Scaling Experiential Learning for the Underserved

Guest post by Matt Kelly, Director of Strategic Marketing & Communications, PeopleGrove

One adage frequently heard within the higher education marketplace is that students don’t have the competencies to be successful in today’s job market. Hundreds of articles have been written about the “skills gap” that employers say exists between college and career.

But do students really not have the skills? Or do learners simply need help in connecting the classroom theory to practical usage?

Recently, three educational leaders joined the PeopleGrove panel, “Scaling Experiential Learning for Underserved Students.” This discussion on experiential learning covered why these opportunities are so vital to connecting the classroom and career. Dedicated to fostering experiential learning opportunities and helping learners get set up for success, the speakers discussed scaling these opportunities to every student and filling identified gaps in experiential learning participation.

Watch the recording of this important discussion to learn:

• Why experiential learning is so vital to preparing students for life after college,

• How to think about experiential learning and create meaningful opportunities,

• How to engage key stakeholders to create lasting experiential learning structures, and

• How to identify and fill identified gaps in experiential learning participation, especially for traditionally underserved students.

Speakers include Kimberly Filer, associate vice provost for teaching and learning and director for the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Virginia Tech; Sandra Sjoberg, associate dean and director of marketing & innovation programs in the College of Business at Western Governors University; Jared Moffett, founding director of the Office of Experiential Learning at Bowie State University; and Matt Kelly, director of strategic marketing at PeopleGrove.

PeopleGrove provides students and alumni with a single destination to navigate their higher education experience and create the relationships that drive their overall success before, during and after their time in school.