Matt Peters
map006@marietta.edu
On Tuesday Feb. 9, students sat down with faculty members for a “Tea Times” Leadership Fellows discussion on the topic of experiential learning. Leading the discussion was Dr. Alane Sanders, associate professor of communication studies, along with junior broadcasting and journalism major Lucy Welles*.
Welles began the discussion by briefly defining the term “experiential learning,” a concept she described as “learning by doing.”
Sanders added, “Some of the ways that we define experiential learning here are experiences through internships, international experience, study abroad-type experiences, research and creative projects, and then also service learning opportunities.”
According to Sanders, these kinds of experiences are invaluable to students’ educational and professional development because they stretch students “beyond what [they] might do in a classroom without that type of learning.”
“We all talk about it in slightly different ways, but at the end of the day, these experiences involve, not just the experiences themselves but also taking knowledge that you have accrued during that experience and being able to connect that with what you’ve learned here at Marietta College,” she said.
Students then discussed some of their past experiences with this type learning, many recounting their roles in Make a Difference Day, a national service day project that leadership students participate in each year. Several said this experience pushed them out of their comfort zone and forced them to use problem-solving skills.
Junior Maria Stickrath recently studied abroad at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, United Kingdom. She reflected on her experiential learning experience.
“It kind of solidified [that] I can actually do this and [that] I want to do this,” Stickrath said. “Now I feel more prepared to actually enter law school with a clear focus and the confidence that I can do it.”
Students also discussed feeling uncomfortable in certain experiential learning situations. But Sanders says discomfort can often be a positive thing.
“Discomfort can be a place where it really facilitates learning in a way that we can’t always achieve whenever we’re completely comfortable,” she said.
“But if we’re so uncomfortable that we shut down, of course it’s not that useful,” she said. “So part of it is thinking about… that sweet spot, that best moment, when people should go into these experiences both in terms of having an appropriate foundation, but also knowing that we’re still going to have opportunities for you to be pushed and to be placed in places where there’s new learning to occur.”
Still, at a school with so many experiential learning opportunities, many students shy away from experiential learning.
“What are things that make you nervous enough that make you think, now isn’t the time?” Sanders said. “What are some reasons that you wouldn’t pursue an opportunity?”
Fear of failure, time management, academic and financial aspects are all factors that can discourage students from pursuing experiential learning opportunities.
“The reason that I haven’t studied abroad – I’ve always wanted to – is just the fact that I’m trying to balance a double major, as well as just money. That’s a big obstacle too,” Welles said.
Career Center Director Hilles Hughes says that students often express “the fear of not liking something.”
“You’re not gonna love all of it and you’re probably not gonna hate all of it, but to protect yourself from doing it because of a fear of not liking it, I think is a disservice,” Hughes said. “I think finding out what you don’t like is just as valuable as finding out what you do like. And to me that’s all a part of the process of finding out who we are and where we fit in the world of work.”
Many professors see experiential learning as a way of bridging the gap between academia and the workplace. Sanders echoed the words of other faculty members in stating that professionals need academics just as much as students need the real world experience.
“When you look at how we define experiential learning here, none of it is absent some sort of background or that reflection component to bring it full circle,” Sanders said.
*Note: Welles is the social media editor of this publication. Views expressed by Welles do not necessarily reflect those of The Marcolian, its staff, or its adviser.
