = 248) who participated in the research study. Students responded to a pre- and post-assessment to measure knowledge …

Teaching Customer Orientation To Millennials By Utilizing Electronic Communication Between Students And Firms, Thomas M. Hickman, Michael M. Pearson

Atlantic Marketing Journal

This article describes an experiential method for teaching customer orientation by directing students to use their own experience with a business to write either an e-mail letter of praise or complaint to that business. Students complete a survey that asks them to rate businesses on customer orientation measures at the time they send the e-mail and, again, at the end of the semester after having had time to receive a response. Results of the surveys are analyzed and recommendations are given for conducting an interactive discussion that allows students to see the variability of the firms’ commitment to customer orientation.

Experiential Learning: An Exploration, John Santo Verdico

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

There is a problem with education in the United States. Students coast through school focused on grades, and leave school prepared for homework and controlled situations; they are not ready for the rigor and unpredictability of every day life in the real world. Studies on experiential learning show that the best way to gain professional skills and understanding is not necessarily in the classroom with a teacher, but outside the classroom with peers. Butler University's Music Industry Association (BMIA), provides such an opportunity. Producing the annual BMIA Sampler album increases students' understanding of concepts learned in the classroom and encourages …

A Quasi-Experimental Study Of Teaching Intercultural Sensitivity On Foreign Language Learning Motivation, Chunling Niu

Dissertations

Through an experimental intervention of a four-week cultural project based on the intergroup contact theory, this study sought to (a) explore the possible pedagogical effects on participants’ levels of Intercultural Sensitivity; and (b) investigate the complex interactions between learners’ Intercultural Sensitivity, Foreign Language Motivation, and their Language and Cultural Backgrounds. Sixty-eight Chinese learning students from a southcentral American university initially participated in the study, whereas only 43 participants completed the required activities and were pretested and posttested on Intercultural Sensitivity and Foreign Language Motivation. The 21 experimental group participants were instructed to complete four cultural assignments during February 2014, namely, …

Life Skill Development Of Youth Participants Of The 4-H Beef Skillathon Program, Josey Megan Harris

Masters Theses

4-H agents and agriculture teachers across Tennessee teach youth about animal science projects using a variety of different methods, and these youth typically go on to compete in the Tennessee Junior Livestock Exposition Skillathon competition for their chosen animal project. Skillathon is an educational delivery method where a facilitator conducts a learning station where youth can gain knowledge or demonstrate their knowledge and skills learned by doing livestock project work. However, approximately 27% of youth in Tennessee with beef projects choose not to participate in the skillathon. This is troubling since early research has shown life skills are developed by …

Students' Knowledge And Perceived Confidence In An Interdisciplinary Experiential-Learning Environment, Lee J. Florea, Adam J. Kuban, Michelle O'Malley

Lee J Florea, PhD, P.G.

Experiential-learning theory suggests that students acquire knowledge through hands-on learning environments, and aspiring journalists need a setting where they can experience science — its process(es) as well as how to report empirical findings. Researchers utilized pre/post questionnaires, field-notebook evaluation, and focus-group analysis as methods to assess an interdisciplinary, experiential course that combined science and media undergraduates. Results revealed students valued procedural over fact-based knowledge. Students also indicated increased perceived confidence—even when they answered questions incorrectly.

Creating An Experiential Learning Based Multi-Disciplinary Program, Jeff Moretz, Steve Marsh, Jennifer Percival

Stream 2: Curriculum

For many years, curriculum development has considered learning outcomes at the program level largely via learning outcomes at the course level. Some programs have modified their designs to use different structures such as condensed courses or project based learning. Recently, there has been an increased interest in experiential learning as a way to facilitate student acquisition of real-world applicable capabilities while enhancing student learning of ‘soft skills’ such as professionalism, communication, and team management. Historically, such engagement including complexities of real-world problems has been accomplished through internships, co-op, capstone courses, or project based learning. In this paper we present an …

Case For Professional Development Schools: Transforming Teaching And Learning, Patricia C. Kornelis

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

No abstract provided.

