Education Guidebook B
Glossary: Experiential Learning
GLOSSARY: Experiential Learning
KEY: Acronyms Used in the GLOSSARY
- AEE Association for Experiential Education
- ERIC Digest
- CC Campus Compact
- CHE Chronicle of Higher Education
- CSHSE Council for Standards In Human Service Education
- GER The Glossary of Education Reform
- JALHE Journal of Applied Learning in Higher Education
- NEU Northeastern University, Experiential Learning
- NSEE National Society for Experiential Educationhttps://www.societyforee.org/
- SEE Society for Experiential Education https://www.societyforee.org/
- SUNY State University of New York
- UMB University of Massachusetts Boston, Professional Apprenticeship Career Education (PACE)
- UTK University of Tennessee Knoxville
- WACE World Association for Cooperative Education (WACE)
1. Applied Learning
This term is used interchangeably with experiential learning on some campuses, and when it is, it refers to an overall experiential approach through which students apply knowledge, skills, theories, principles, models, and values learned in traditional classroom settings to real-world problems in authentic settings.
On many campuses, the term applied learning is limited in its use to study away, service-learning, undergraduate research, and internships/practicum/clinical experiences. Applied learning may be curricular or co-curricular, meaning respectively either connected with coursework or with other institutional options offered through student affairs. These experiences have a central educational component that distinguishes them from out-of-class activities, such as volunteer work or community service (JALHE, SUNY). For additional information about co-curricular applied learning, see entry #4 below.
2. Apprenticeship
This form of experiential learning typically has been a training experience for a set period of time with an employer to prepare for a trade or vocation. It is a form of the work-integrated learning (WIL) model and process of experiential education which formally and intentionally integrates a student’s academic studies with learning in a workplace or practice setting. Skills are developed on the job, and evaluations are based on the competencies the apprentice demonstrates. Apprenticeships are often associated with trades-based vocations in high schools, freestanding vocational programs after high school, and vocational preparation at community colleges. But that has changed in recent years. Colleges at both the 2- and 4-year levels, as well as universities, have begun developing their own apprenticeship programs, with a focus on professional preparation. Paid jobs are matched with relevant education experience in white collar companies investing in earn-and-learn programs, usually associated with skilled trades (CHE). Some examples of the rapidly growing interest in this form of learning and education are found below(UMB, CHE):
- The apprenticeship program at City Colleges of Chicago, Wilbur Wright Community College, associate-degreed students are placed in apprenticeship programs at employers such as Accenture and Aon.
- The Professional Apprenticeship and Career Enhancement (PACE) program at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. The PACE program includes on-campus apprenticeships for first- and second-year students, pairing students with staff volunteers who enable them to gain supervised work experience in fields such as IT, finance, communications, and health services. Students also participate in networking “industry clusters,” where they spend time with Boston’s top business
Executives
- Howard Community College (Maryland) launched its apprenticeship program with 24 apprentices in an affluent community (2018) ; 8 years later it has over 200 apprentices in the skilled trades and registered apprenticeships in fields including construction management, licensed practical nursing, surgical technology, professional childcare, information technology and accounting.
- Reach University (CA) is the only nonprofit accredited university in the US (as of 2026) dedicated to job-embedded learning through its apprenticeship degrees. Its apprentices are largely working in education and health care (as of now) and benefit from affordable debt-free education with programs in multiple States.
- Wake Technical Community College, based in Raleigh (NC) expanded from about 15 employer partnerships (2020) to 177 today (2026), all with registered apprenticeships and most under the college’s direct sponsorship or administrative remit.
3. Classroom Activities
See Education Essentials #4 Guide to Academic Resources Academic Guidebook A: Instructed Learning for a list of the most commonly used approaches and activities for classroom instruction
4. Co-Curricular Learning
These experiences are designed to enhance the curriculum of academic programs and are overseen by instructors. Co-curricular experiences can be part of academic programs or meet graduation requirements, such as diversity experiences. Many students find co-curricular involvement their most interesting and defining educational experiences, in part because they allow students to design their own education plans.
