Experiential education is a powerful learning experience for students and it can be a powerful experience for faculty, staff, administrators and the community as well. In other words, a well-thought-out, carefully conceived program of engaging students beyond the classroom walls enriches the university environment and the community in which it is…

Assessment of student learning is the systematic gathering of information about student learning and the factors that affect learning, undertaken with the resources, time and expertise available, for the purpose of improving learning. In assessment, there are no conclusions, just ongoing questions that the data raise about learning and the process…

Intrinsic to experiential learning is the challenge of empowering students to both reflectively engage with and inquire into ethical issues, while facing time, task, social, and other daily pressures. As designated "learners" in a professional setting, experiential education students typically see themselves as having little authority…

Offers a framework for approaching evaluation of practical experience, specifically in the field of elementary school teacher education, arguing that such evaluation should be longitudinal, contextualized, and collaborative. Portfolio development is found to be a powerful tool in this process, and both a rubric and criteria for assessing…

A Dickinson College (Pennsylvania) introductory physics program abandons lectures in favor of activity-based, collaborative work enhanced by use of integrated computer tools. Contrary to expectation, it was found that some women did not respond positively to hands-on, collaborative instructional methods. (MSE)