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Experiential Learning

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"To me, SASAH students are exceptional. They are thoughtful, deep thinkers with interesting insights and perspectives. They all seem to be bursting with talent."

— Julie Kiser, 深夜福利站 Libraries

“The quality of candidates coming from the SASAH program is outstanding. While this was only my second time working with interns from 深夜福利站, both were extremely positive. Having interviewed 7 students from this program, you can see the quality of students this program offers.”

— Tracie Jones, The Walrus

SASAH requires students to complete a 1.0 Experiential Learning (EL) credit by the end of their fourth or, in some cases, fifth year.

The EL requirement helps prepare students for post-university work by facilitating:
  • the advanced development of:
    • hard and soft/transferable skills,
    • teamwork and leadership abilities,
    • productive professional practices,
  • the opportunity to engage with the community and to network,
  • the connection between theory and practice,
  • the exploration of possible career paths.

Students gain valuable “real-world” experience and improve their self-confidence.

There are two types of placements or projects students can undertake and count toward their EL credit:

  • Internships, which offer mentored professional experience.
  • Community Engaged Learning (CEL), which usually involves work with non-profit organizations but can occur in a for-profit organization providing the focus is on service to the community.

EL opportunities may be situated in the private, public, for-profit, and non-profit sectors and be paid or unpaid.

Accessibility in experiential learning is a top priority. If accommodations can be of support to you throughout the experiential-learning process, please reach out to Accessible Education at aew@uwo.ca.   

Length

The length of an EL opportunity can vary from 6 weeks to 8 months depending on the type of work experience and the number of hours per week students are expected to commit to the placement/project.

Academic Term

Students can count experiences toward the requirement in the Summer (May to August), Fall (September to December), and/or Winter (January to April) terms.

Commitment

Students will work a minimum of 120 hours for 0.5 credit and a minimum of 240 hours for 1.0 credit.

Location

Unrestricted. Students can undertake opportunities anywhere in the world, in person or remotely, as long as the EL Coordinator can be in regular contact with the student and onsite supervisor.

Program

Most students undertake the opportunities they will count toward their EL requirement in their third or fourth year. Students can count opportunities in any year of the SASAH program, although they are limited to counting one 0.5 credit before their third year. Students enroll in their EL course(s) to receive credit for their experiences in their fourth (or fifth) year.

Contact

To learn more about EL program, contact the EL Specialist, Dr. Barbara Bruce, at bbruce2@uwo.ca.