What is Experiential Learning?

Experiential Learning is education outside the classroom that focuses on helping students acquire practical skills and knowledge while exploring various work roles and career choices. Experiential learning can help you connect your classroom education with the real world of work.

How Can I Learn Through Experience?

You can learn through experience by participating in an internship, independent or directed study, volunteer work, part-time job, or service learning. All of these opportunities are available at UW-Eau Claire. The Career Services staff and information available in the Career Discovery Center will assist you in finding the learning experiences best geared for you.

An Internship

An internship is a specific work experience usually completed for academic credit. Internships can be found individually or arranged through academic departments and may be paid or unpaid. They can also be found by visiting Career Services and talking to a counselor or browsing through the Internship Center. Internships offer the unique opportunity for hands-on learning in an authentic work environment. While earning credit you have the opportunity for personal and career growth as well as great experiences to help build your resume and personal networking system. In fact, many companies hire new college graduates for entry-level positions directly from their internship pools. This can make having an internship the key to getting your fist job after graduation. For more information check out the Internships section of our website.

An Independent or Directed Study

These studies are opportunities to do research in or explore an application of your major or minor and can be done for credit if arranged through specific academic departments.

Although an independent or directed study has academic emphasis, it also allows you to gain career-related experience if you choose a topic in your field of interest. You could gain even more experience in your career field by using on-site investigation as part your research.

Participating in one of these studies will build not only your research skills, but your self-reliance and self-confidence as well. See your advisor or Career Services for more information.

Volunteer Work

When an internship is not an option, or if you would like to make a larger contribution, volunteering may be the answer.

A volunteer experience involves a contribution of your services to an organization or community. Volunteering demonstrates impressive motivation and a commitment to your chosen career field. While volunteer positions are typically unpaid, there are some distinct advantages to participating:

• Volunteering can be done whenever you have free time
• The hours are flexible and you can work as much as you want
• You can often become a volunteer without prior experience
• Training you need can be done on the job
• You can hand-pick your experience
• Volunteering is the easiest way to create a student position where none exists

In addition to what volunteering can do for your academic and career goals, it can also help you develop a sense of social consciousness and responsibility. By making yourself aware of the needs of others you are learning more about the world we live in.

The Community Action and Lifelong Learning (C.A.L.L) program is designed to provide information and matching services for people seeking service opportunities in the greater Eau Claire area. To find out more about local volunteer opportunities pick up a copy of the C.A.L.L. Directory from the Activities and Programs Office in the Davies Center.

Part-Time Employment

Having a part-time job while going to school is an experience in time-management, prioritizing, self-organization, and responsibility. Studies show that students who work part-time while in school have a higher GPA, expanded work skills, higher self-confidence and enhanced self-esteem. When your part-time job is also in a field that interests you, it offers the opportunity to experiment, learn about the field you have chosen, and decide what career is truly right for you.

Part-time work in your field will also improve your resume, job interviews, and personal networking system. Through your work you will meet professionals you can utilize as future contacts in your network. Contacts that know you and the quality of your work will be crucial in helping you find the right job after graduation.

For job opportunities see UW-Eau Claire job board.

Service Learning

Service Learning is an academically-sponsored experience that blends community service with goal definition, reflection and critical analysis. In Service Learning students become involved in organized activities that are:

• conducted to meet the needs of a community
• integrated into and enhance the student's academic curriculum
• geared to provide structured reflection and analysis of the service experience.

UW-Eau Claire students must complete 30 or more hours of curricular, extra-curricular, or co-curricular Service Learning activities before graduation. These Service Learning activities can be done at any time during your college career. Since you get to choose the activities to participate in, it offers the opportunity to gain experience in a chosen career area prior to graduation. Contact your advisor or the Dean of Students Office for more information.

Why Should I Bother?

As more people graduate from college every year, competition for good jobs continues to grow. Having a basic college education isn't always enough. A recent survey polled job recruiters to determine what characteristics were most sought after in entry-level professional candidates. Applicable work experience was the number two answer, surpassed only by communication skills. Work experience while in college is becoming increasingly necessary for finding a good job after graduation. Some companies even require potential job candidates to have had experiences like internships, independent or directed studies, part-time jobs, or volunteer work.

How Do I Start?

You can start planning today to increase the value of your education by adding experiences that match your career goals. Here are some easy steps to start you on the road to greater experiential learning:

Step One - Look At Yourself
What kind of experience do you want? What kind of skills do you have or want to develop? What are your educational, career and personal goals? What amount of time do you have to commit? What kind of organization are you looking for? What type of work environment do you want to be in? What contribution do you want to make? The answers to these questions can help you identify what type of experiential learning would be the best for you.

Step Two - Gather Information
Gather information about experiential learning opportunities by talking to your academic advisor or a member of the Career Services staff. Visit the Career Resource Lab, Financial Aid Office, and/or the Student Activities and Programs Office to gain additional information about available opportunities.

Step Three - List Your Choices
After considering the information you have collected, determine which of the opportunities are best for you and make a list of choices.

Step Four - Make Contact
Contact key people to discover even more about your choices. Find out what the opportunities are, the requirements for participation, the procedures for applying, and the possibility of obtaining academic credit for you work.

Step Five - Make Your Choice
Choose the opportunity which best meets your needs and goals and implement it.

Step Six - Experience!
Get the most from your experience. Learn, enjoy, and network!

Step Seven - Record Experience
Write a brief description of your experience. Assess and record the skills and valuable work experience you acquired. Consider asking your supervisor if he/she would be willing to serve as a reference for you in a later job search.