What constitutes a co-curricular experience differs from campus to campus, as does whether it is a graded experience, recorded on transcripts, conducted off-campus, or an international placement. Co-curricular experiences may be conducted in the local community or on the campus itself, where students can develop their ideas into accomplishments through innovation labs or entrepreneurship incubators (GER).
5. Community-Based Research
This is a partnership approach to researching compelling community problems. The partners are community members, agency representatives, and researchers, including students involved in the project. All partners contribute their expertise, are involved in the decisions, and have ownership of the project. The outcomes of the research result in policy or social change that benefit the community. The work is conducted under the oversight and supervision of a campus instructor and designated, qualified community supervisors (Israel, Schultz, & Becker, 1998; Roberts, 2016).
6. Co-Operative Education
Frequently referred to as a “co-op,” it provides real world experience that strengthens academic learning. It is a form of the work-integrated learning (WIL) model and process of experiential education which formally and intentionally integrates a student’s academic studies with learning in a workplace or practice setting. Students alternate periods of academic coursework with periods of employment in positions related to their academic or career interests. Campuses vary in their requirements for full- and part-time co-operative experiences. (NEU, WACE).
7. Course-Related Practicum
This is a period of supervised practical experience undertaken in academic, professional, or community settings/agencies/organizations as part of an academic course. This approach to learning is grounded in application and practice of theoretical/technical concepts/skills and cultural competency relevant to the course or the profession. Students are given supervised opportunities to develop competencies, while applying previously studied content knowledge. The practicum may be a required or optional experience, spread over an academic term or conducted within a short span of time, often requires a paper or project, and includes an assessment of the student’s performance of competencies and an overall evaluation of the practicum. There is an agreement between the campus instructor and field site describing the learning activities and expected learning outcomes. Experiences can vary between 3 and 10 hours a week. Practica may be integrated into courses throughout the academic discipline, beginning in the first year of study (SUNY, UTK, CSHSE).
8. Experiential Learning
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This approach can be described as learning by actively working on a real project, problem, or issue, and critically reflecting on it. Students become involved in “making meaning” of their experience, i.e., interpreting and re-interpreting their sense of the experience, which allows them to make sense of it as they explore the learning activity; the experience also allows the student to develop practical expertise (Bruce B.C. & Bloch N., 2012; Dewey, 1933, 1938; Duley, J. 2014; Mezirow, 1991; NSEE, 1998, 2006).
9. Field Work
Also referred to as field study or field experience, this approach to learning takes place in a natural environment, outside of an experimental or lab setting, and is used in a variety of academic disciplines. Students explore and apply what they have learned in class to a field setting. Students may be self-directed in their learning, work with field mentors, or work in groups with peers. The projects may be part of, or the focus of, the entire course; they can focus on inquiry, design, investigation, discovery, or application (SUNY). Examples include anthropological dig sites, geology explorations, and neighborhood schools. The term Field Work is used interchangeably with the term Internship in some professional studies programs, such as human services (CSHSE, SUNY, UTK).
10. Internships
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An internship is an intensive field experience and a required component of many academic programs that involves an agreed upon, supervised workplace activity intended to benefit the student. It is a learning experience that involves receiving academic credit for intentional learning at an approved site, under approved supervision, for at least eight hours per week over the course of an academic term. The work can be full- or part-time, on or off campus, paid or unpaid, for academic credit or not. It can be a form of the work-integrated learning (WIL) model and process of experiential education which formally and intentionally integrates a student’s academic studies with learning in a workplace or practice setting. The internship is designed to integrate the knowledge and skills taught in academic courses with values development and practical application in a setting related to the academic major or professional interests of the student. Internships are conducted at approved sites under the supervision of a qualified and approved supervisor. Academic credit is awarded in accordance with campus and academic program policies. An instructor oversees the placement of the student at an internship site and arranges the contract between the internship site and campus; the Learning Contract is negotiated between the student, supervisor at the field site, and the academic program or Career Center on campus. Some professional studies programs use the term Field Work instead of the term Internship (CSHSE, SUNY, NACE, Sweitzer & King, 2019).
