Integrative and Experiential Learning Series: 2011 IEL Series

One of the questions that often comes up with respect to experiential learning is, “How do we assess this learning?” Toni Serafini and Carm De Santis (SMF) shared their experiences with assessing these more challenging-to-assess learning experiences.

In the fall of 2010, students in RS 495: The Living Traditions of India travelled to India with Professor Doris Jakobsh.  During their travels, the students were required to complete a series of weekly reflective activities within their ePortfolios, complete a number of readings, and participate in group discussions.

Judene Pretti and Sandra Loucks Campbell described the types of activities they have incorporated into their respective online courses to help students integrate experience.

This session explored ‘"non-essential" activities: activities that occur outside the classroom and are not considered essential components of a university education, yet are truly vital to learning critical skills of life.

Exciting and challenging for both the professor and the student, the case-based method immerses students in a first-person scenario that is usually fraught with conflicting and incomplete information but that nonetheless requires a solution be found.