Capturing A Rich Narrative: Experiential Learning Opportunities

If assessment provides a way of telling our story, then tracking experiential learning opportunities is probably one of the most exciting parts of the narrative.

By “experiential learning,” I am not referring to a good or even great experience, like taking students to an art museum or engaging them in a community service activity for one afternoon.  I am talking about those hands-on experiences that occur over a period of time and enhance deeper learning.  As many of the departmental assessment reports document, these high impact experiences are integral to a Utica College education.

In a number of academic departments, these types of experiences result in student presentations at regional or national conferences.

• Last October, 3 students attended the Seaway Section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) meeting at the University of Toronto Mississauga.   This spring, 1 student will present at the MAA Seaway Section meeting at St. John Fisher. 

• From 2017 through 2018, 5 chemistry students presented their research at the American Chemical Society’s national conferences, and one presented at the CSTEP Statewide Conference. 

• 15 students have been included as co-authors on presentations made at regional and national psychology conferences from 2017-2019. Two students have also been included as co-authors with a faculty member in a prestigious professional journal publication.

• In the geoscience program, students engage in field trips during lab periods and on weekends. They also participate in internships, independent research, and may opt for a 4 to 6 week field camp experience to study the geologic features of a particular region.  In 2017, 2 undergraduates presented posters at a professional conference, and 1 student’s research was published in Northeastern Geographer. 

Experiential learning isn’t realized solely in conducting research and giving presentations, however.  Students are writing for the Tangerine.  They are performing on stage in musicals and dramatic productions.  They are studying abroad.  They are completing internships.  And sometimes experiential learning happens right in the classroom or during residencies, as in the case of the Financial Crime Management program.  In this program, graduate students get hands-on experiences using computing software and financial analysis tools and applying them to real-world criminal cases in economic crime.

Experiential learning exposes students to new opportunities and often takes them outside their comfort zones.  In MGT/PRL 345, students spend spring break in New York City, where their instructor has arranged for them to visit with UC alumni and other top communications professionals at agencies such as G & S Business Communications, the Wall Street Journal, Glamour, NBC News, the New York Power Authority, and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.  Student reflections indicate that this experience is a transformative one, especially for those who come from small, rural towns where opportunities are limited and who have never visited a large city.  One student wrote, “In college, it’s hard to figure out where you firmly belong or it’s difficult to see yourself in five years.  But when you visit an [organization] and you feel like you could belong there, it’s an empowering feeling.”

Now if these aren’t impressive outcomes, I don’t know what are.