Students have several options when considering an applied learning opportunity. Some
opportunities are for credit, others are non-credit. Below is a list of the categories
of applied learning opportunities:
Art Performances and Exhibitions: Exhibition or curation of artwork in an organized setting such as a gallery, art
museum, or similar. Publication or performances of musical, theatrical, poetic, or
literary works in a public venue and including activities involving design, editing,
technical production, and arts venue management.
Capstones/Thesis Projects and Classes: A culminating academic/pre-professional experience, usually faculty led, which synthesizes
the totality of undergraduate study in a discipline.
Civic Engagement: A teaching and learning focus on educating students as citizens. Classes or programs
include meaningful civic education and activities (i.e., voter engagement, social
protests) for social good. Classes and projects have components of substantial and
sustained reflection and engagement.
Conference Presentations and Publications: Student presentations of papers or posters based on their academic work and under
the guidance of faculty at regional or national conferences related to the field of
study.
Cooperative Education: A formally recognized academic program integrating classroom learning and productive
paid work experiences in a field related to a student’s academic and career goals.
Entrepreneurship: Students in entrepreneurship activities identify, develop and deliver new services
and products for commerce.
Experiences Abroad: Including study away/abroad, international travel with emphasis on cultural learning
and immersion.
Field Study: Faculty mentored, self-directed work in a field setting that enables students to
learn to gather and analyze data, formulate and test hypotheses.
Internship: Productive work experience in a field related to a student’s academic and career
goals. The work experience is formally coordinated with a business, agency, or non-profit
organization. Provides students with learning experiences integrating theory and practice.
May be credit or non-credit, paid or unpaid.
Leadership Opportunities: Performing in leadership roles in any recognized and approved organization on or
off campus. For purposes of applied learning, leadership involves assuming the work
of change-making, team-management, mission-development, project-management and outcomes
assessment. Examples would include: resident assistant, Student Association senator
or executive council, orientation leaders, peer career assistants, peer educators,
and teaching assistants.
Practicum Placements (including student teaching and clinicals): A supervised, credit-bearing immersion experience related to the student’s immediate
career or academic goals. Some offer pay, but most don’t. Almost all are done for
academic credit.
Service-Learning: The integration of meaningful community service relevant to a class subject matter.
Always for academic credit and requires substantial and sustained reflective learning,
as evidenced by a journal or some other method to demonstrate synthesis between classroom
content and community application.
Structured Community Service: Volunteerism and community service performed by students for community benefit with
clear objectives and purposes, and organized or sanctioned by a university or civic
office. This service is not necessarily tied to learning outcomes or a particular
program of study and may include structured projects (days of service), smaller group
projects, fund-raising events, or individual volunteerism attached to a sustained
and organized project and which is acknowledged by the campus.
Research: Faculty mentored, self-directed research or scholarship project that is part of a
faculty member’s research program or project, or independent scholarly work by a student
under faculty guidance. May include laboratory research, field research or archival
scholarship. May be credit bearing or not. Wages may be attached if the research is
grant funded and wages are included in the approved expenditures of the grant parameters.