11. Outdoor Education
This approach to learning is based in both experiential and environmental education and described as learning experientially ‘in, for or about’ the outdoors. Outdoor educational approaches are often used during First and Second Year Experiences programs on campus, before the academic year begins, or during breaks. The approaches consist of a wide range of activities that are intentionally organized to enrich and extend the curriculum through outdoor experiences. The more adventurous sides of this approach are known as wilderness or expeditionary education programs (on water, snow, ice, or land; include climbing, ropes, group trust games, wilderness camping, etc.) (AEE, Roberts, 2016).
12. Pre-Professional Immersion
Also referred to as “clinicals” or clinical placements, or pre-practicums, and most affiliated with nursing education, student teaching and graduate studies in applied psychology such as counseling, this approach is field-based, with “hands-on” demonstration of competencies and skills under the close clinical supervision of an approved supervisor at a partner site. It can be a form the work-integrated learning (WIL) model and process of experiential education which formally and intentionally integrates a student’s academic studies with learning in a workplace or practice setting.
The approach is used in academic programs where students are being prepared for professional work upon graduation, such as in the health sciences, teacher education, developmental or clinical psychology, etc. The field experiences are focused and, in some instances, use training techniques. Emphasis is on mastering concepts, skills, and competencies, developing clinical reasoning skills, and demonstrating evidence-based practices (SUNY, UTK).
13. Project-Based Learning
This approach to learning may be referred to as problem-based, inquiry-based, or discovery-based. It may occur on or off campus, with the oversight of an instructor and the supervision of a campus or community expert (Roberts, 2016). For more information about this form of learning, see Education Guidebook A: Instructed Learning #13 for an in-depth discussion.
14. Service-Learning
Service-learning incorporates community work into an academic course or curriculum or a program in student affairs to provide students real-world learning experiences that enhance their academic learning while providing a tangible benefit to the community (https://compact.org/initiatives/service-learning/). Typically credit-bearing, the service-learning experience is mutually beneficial for the student and the community. It integrates community service with class-based instruction and reflective activities under the oversight of an instructor experienced with this approach to learning. Students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the community issues, be able to analyze them, and be actively involved in working on community problems such as homelessness, abuse, poverty, limited social resources, lack of quality education, pollution, etc. (CC, Eyler & Giles, 1999, SUNY, UTK).
15. Study Away
This approach to learning is conducted off-campus and may be residential, depending on the distance from the home campus or the nature of the study-away experience. The home campus facilitates the placement, and a supervisor at the host campus oversees the student’s academic coursework and involvement in campus-life programs. Courses are selected to allow credit transfer to the home campus.
When it is an international experience, it is referred to more specifically as Study Abroad and offers the opportunity to learn in another culture, while staying with a host family or as arranged by the host program and studying at the host institution. Courses are selected to allow credit transfer to the home campus. Employment in the local community is often expected, and on-campus seminars related to the study away experience are regularly held.
When referred to as domestic or international travel/exchange, the experience is an academic term-long or intercession sequence of courses. The choice of geographic area can reflect the appeal of specific sites for the experience, the personal interests of the student, or a unique approach to the subject matter at the host campus. Students travel independently to a pre-approved location from the home campus (SUNY, UTK).
16. Undergraduate Research
- This form of experiential learning is an inquiry or investigation conducted by a student and makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline (see www.cur.org). The goal is to involve students with compelling questions, empirical observations, and cutting-edge technologies. This approach to learning may be conducted on- or off-campus and under the supervision of an instructor in the academic discipline sponsoring the project (CUR, SUNY, UTK).