Commerce student Casey Donnelly has a new appreciation for the world of marketing thanks to Prof. Lindsay McShane’s third-year Digital Marketing BUSI 3204 course.

McShane’s course includes an experiential learning component that brings local organizations and business students together. Working in groups of four or five, students collaborate with a community partner to build a digital marketing solution to address their business challenge.

“I see this project as a win-win,” said McShane, who has been teaching the course since 2014. “Students gain experience and build their portfolios, and community partners get real value added from the students’ work.”

In the Winter term, Donnelly’s group partnered with the Gloucester Dragons Soccer Club to develop a marketing strategy to help increase membership.

“Working with a real organization was a really cool experience,” said Donnelly. “As commerce students, we are used to choosing real organizations to focus our projects on, but this was one of the first times that we actually met the community partner and worked alongside them.”

In January, Donnelly’s group met with Adrian Movileanu, who sits on the Gloucester Dragons Board of Directors, to discuss a realistic scope based on the organization’s digital marketing needs. Based on this proposal, the group developed a digital marketing campaign that they delivered through a written report and presentation.

Donnelly said one of the term’s highlights was attending a board meeting to discuss the group’s recommendations. “The board meeting made me realize that we were being viewed as credible marketing experts,” she said, adding that the project helped her see that a career in marketing was within her grasp.

“It built my confidence because it made me feel like I could contribute in a meaningful way and that I could have a successful career in marketing after graduating.”

The experiential learning project has proven to be a successful way to take students’ learning to the next level.

“It’s more than learning about marketing,” said McShane. “It’s learning about business interactions, project management, professionalism, how to present to a board of directors, and managing curveballs throughout the project.”

“Sometimes students don’t think they have a lot of value to add, and it is so rewarding to see them start to realize they have a lot to bring to the table and that their insights are really valued.”

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Launched by the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) in October 2018, the $50,000 ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University Experiential Learning Fund provides faculty, instructors and learning support staff with financial support to integrate experiential learning components into academic courses or programs at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´.

In February 2019, seven faculty were awarded funding to develop or enhance course or program level initiatives with experiential learning components.

• Prof. Deborah Conners (Sociology and Anthropology) is developing a new international study course. The SOCI 3210/3220: Working Toward a Violence-Free Society in Nepal course will give students a service learning opportunity to work with the Women’s Foundation Nepal, which provides supports to women and children who have experienced violence. Students will build on their sociological knowledge in the Winter semester before travelling to Nepal for four weeks in the Spring semester where they will volunteer for the Foundation.
• Prof. Melissa Frankel (Philosophy) is developing a new fourth-year seminar where students will consider the philosophy of education and survey specific approaches for teaching philosophy with various age groups. Students will then lead philosophical discussions with students at a local elementary school.
• Prof. Julie C. Garlen (Interdisciplinary Studies) is developing two new experiential learning courses. Experiential Learning in Childhood and Youth Studies will give students an opportunity to work with children and/or youth in a campus or community setting, and Service Learning in Community Settings, a new year-long practicum, will replace the current single-term practicum.
• Prof. Dominique Marshall (History) is connecting students in her History of Humanitarian Aid course with an Ottawa-based international humanitarian organization. Students will work in groups to prepare a historical document for one of eight non-governmental organization partners of the Canadian Network on Humanitarian History.
• Profs. Matthew Sorley, Cheryl Harasymchuk and Anne Bowker (Psychology) are developing Experiential Learning Modules that can be integrated into any First-Year Seminar offered by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. The module content will be shared online between instructors and allow for the development of a template that can be used to develop additional modules.
• Profs. Matthew Sorley and Danay Novoa (Psychology) are developing and piloting a series of experiential learning modules for students enrolled in the tutorial sections of Introduction to Psychology. The exercises will include psychology work simulations and case studies and will emphasize blended learning, alumni involvement and skills that are associated with success at university and beyond.
• Prof. Julia Wallace (Physics) is introducing a new experiential learning component to her third-year modern physics course, where students will undertake a six-hour hands-on experiential learning activity at the Ionizing Radiation Standards Lab of the National Research Council in Ottawa.

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Experiential learning was at the heart of a large symposium co-hosted on campus by Teaching and Learning Services and the Office of the Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President (Academic) on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. The symposium attracted more than 200 participants for a full day of presentations, demonstrations, workshops and displays that highlighted a broad selection of ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€™s experiential learning activities.

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A new $50,000 fund will provide faculty, instructors and learning support staff with financial support to integrate experiential learning components into academic courses or programs at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University.

Interim Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Jerry Tomberlin announced the fund at today’s Experiential Learning symposium. Co-hosted by Teaching and Learning Services and the Office of the Vice-Provost and Vice-President (Academic), the symposium brought over 150 faculty, contract instructors, teaching assistants and staff together for a full day of presentations, demonstrations, workshops and displays that showcased experiential learning at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´.

“There are clearly a good number of faculty engaging in innovative teaching practices and many more who want to engage in experiential learning on our campus,” said Tomberlin.

“We recognize that these types of activities require initial support. That is why I am proud to announce that ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ is continuing its investment in experiential learning through the establishment of the ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University Experiential Learning Fund.”

The fund will help to increase the number of experiential learning opportunities available to students and build a greater awareness of the experiential learning activities already happening across ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´.

Two funding opportunities will be available with application deadlines in January and October 2019. More information is available in the Fund’s Terms of Reference.

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