Experiential learning: Student participation and future engagement

Abstract

In 2014, the Gallup-Purdue Index Report examined the relationship between certain collegiate experiences and workplace engagement. It found that experiences or experiential learning opportunities such as participating in a cooperative education program (co-op), internship or working on projects that developed over one semester more deeply affect the level of a graduate's workplace engagement and therefore productivity and overall well-being. While it is apparent how important experiential learning can be to the future success and well-being of students, it is more difficult to measure all of the activities that can be labeled as experiential learning and to define what constitutes a meaningful experiential learning opportunity. This paper will examine the results of a survey, given at Purdue University, used to measure the undergraduate engineering population's involvement in experiential learning. The survey was distributed to 7712 undergraduate students. The results reflect that students are participating in a wide variety of activities that could be considered experiential learning; however the results also suggest that there is a need to refine the definition of experiential learning as it pertains specifically to engineering. For example, is a single project in a design-build course a significant experiential learning experience or is a traditional semester abroad which doesn't include any engineering focus? Additionally, this paper will discuss the development of a tool which could be shared with academic stakeholders to guide students to participation in experiences which will serve to propel them toward their career goals as well as advance their progress through their course of study. Additionally this tool could be used as a means to measure participation throughout a student's academic career rather than simply compiling a final report at the end of their academic tenure, as is currently the case.