EDGE experiences

Pre-approved experiences are vetted by the EDGE team to ensure they satisfy the criteria governing the work/community experiences milestone. This means the experience will last at least 36 hours over the course of one term and a supervisor is willing to provide feedback on the performance of the student completing the experience. 

While the list of pre-approved experiences is limited to on-campus experiences at this time, students are still welcome to pursue and earn milestones by completing off-campus experiences.

If you want to complete a milestone using an experience that hasn't been approved, there's no need to worry — the milestone-granting process is almost exactly the same.

If you're planning on completing an experience well in advance, consider contacting the EDGE team at edge@uwaterloo.ca to have the position assessed. This is a voluntary step, but it can help you proactively address any issues with the experience and its eligibility as a milestone.

Ensure that you're enrolled in one of the professional development (PD) courses associated with EDGE in the term during which you'll complete the experience. You can only receive a milestone for your experience if it's paired with a PD course. You'll be asked to complete a job information form (JIF) on the first day you log into the course. The information you share using this form will allow the EDGE team to complete the validation process for your experience.

You should also consider telling your supervisor about your interest in EDGE and their role in the milestone-granting process as an evaluator. When the EDGE team contacts your supervisor, we'll give them the tools they need to provide you with quality feedback. If your experience isn't approved, someone from the EDGE team will contact you to explain our decision and improve your submission.

Yes, you still need to submit a job information form (JIF) at the beginning of the term if you're completing a pre-approved experience. You can submit the JIF by signing up for one of the professional development (PD) courses associated with EDGE. The form is embedded in the course through LEARN. When you submit the form, we won't have to contact your supervisor to vet the experience — it'll be processed and approved without issue.

There's more to an EDGE milestone than the work you complete as part of your experience. You need to successfully complete a PD course, receive an evaluation from your supervisor and submit a reflective assignment to earn a milestone for your experience.

If you want to learn more about these requirements, visit our page devoted to the types of EDGE experiences for more information.