Higher education today is no longer what it once was. Once upon a time, students only had the option to attend classes in person. The first shift from this format happened when students began taking classes through correspondence, where materials were physically mailed out. Later, as technology increased, a new format led to students being able to…

Assessment of student learning is the systematic gathering of information about student learning and the factors that affect learning, undertaken with the resources, time and expertise available, for the purpose of improving learning. In assessment, there are no conclusions, just ongoing questions that the data raise about learning and the process…

Community-Based Learning and Research (CBLR) provides opportunities for institutions of higher education to achieve their goals of educating students, advancing teaching and scholarship, and meeting real needs of under-resourced communities and nonprofit organizations. By providing successful examples of campus and community partnership, this…

Programs falling under the general rubric of "experiential education" take a number of forms, varying on several dimensions; what is offered here is a schematic overview. In general, they all involve students in activities that look rather different from more traditional classroom-based methods: (1) the formal lecture and discussion; (2) the…

While numerous professors and administrators can agree upon the benefits of infusing the curriculum with experiential learning, a commonly stated obstacle to widespread curricular reform is funding. Specifically, given that external institutional support can be difficult to procure, especially in uncertain economic times, institutions might…

An analysis of the Washington Center internship program suggests that powerful and appropriate learning results when internships give students an experience of intense involvement, coupled with sustained, systematic reflection. The Washington Center works in partnership with over 600 institutions and internship sites in Washington, D.C. (MLW)

Explores the crucial importance of experience to making meaning. Asserts that much of pedagogy functions backwards by starting with textbooks and theory and then moving to "real world" experience. (EV)

Describes action learning as a potentially powerful peer-based approach to teaching consultation at the college level and offers a case study of its use at Coventry University (England). Explains how action learning supports teaching improvement through reflective practice and peer dialog in group consultations about specific concerns (such as…

Offers a framework for approaching evaluation of practical experience, specifically in the field of elementary school teacher education, arguing that such evaluation should be longitudinal, contextualized, and collaborative. Portfolio development is found to be a powerful tool in this process, and both a rubric and criteria for assessing…

Self-assessment offers an important element for programs seeking to serve adult learners and is a key principle of the School for New Learning, DePaul University. Four strategies to develop self-assessment skills are discussed: storytelling, development of standards, dialogue, and inquiry. (MLW)

Strategies for bringing knowing and doing together in the context of a seminar for students who are doing part-time internships along with their other courses are offered. Two students write and reflect about their own learning during their internships. (MLW)

The integration of learning and knowing is not simply a matter of application but rather an ongoing interactive process in which both knowledge and experience are repeatedly transformed. Two models of the integration of knowledge and experience were used at Alverno College. (MLW)

Recognizing adults' prior college-level learning requires a substantial investment of faculty time to identify learning outcomes and standards of performance, but the benefits are great for students and faculty alike. (Author)

The background of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute experiential program, how it was established, and how it currently operates are described. The Major Qualifying Project and the Interactive Qualifying Project, faculty roles and administrative structures, the humanities and evaluation of the program are discussed. (MLW)

This chapter discusses the origins of the case method, looks at the question of what is a case, gives ideas about learning in case teaching, the purposes it can serve in the classroom, the ground rules for case discussion, including the role of questions, and new directions for case teaching. (MLW)