Creating And Supporting Best Practices In Student Retention, N. Douglas Lees

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

This session will outline motivations/incentives for chairs to participate in, create and support programs that enhance student retention. In addition, from IUPUI, several campus level programs and three department level initiatives, all of which have been shown to be effective in retaining students, will be described.

Academic Service Learning Benefits Diverse, Urban Community College Students, Sharon S. Ellerton, Cristina Di Meo, Josephine Pantaleo, Arlene Kemmerer, Mary Bandziukas, Michael Bradley

Publications and Research

Urban community college students are a vulnerable population, often carrying one or more risk factors that predict they will not graduate or transfer to a four-year institution. This article presents evidence that academic service learning can provide support for urban community college students, increasing retention and providing multiple positive benefits. After participating in service learning, urban community college students report increased confidence in their ability to learn and apply course content knowledge, general education knowledge, and workplace skills as well as an interest in civic engagement.

The Use Of Collaborative Assignments To Enhance Experiential Learning In Community College Health Education Courses, Andrea S. Salis, Tony Monahan, Daniel Armstrong

NERA Conference Proceedings 2014

Experiential learning is a critical part of health education courses. It provides opportunities for students to connect their classroom learning to outside experiences to achieve a better understanding of various issues and concepts. Through experiential learning, students can analyze, evaluate and document outside experiences in relation to their coursework. This study investigated the significance of collaborative assignments in experiential learning using the high impact practice, global and diversity learning. The results of this study demonstrate higher scores on analytical reasoning and connections to coursework when experiential learning includes a collaborative assignment.

Teachers' Perceptions Of An Integrated Third Grade Curriculum's Effects On Students' Reading Achievement, Charlene Lane Bazemore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

School leaders in a Virginia urban school district designed and implemented a reading-infused integrated curriculum to address Grade 3 students' struggles to read and comprehend grade-level text. Informed via a constructivist approach, the curriculum integrated the core subjects, reading, and service learning for developing competent readers, thinkers, and problem solvers. This instrumental case study focused on 13 Grade 3 teachers' perceptions of the integrated curriculum in regards to their students' reading achievement. Qualitative data were collected from face-to-face interviews, students' progress of work documents, and the district's integrated curriculum unit. Open coding was employed to analyze the data. Inductively, triangulated …

Teamskills And Community Development Toolkit: Activities And Exercises To Build High Performance Teams Engaging In High Impact Local Community Development Projects, Martha A. Reavley, Martha A. Reavley

Odette School of Business Publications

This open source toolkit has proven effective at building high performance teams and creating rewarding and impactful community engagement and development experiences for student teams. The text book has been used effectively with over 200 teams.

College Faculty Experiences Assigning Service-Learning And Their Inclination To Continue, J. Shannon Chamberlin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The academic benefits and enhanced social responsibility that students derive from service-learning (SL), defined as experiential learning that ties community service to academic courses, have been well documented. However, for a college to fully institutionalize SL, a high proportion of faculty needs to include SL in their courses. Based in Kolb's experiential learning theory, the purpose of this study was to enhance planners' understanding of how college faculty's past experiences assigning SL influence their inclination to assign SL in future courses. In this basic qualitative interpretive study, data were collected from 13 individual interviews with faculty who assigned SL at …

Barriers To Facilitating An Existing Certified Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom, Shelley L. Easler

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In response to social trends whereby children are spending less time outside, school administrators have developed certified Nature Explore Outdoor Classrooms (NEOCs) intentionally designed to support whole-child learning within a natural environment. Despite the documented benefits of nature-based education, the literature and NEOC sites report challenges in facilitating this type of space. The purpose of this study was to investigate what prevents teachers in a certified NEOC from facilitating student/teacher engagement with the natural outdoor environment. Kolb's, Piaget's, and Vygotsky's theories of constructivism served as the study's framework to explore the problem from the teachers' perspectives. A qualitative case study …

