Experiential Learning at Central

Categories of Experiential Learning

Work-integrated Experiences

A category of experiential learning that engages students in hands-on field and work-based experiences where they can apply their academic knowledge, skills, and abilities in workplace settings and situations. These experiences are vital to career development and allow students to examine and potentially adjust their career pathways in an informed way.

• Internship
• Practicum
• Clinical education
• Student-teaching
• Cooperative Education Programs (Co-op)
• Student employment
• Undergraduate student research
• Client-based Applied Projects*

Community-engaged Course Experiences

A category of experiential learning that complements and reinforces traditional pedagogy with hands-on activities and projects that take place primarily through coursework. These experiences enhance students’ understanding of academic content and theory by examining its real-world implications.

• Service-learning*
• Community-centered Research Project
• Client-based Applied Projects*

Active Community/Campus Experiences

A category of experiential learning that engages students in hands-on community and/or campus-based experiences where they can apply their knowledge, skills, and abilities to connect, lead, and serve within their respective environments. These experiences help students discover cultures and engage with a diversity of people in local, state, national, or global community settings and situations.

• Study abroad/Study away
• Organizational leadership experience
• Volunteering
• Service-learning*

*These experiential learning opportunities can fall under different categories depending on the setting and context in which they take place.

Defining Experiential Learning Opportunities

Internship

Internships provide students with direct experience in a work setting – preferably related to their career path – and provides supervision from professionals in the field. These are often taken for course credit and can be paid or unpaid. If you are interested in a stipend to support your unpaid internship, visit CCESR’s CEELS Stipend webpage.

Practicum

Similar to an internship, a practicum usually is a course or student exercise involving practical experience in a supervised work setting (whether paid or unpaid) as well as theoretical study. Students develop competencies and apply previously studied theory and content, such as school library media students working in a high school library or marketing majors working in a marketing research firm.

Visit CentralPulse to find practicum opportunities!

Clinical Education

Clinical education is a formal learning experience in which students, under the supervision of experienced practitioners, apply theoretical knowledge to develop practical skills, clinical competencies, and professional behaviors, all aimed at delivering safe, effective, and compassionate patient care. This learning occurs through direct patient interaction, observation, and supervised practice at the appropriate program level. Clinical education is embedded throughout the nursing curriculum. Our students have a clinical component every semester either in the lab, simulation or the field with our clinical partners. 

For additional information on clinical education, contact Clinical Coordinator Sara Horniak at shorniak@ccsu.edu.

Student Teaching

The student teaching experience is specific to students in the Professional Program for Teacher Certification within the School of Education who are gaining required, evaluated, and sustained experience with qualified cooperating teachers in partnering school districts. Pre-student teaching field experience is specific to students enrolled in courses offered through the School of Education that require clinical experience as part of their coursework.

Both pre-student teaching field experience placements and student teaching placements are facilitated through the Assistant Dean of School/Community Partnerships and Assessments. For more information on student teaching, please contact Barbara Budaj at Barbara.budaj@ccsu.edu.

Student Employment

On-campus student employment is available to both work-study eligible and non work-study eligible students. For more information on work-study eligibility and where to find on-campus job postings, visit the Career Development Office webpage for on-campus student employment. You can also visit CentralPulse to find student employment opportunities!

Cooperative Education Programs (Co-op)

Cooperative education programs, or co-ops, provide students with work related to the student’s major or career goal. Cooperative Education is a structured program that integrates classroom learning with the practical hands-on experience in a field related to a student’s academic or career goals. The fundamental purpose of Cooperative Education is for students to have an opportunity to learn under real-life work conditions. 

For more information, visit the Career Development Office webpage for on-campus student employment. You can also visit CentralPulse to find co-ops.

Undergraduate Student Research

Through undergraduate student research, students participate as research assistants and collaborators on faculty projects.  Students can gain hands-on experience conducting interviews, creating and disseminating surveys, analyzing data, co-authoring reports, and more.

You can find undergraduate student research opportunities by contacting the head of your academic department.

Community-engaged Course Experiences

Service-learning

Service-learning incorporates experiential activities, personal reflection, and action that meets a community need. Service-learning projects can be conducted through a course, campus experience, or by a club/organization. Service-learning projects involve tackling some of society’s complex issues such as homelessness, poverty, lack of quality education, pollution, etc.

Find service-learning opportunities on CentralPulse.

Community-centered Research

Community-centered Research is developed as a response to a community-identified need for high quality research. Central provides a mechanism through which researcher(s) and external partners identify questions of mutual interest, conduct studies that reflect mutual input and derive outcomes that provide mutual benefit. These projects are typically linked to a course, giving its students hands-on experience conducting interviews, creating and disseminating surveys, analyzing data, co-authoring reports, and more.

Look out for collaborations between community partners and faculty on CentralPulse.

Client-based Applied Projects

Client-based applied projects involve students completing a deliverable for a client, partner, or specific audience for the purposes of enhancing and/or demonstrating student learning through practical application. Client-based applied projects are similar to community-centered research projects but are generally short-term and smaller in scope.

Look out for requests for client-based applied projects on CentralPulse.

Active Community/Campus Experiences

Study Abroad/Study Away

Study abroad includes three categories of programs: “Semester” (to year-long) programs, “Summer” programs, and “Courses Abroad” programs. The Semester (to a yearlong) programs are available to students through a network of university partnerships around the world. “Courses Abroad” are intense, credit-bearing University classes taught by faculty, include courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, and offer for credit in many majors and in all regions of the world. 

For more information, visit Central’s Study Abroad page!

Organizational Leadership Experience

Organizational leadership experiences involve students taking on leadership positions in student organizations, including academic clubs, Student Government Association, cultural organizations, athletic teams/sports clubs, and more.  These experiences help students develop civic responsibility, community involvement, and respect for diversity in preparation to be thoughtful, responsible and successful citizens.

For information on existing student clubs and organizations, visit Central’s Student Activities and Leadership Development (SA/LD) webpage.

Volunteering

Volunteering allows students to give their time and labor for a community service. This can be a one-time as-needed occurrence, or students can maintain a regular schedule for their volunteer work. Volunteering can be done individually or as part of a group of volunteers. For volunteering to be considered experiential learning, volunteers must reflect on the experience which is then submitted for approval.

Visit CentralPulse to find volunteer opportunities on-and-off campus!

Service-learning

Service-learning incorporates experiential activities, personal reflection, and action that meets a community need. Service-learning projects can be conducted through a course, campus experience, or by a club/organization. Service-learning projects involve tackling some of society’s complex issues such as homelessness, poverty, lack of quality education, pollution, etc.

Service-learning projects can take place right in the classroom and can be found on CentralPulse!