EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION
What is Experiential Education?
(ex-pe-ri-en-tial - ik-speer-ee-en-shuh l)
Experiential education is a philosophy and methodology in which educators purposefully engage with learners in direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills, clarify values and prepare students for both careers and citizenship. It is a triad partnership between student, college, and community partner with responsibilities of each clearly articulated in pre-defined learning objectives. Facilitated and guided practice, reflection and evaluation are all essential components of this transformative method of learning.
Types of Experiential Education Programs
Internships
An internship is a short-term job related to a student’s major or career goals, and is designed to provide experience in and exposure to a typical workplace in a career field. It lasts at least one semester and typically requires a student to work a minimum accumulation of hours. As a form of experiential education, an internship is a triad partnership between student, college, and employer with responsibilities of each clearly articulated in pre-defined learning objectives. Facilitated and guided practice, reflection and evaluation are all essential components of this transformative method of learning.
Service-Learning
Service-learning is a teaching and learning approach that integrates community service with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. As a form of experiential education, service-learning is a triad partnership between student, college, and community partner with responsibilities of each clearly articulated in pre-defined learning objectives. Facilitated and guided practice, reflection and evaluation are all essential components of this transformative method of learning.
Cooperative Education
Cooperative education is a structured method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience. A cooperative education experience, commonly known as a "co-op", provides academic credit and pay for a structured job experience. Developed by Herman Schneider and implemented at the University of Cincinnati in 1906, Co-op was originally designed to give technical students the opportunity to apply classroom learning to real world work situations. Since 1906, Co-op has been opened up to many disciplines outside the field of engineering and is offered in schools around the world.
Study Abroad
Study abroad allows students to pursue educational opportunities in a foreign country. Usually short-term in nature, the educational experiences bring students to the sites and cultures being studied and allow students to fully engage in the host culture. Oftentimes, regardless of the discipline studied, students work with locals to provide volunteer service to the community. This enhances the real-world learning, communication and civic skills.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
What is Experiential Learning?
Experiential learning is learning that happens from personal experience and reflection on everyday activities. In short, it is self-teaching. It is less structured than college shaped experiential education programs and activities in that pre-defined learning objectives are not required, nor is formal reflection, although in advanced learners, both often happen organically.
Types of Experiential Learning Activities
Externships or Job Shadowing
An externship is a short term prospect for a student to observe work, investigate a particular career field and experience a typical day or week in a job related to his or her career goals or professional interests. Unlike the job training an internship offers, an externship is an unpaid job shadowing experience that allows a student to observe an experienced member of a company while he or she performs daily tasks. Informational interviews are often conducted during externships.
Volunteering (Community Service)
Volunteer work is unpaid work a person performs for the good of the community. Volunteering allows members of society the opportunity to become civically engaged and solve public problems. Unlike service-learning where there is a deliberate connection of community service to academic learning goals, volunteerism is not inherently a form of experiential education and is not tied to the curriculum. NYIT defines volunteering as an activity performed for an organization legally holding not-for-profit status, for the benefit of the community and the volunteer, for no financial compensation and in designated volunteer positions only. Volunteers may not replace paid workers nor constitute a threat to the job security of paid workers, and must choose to volunteer of their own free will. The community service NYIT volunteers perform shall allow them the opportunity to become civically engaged and address public problems. Students will not earn academic credits for their volunteer work. Volunteer opportunities can be shared on Career Net.
Mentoring
Mentoring is a structured relationship between an experienced person, the mentor, and an inexperienced person, the mentee. Although it is a relationship of reciprocity, the mentor offers the mentee guidance, coaching, support, trust and assistance in achieving pre-established goals. While some mentor relationships last indefinitely, professional mentorship should have a pre-defined duration with objectives, priorities, expectations and boundaries established at the onset of the experience.