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…

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,…

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…

Debates have been taking place in higher education communities in Canada and other Anglo-American contexts between defenders of liberal education and promoters of neoliberalism. One development not addressed is the growth of co-operative education (co-op). The origins of co-op may reside in John Dewey's (1939, 1966) ideas about experience and…

Something remarkable is happening in programs of liberal education all over the country. The longstanding notion that learning should occur almost exclusively in classrooms is being amended to give a much more prominent place to various forms of experiential education. The belief that liberal education should focus on a narrow range of…

The 6th Annual Conference of the National Academy for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL) and the 4th Biennial Threshold Concepts Conference was held at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, on June 27-29, 2012. The NAIRTL is a collaborative initiative between University College Cork, Cork Institute of Technology, National…

Interdisciplinarity, problem-focused education, and experiential education must serve some larger goals and fit some larger framework or philosophy of education. Engaged education--with emphasis on relevance involvement, social problem-solving, and seen as opposed to traditional education--is discussed. (MLW)

Special liberal studies baccalaureate programming for adults is discussed. Such programs may provide access through open admissions, have special seminar courses, recognize and grant credit for life experience, provide special counseling, schedule classes in the evening, and make available other desired options and services. (Author/MLW)

Experiential learning, or learning by doing, fits newer conceptions about the process of learning. John Dewey's emphasis on experience as the key to real learning, Paulo Freire's criticism of the "banking concept" of education, and David Kolb's description of the cycle of experiential learning have changed the conception of learning.…

Portfolio assessment has become a standard mechanism for the evaluation of prior learning for experienced students. An informal survey of portfolio narratives receiving faculty approval for credit at various postsecondary institutions indicates a wide range of declarative, analytical, and interpretive assertions recognized as "learning" in these…

The Midwest Association of Colleges and Employers Liberal Arts and Sciences Group identifies practices for meeting four challenges faced by practitioners in career centers on liberal arts campuses. Ideas and suggestions are identified within the following categories: helping students assess job skills, involving faculty, assisting students with…

Arguments commonly made against distance education systems and the merits of these contentions are considered. It is suggested that when plans to establish a distance teaching university are announced, a common reaction is the view that it will never work. The conduct of distance teaching, which is visible in printed materials and audible in…

An overview of the general education programs in higher education is presented and six curricular patterns are discussed. The distribution model requires students to generalize their fields of knowledge to some extent and acquaints students with various modes of discourse. Integrative models aim to draw upon the knowledqe and methodological…

Describes the objectives and design of the service learning program at Chatham College (Pennsylvania). Discusses the characteristics of service learning found to be effective: student preparation for service projects; participation; and reflection on the experience, begun by writing a student journal and continued in classroom discussion and…

Characteristics of three experimental programs used to compare participants to each other and to a group of students in the regular curriculum are identified: development of logical thought, broader educational development and career development, and academic characteristics. The programs and their evaluations are described. (Author/MLW)