Fourth Year Teachers' Perceptions Of The Student Teaching Practicum In Abu Dhabi, Kabrina Rochelle Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A local college in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates began a Bachelor of Education program in 2008 to train prospective teachers to deliver a bi-literate education in Arabic and English to students in Abu Dhabi schools. Because there had been no examination of preservice teachers' perceptions of their practicum experience, a project study was designed to analyze the perceptions of a group of preservice teachers regarding the final practicum and whether that experience enhanced their ability to deliver educational practices to better serve students. This phenomenological study was guided by experiential learning theory, as preservice teachers learned from their experiences …

Fors 401: Forensic Biochemistry—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Inquiry Portfolio, Ashley Hall

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

Students who participate in active and experiential learning activities develop a better understanding of basic scientific principles and are also more likely to be retained in a STEM discipline. Developing such activities, however, can be difficult. In the present study, we sought to develop classroom activities to engage university students and increase understanding of the theory and practice of forensic science. One common accessory amongst the target audience was the ever-present media, both social and popular (entertainment). In fact, a majority of students report watching at least one of the many popular forensic science shows on TV. Therefore, we hypothesized …

Program Evaluation: A Federal Agency's Air Traffic Control Train-The-Trainer Program, Lisa Marie Mercer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) highlighted to the U.S. Senate the need to focus on air traffic control (ATC) training to meet job qualification and attrition rates within the career field. One U.S. Department of Defense military service assists the FAA in providing worldwide ATC services. This service is referred to as the agency throughout this paper to ensure confidentiality. The agency's ATC career field manager echoed the FAA's call for action in his 2014 Strategic/Action Plan. In August 2013, the agency's ATC trainer program was published. As of December 2015, the program had not been evaluated. The …

Experiential Learning & Engagement: The Role Of Professional Development And Engagement In The Graduate Assistant Experience, Abbey Marie Muetzel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study explores the lived experiences of graduate assistants pursuing a master’s degree in higher education. Graduate assistants now comprise approximately 12% of all postgraduate students in higher education. Thus, this qualitative study seeks to understand graduate assistants’ experiences and support them in honing the quality of their interactions and communication with supervisors (faculty and staff). With dual roles of student and employee, graduate assistants face various challenges and also encounter unique opportunities while pursuing their academic and professional journeys. The field of higher education administration has demonstrated an interest in understanding the experience of entry-level professionals. While there is …

Preparing For Service: A Template For 21st Century Legal Education, Michael J. Madison

Articles

Legal educators today grapple with the changing dynamics of legal employment markets; the evolution of technologies and business models driving changes to the legal profession; and the economics of operating – and attending – a law school. Accrediting organizations and practitioners pressure law schools to prepare new lawyers both to be ready to practice and to be ready for an ever-fluid career path. From the standpoint of law schools in general and any one law school in particular, constraints and limitations surround us. Adaptation through innovation is the order of the day.

How, when, and in what direction should innovation …

No Ordinary Field Trip: A Conversation With John Lewis, Sam Brian

Progressive Education in Context

Eighth grade students from Bank Street School for Children meet Congressman John Lewis in Washington D. C.

Honors @ Georgia Southern, University Honors Program Students And Staff, Georgia Southern University

Honors@Georgia Southern

• Honors Inquiry in Ireland
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The Impact Of Relevant Work Experience On Third Level Accounting Students' View Of Learning, Terese Deehan

Theses

The benefits of work experience in accounting education have been examined extensively in the academic literature. Extant literature cites skills development, putting knowledge into action, improved academic results, increased focus on study and career path and enhanced employability as the main benefits to students. Other than research on the impact on academic results, there is a dearth of research on the impact of work experience on students’ view of learning. In research conducted in Ireland, Byrne and Flood (2004) concluded that the majority of third-level accounting students only have a surface-level view of learning and that this will not be …

Tackling Wicked Food Issues: Applying The Wicked Problems Approach In Higher Education To Promote Healthy Eating Habits In American School Children, Danielle Lake

Danielle L Lake