Experiential Learning at Eastern Oregon University

Experiential Learning

Research, Internships, Practicum & Group Projects

Why Experiential Learning is Important

Experiential learning is the practice of learning by doing. Students who engage in practical activities and reflection are better equipped to connect the ideas and knowledge learned in the classroom to real-world situations. Students benefit in the following ways from taking part in chances for experiential learning:

  • A broader perspective, a stronger sense of belonging, and a greater knowledge of their own abilities, objectives, and beliefs.
  • Opportunities to collaborate with different people and organizations and possess sound business skills
Research
Internships
Practicum
Group Projects

Research and Creative Activity

Research and Creative Activities come in many different forms, but common to all is the novelty of the outcomes, that is, using knowledge and documented prior work to extend existing work or embark in new directions. A further general outcome is that such work should be community to professional communities or committees at large.

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Internships

The Career Services Department manages the internal EOU Community Internship Program and supports students locating employer-sponsored & paid internship student employment positions.

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Practicum

A practicum is a supervised real-world work experience (while enrolled in college) designed to offer opportunity to explore career areas and learning situations through placement in external work environments. Students typically enroll in a practicum course after having compl;eted a substantial number of courses in their major. Students will have a faculty supervisor who is coordinating with a supervisor at the placement site.

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Group Projects

Experiential learning can occur in various forms, for example as part of lecture courses, as culminating research or creative activity, research project or as group service learning activity for the campus and/or wider community that employs knowledge and skills acquired through coursework.

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Mission

To encourage students to learn from real-world experiences in all Eastern Oregon University’s degree programs in order to help them reach their full potential. Growing experiential learning opportunities is a prominent part of  EOU’s strategic plan framework “The Ascent 202” through Goal 1 “Student Success – Graduate students with the competence and confidence to succeed ” and its Objective 1 “All graduates engage in high-impact, experiential learning activities.”

Activity Criteria

  • Practical – Students apply discipline-specific knowledge and skills in hands-on experiences that afford the opportunity to take initiative, make decisions, and be accountable for results.
  • Authentic – Experiences occur in civic, professional, or scholarly contexts with an audience other than and in addition to the instructor.
  • Reflective – Students engage in self-evaluation that coincides with the activity, summarizes and documents the experience, and analyzes the experience in connection with program outcomes, academic knowledge and skills, prior experience, and/or future plans. Of initial implementation, reflection on implementation and modifications needed based on observations.
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