A physics professor (DS) and a theater technical instructor (BC) came together in 2018 to plan a general education course on the Physics of Theater Stagecraft. This is less surprising than it sounds, because theatrical lighting design had been Smith's hobby for almost 30 years, and he has always felt that his understanding of physics helped him…

This paper examines the recent growth of experiential learning (EL) and the university-community (or so-called town-gown, TG) connections created as a result of this expansion. The research is framed by critical scholarship on the nature and role of the university and the place of liberal education specifically, as well as policy drivers aimed at…

As higher education seeks to define and justify itself in a "post-pandemic" world, it is important to understand the role of centripetal and centrifugal forces. The centrifugal approach suggests engagement facing outward and away from the classroom, from curricula, and from campus in favor of service learning, internships, political…

In the following Q&A, NEBHE's Fellow for Open Education Lindsey Gumb asks Heather Miceli, an adjunct professor at Roger Williams University (RWU) and Johnson & Wales University (JWU), about her integration of OER-enabled pedagogy in her general education science course, which has helped push the narrative of Open Educational Resources…

As a veteran university president of fifteen years, MaryAnn Baenninger has welcomed thousands of prospective students and parents to Saturday recruitment days, however recently she has begun to wonder about the adequacy of recent descriptions of "liberal arts" as an ideal education. National conversations about higher education have…

This critical reflection briefly chronicles the transition of a general education program from a distributive model to an integrative model and the resulting Capital Capstone Course (CCC) at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). The article describes a year long, team-based, experiential course that "caps" off our…

This edited volume focuses on best practices in experiential learning. Chapters address service-learning, community-based research, international efforts and other experiential methods, highlighting innovative approaches, successes, and issues of concern. Further, the book also demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of experiential education,…

General education constitutes a significant portion of undergraduate curriculum. However, students are not always keen on learning general education. Pedagogy of experiential learning is one of the strategies in arousing their learning motivation. Although many previous pieces of research were conducted in the field, attention on how experiential…

As students graduate today, they will be entering an increasingly diverse and global workforce. Therefore, many constituencies have been calling for higher education institutions to prepare their students with the ability to work and communicate across cultural boundaries. This study examined the question of "How does a diversity of…

This article traces the efforts made by Boise State's General Education program--University Foundations--and an undergraduate researcher to improve understanding of general education on campus. Undergraduate students often struggle to understand general education's goals. In order to improve this understanding, University Foundations committed…

Providing a meaningful education to all learners, including those with disabilities, is the responsibility of all educators. This study utilized a multi-method survey design to examine and compare general and special education teachers' perceived preparedness to teach students with disabilities as well as the experiences each group believes…

The Management 101 Project continues to shape our understanding of what's essential to an introductory general education course in management. Our ongoing challenge is to integrate responsibilities to people (Who needs to learn? Everybody.), to best practices (How can we best learn? Active, experiential methods.), and to the contents of our…

Research shows that enriching learning experiences such as learning communities, service-learning, undergraduate research, internships, and senior culminating experiences -- collectively known as High-Impact Practices (HIPs) -- are positively associated with student engagement; deep, and integrated learning; and personal and educational gains for…

The aim of this report is to build a shared understanding of competence by providing clarity around the concept and its implications for educational practice. The authors present an understanding of competence that is research-based, relevant and appropriate for diverse educational contexts. This will help to create stimulating, thoughtful and…

Experiential-learning provides opportunities for students that feature a variety of highimpact practices including first-year seminars, internships, community learning, collaborative projects, and capstone seminars. To offer these high-impact practices for students, faculty from across disciplines and majors must be willing to incorporate these…