Undergraduate Experiential Learning Project

UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROJECT

Funded by the U.S. Dept. of Education FIPSE (2011-2013)

 Susan F. Hirsch (Principle Investigator)
Agnieszka Paczynska (co-Principle Investigator)

School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution
George Mason University   

Linking Theory to Practice: Conflict Analysis and Resolution Pedagogy builds the capacity of the interdisciplinary field of Conflict Analysis and Resolution (CAR) to play a key role in improving undergraduates’ ability to apply theory to practice in CAR courses, in general education, and beyond the classroom. The project consists of three initiatives in curricular innovation, each involving development, testing, and dissemination:

Initiative 1: Design introductory course materials in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, particularly experiential learning activities (ELAs) suitable for general education.

Initiative 2: Create a model for intensive service learning activities (SLIs) in domestic and international contexts.

Initiative 3: Promote best practices in designing CAR curricula so as to enhance students’ ability to link theory and practice, including models for strengthening partnerships between two- and four-year institutions and better aligning curricula across those institutions.

Through wide dissemination of curricular materials, approaches, models, and best practices, the project is designed to have significant, positive sustainable impact on educators and institutions locally, regionally, and nationally.

The Undergraduate Experiential Learning Program (UELP),  at the School of Conflict Resolution (S-CAR), George Mason University held an afternoon of workshops and discussion to share our recent experiences developing new experiential learning materials and approaches designed to expand and improve conflict analysis and resolution teaching.  Senior students also presented their final projects for public review. 

Supported by the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE), the UELP team is working to enhance students’ capacity to think critically, solve problems, see from multiple perspectives, and link theory to practice. The workshop setting welcomed active participation from all in attendance.  (For more information, see the UELP events page).

We were honored to have Ms. Kim Eby, Associate Provost for Faculty Development, and Director, Center for Teaching Excellence as our keynote speaker.  Her speech highlighted what experiental learning pedagogy at S-CAR is about. Here are her remarks: 

S-CAR Event for Undergraduate Experiential Learning Program (UELP)

Ms. Kim Eby, Associate Provost

It’s delightful to be here with you to celebrate the capstone work of the students from the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution.  I look forward to hearing how you have synthesized the field’s theoretical frameworks into your practice and research projects.  It is also wonderful to be here to celebrate your faculty work.  Of the many roles that faculty play here at the institution, I find – and I often hear from others – that those of teacher and mentor to undergraduate students is among the most intellectually stimulating and rewarding.  Speaking personally, I know that my identity and practices as an educator have been shaped greatly by the many diverse students whom I have been fortunate to teach and work with.  Our students challenge us to think in novel ways, to engage with our whole selves, to seek out new techniques and pedagogies that can foster student learning, and to take nothing for granted.

That is a big part of why it is so exciting to see everyone here today.  Experiential learning encompasses a set of pedagogies that can captivate the imagination and ignite a passion for learning.   In my own education I took advantage of a number of experiential learning opportunities – working in a psychiatric emergency room, training and working for a crisis hotline, working in a neuroscience research lab – and these experiences significantly informed my professional interests and shaped my career goals.  Further, we know from the literature on cognitive science that to achieve deep learning it is necessary to go well beyond traditional passive strategies such as listening and taking notes.  The undergraduate experiential learning program that our faculty leaders are undertaking here embraces what are called “High Impact Educational Practices,” those practices that we know from research increase student engagement and, relatedly, student retention.  These practices include learning activities such as undergraduate research; service and community-based learning; diversity/global learning; and capstone courses and projects.  

As part of the undergraduate experiential learning program, you are working in interdisciplinary teams to create experiential learning activities that include role plays, simulations, and analytic activities.  Moreover, students are being brought into the field through your service learning intensives to offer hands-on  opportunities to work side-by-side with faculty members providing conflict resolution service in conflict and post-conflict environments, here in the U.S. and globally.  This type of partnership among faculty and student colleagues provides transformative learning experiences, similar to those that fueled our many of our own passions for inquiry and making a difference and brought us to our disciplines and professions.

 On a more somber note, I am hearing more and more people, across many different contexts, express concerns about higher education’s success in developing students as effective critical thinkers.  Therefore, your goals of helping students with the competencies of critical thinking, problem-solving, and perspective-taking are vitally important and quite timely.

Please know that I am well-aware of the dedication, commitment, and time that are required to effectively develop, implement, and assess these types of learning activities, particularly in cross-disciplinary teams.  I also hope that you have discovered, or are about to discover, the incredible intellectual richness that is possible when a group of talented individuals come together for such a purpose.  My own feeling and experience in this regard is that I would not trade the professional insights, the creative energy and flow of ideas, or the personal rewards that I have gained from participating in these types of communities of practice, despite the many challenges.

For your leadership and vision in the service of teaching and learning, I offer my profound thanks.  I wish you many fruitful discussions this afternoon and beyond.  To our students, congratulations on completing your capstone projects and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.  I expect you will find that you are well-prepared.  Thank you.