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S1E3: Beyond the Screen with Experiential Assignments

In this episode of What We’re Learning about Learning, we share the stories of several faculty and students who have engaged with experiential assignments. These assignments aim to connect students with the communities around them and help them understand real-world applications of their course material. We focused particularly on learning activities that required students to get away from their screens and interact with the physical world around them—wherever that may be.

This episode touches on faculty from a variety of disciplines, including sociology, gender studies, history, and ecology. As an example, Yuki Kato, an assistant professor of sociology, shares her experience of teaching a community-based learning course called the “Environmental Food Justice Movement Seminar.” In the pandemic, she had to decide whether to keep the community-based element of the course. Historically, she partnered with local organizations to provide students with hands-on experiences related to environmental and food justice.

For students, these experiential assignments had a profound impact, as they felt a greater connection to their communities and reported higher levels of engagement, particularly when their learning activities incorporated motivations from their non-academic lives. The faculty members shared their own enthusiasm for these assignments, finding that they not only benefited the students but also allowed them to engage in a rewarding learning journey.

Wurdinger and Allison (2017) find that oftentimes in a traditional classroom, faculty are focused on equipping students with information and theory, rather than application and practice. This comes into conflict with students’ future employers, who want to hire students with pragmatic problem solving and creative thinking skills. Enter experiential learning.

These teaching strategies emphasize the importance of community-building, autonomy, and a sense of purpose in enhancing student engagement and combating Zoom fatigue. Furthermore, students are empowered to take control over their education when experiential learning allows them to play to their strengths (DeGiacomo, 2002).The faculty members we talked to expressed their appreciation for the positive impact these assignments had on their students and recognized the value of these pedagogical approaches beyond the challenges of online learning.

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Georgetown resources

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