A key component of NSEE’s mission is to enhance the professional development of its members.  Another component of the mission is to be the national leader in advancing experiential education as a field and a profession.  In order to accomplish both aspects of this mission, NSEE has created the Experiential Education Academy (EEA or the Academy).

The EEA supports and contributes to both the day-to-day work effectiveness and the long-term development of NSEE members through a series of professional workshops leading to a Certificate of Completion.  The program is designed for all practitioners, regardless of specific experiential application.  The set of workshops creates a common base of knowledge and set of competencies for the field of experiential education and allows participants the flexibility to increase their expertise in their own particular interest areas.

The Goals of the Academy are to:

• Provide to NSEE members a foundation in standard theory and practice of experiential education;
• Support practitioners new to experiential education so that their programs which will meet the standards of best practice identified by NSEE;
• Facilitate new member access to the expertise and knowledge of senior members;
• Provide all members with competencies that will lead to the strengthening of experiential education within institutions.

For newcomers to the field, the Academy provides the opportunity to become well-grounded in the foundations of experiential theory and practice.  For the mid-career to more veteran practitioners, courses that probe ‘beyond the basics’ and delve into special topics will be offered. Issues of universal appeal such as legal issues in experiential education and assessment of learning are also integral parts of the EEA.  Workshops will be facilitated by members recognized for their leadership in the content areas.  EEA workshops will be provided prior to the NSEE annual conference and in regional locations throughout the year.  

The Curriculum

To earn the EEA Certificate of Completion, participants must complete a minimum of six workshops as described below.  All participants must complete the following five workshops, which comprise the core curriculum, intended to provide a foundation essential to any experiential education application:

• Fundamentals of Theory and Best Practice in Experiential Education
• Legal Issues of Internships and Experiential Learning
• Experiential Education Beyond the Basics:  Program Design and Student Issues for Intermediate and Advanced Practitioners
• Assessment 101 and Beyond: Identifying, Understanding and Applying Outcomes Assessment in Experiential Learning
• Reflection:  Key to Making the Experience Educational

Participants in the EEA must also complete at least one elective workshop.  A partial list of these workshops follows:

• Internship Program Issues, Design and Assessment
• Service-Learning, Civic Engagement & Experiential Education
• Teaching and Learning Experientially
• Strengthening Experiential Education Within Your Institution
• Special Topics in Experiential Education (topics will vary and will be announced)

Complete descriptions of the core workshops may be found on NSEE’s website at www.nsee.org

HOW TO APPLY

Interested NSEE members who wish to participate in the Academy as a newcomer to Experiential Education and NSEE or seasoned and veteran practitioners will complete and submit a simple application of interest to the NSEE Headquarters. There is no fee attached to this application or participation. However, a member must complete the initial application to become registered in the Academy program and entered into the coursework database that is managed by NSEE.  The application is available at the NSEE website at www.nsee.org.

All experiential education professionals are invited to explore the possibilities afforded by the EEA by visiting the NSEE website at www.nsee.org or by contacting NSEE headquarters directly at 856-423-3427 or by email at nsee@talley.com.

Required Courses

Fundamentals of Theory and Best Practice in Experiential Education

Participants in this workshop will explore the theoretical and philosophical roots of experiential education and the principles of good practice fundamental to all types of experiential learning.  Participants will have an opportunity to actively explore the implications and applications of this information, and to identify the resources available for continued professional development and specific use in their programs.

Experiential Education Beyond the Basics: Program Design and Student Issues for Intermediate and Advanced Practitioners

This interactive workshop, geared towards intermediate and advanced level practitioners, will focus on models of effective experiential education programs, program implementation, highlighting program management, faculty relations, student issues, and best practices, including discussions about seminars, portfolios, reflection papers, and assessment tools.  Participants will consider what “best practice” means in their settings and what should go into the design of an ideal program.

Legal Issues of Internships and Experiential Learning

This workshop examines the broad range of legal issues that arise in administering experiential learning programs, with particular emphasis on the reciprocal rights and responsibilities of the school, work-site, and student.  Key issues such as student, school and work-site liability, risk management (including waivers, assumption of risk and insurance), protecting and accommodating student rights (including discrimination and ADA compliance), tax and compensation consideration, contractual obligations, and issues arising out of the use of public funds, will be examined.  Time will be allotted for participants to engage in a discussion of these issues, as well as explore the application of legal issues to their specific programs in a “legal clinic” format.

Reflection: Key to Making the Experience Educational

While experiences are the first E in experiential education, it is through reflection that the learning takes its root and makes lasting changes.  According to Kolb, learning is a process where knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.  Reflection is integral to that transformation.  This workshop will explore methods of guiding students to be more reflective in their experiences and following their experiences:  the use of journals in reflection and models for conducting regular seminars promoting reflection and reflective conversation.

Assessment 101 and Beyond: Identifying, Understanding and Applying Outcomes Assessment in Experiential Learning

This workshop will introduce beginners to the fundamentals of assessment in experiential learning settings and provide intermediate level assessment training for practitioners beyond the beginner’s level, who seek to improve their outcomes assessment skills.  The primary goal is to assist participants in the development of an outcomes assessment plan to use at their own institution.  Employing a hands-on, active learning approach, this workshop will include a mix of presentation, applied tasks, small group work, and interactive discussion.

Elective Workshops

Strengthening Experiential Education Within Your Institution

NSEE has pioneered the area of strategic planning related to the process of institutionalizing the full range of experiential education into educational and community institutions.  This workshop addresses seven critical factors that need initial and ongoing attention: mission and values; curricular integration; faculty involvement; quality assurance and assessment; administrative infrastructure; budget integration; and strategies for change.  Participants will examine alternative strategies and collaborate with one another in identifying appropriate approaches for their respective institutions/organizations.

Service-Learning, Civic Engagement & Experiential Education

The rich continuum of service-learning approaches provides higher education a sound and empirically-based approach to teaching and learning that results in the kind of higher-order understanding that colleges and universities promise but, in reality, is difficult to realize.  This workshop focuses on course-embedded service-learning, complemented by participatory action research, internships, work-study, and co-curricular campus-community collaboration as significant ways to enhance the educational experience, meet higher education objectives, and mobilize resources for and strengthen community partnerships.

Teaching and Learning Experientially

This workshop will focus on how to establish guidelines for courses and programs to fulfill experiential learning requirements: learning goals and objectives; academic integration; reading and writing assignments; outcomes; evaluation and assessment; designing the experiential components; numbers of hours in class and out of class; reflection.  Using and applying the Eight Principles of Good Practice for All Experiential Learning Activities will be stressed (internship, co-op, service-learning, study abroad, practicum, etc.).  Participants will work in groups to construct course syllabi which incorporate experiential learning components and meet established guidelines.

How will this work?

Interested NSEE members who wish to participate in the Academy as a newcomer to Experiential Education and NSEE or a seasoned practitioner will complete a simple application of interest to the NSEE Headquarters. There is no fee attached to this application or participation. However, one must complete the initial application to become registered in the Academy program and entered into the coursework database that is managed by NSEE, nsee@talley.com. You can download the application here.

Graduates