Experiential Learning (EL) at MSU Denver is a process wherein students learn by doing through practical and applied engagement in or out of the classroom. Experiential learning emphasizes collaboration, reflection, synthesis, and feedback to develop knowledge, skills, and critical thinking for post-graduation success.
A tool to more accurately capture data and tell the full story of the impact of experiential learning across campus.
A flexible approach for a more holistic understanding of Experiential Learning at MSU Denver; outlining its essential components.
Informed by collaboration and feedback from MSU Denver faculty and experiential learning staff.
Criteria for a formal course designation.
An expectation of faculty to build experiential learning into all courses.
An evaluation of performance or merit; or saying that a course must be experiential learning to be impactful.
Students engage in foundational, guided activities to build confidence and understanding of essential skills, applying simple theories to real-world scenarios with direct supervision and initial reflective practices.
Students build on foundational skills with increased autonomy, applying theories to more complex problems, engaging in deeper reflection, and integrating knowledge from multiple sources to develop comprehensive understanding.
Students practice advanced skills with high autonomy, solving complex interdisciplinary problems, engaging in critical reflection, and synthesizing new insights through innovative applications.
Below are criteria to support the determination of the tier in which a course falls on the MSU Denver ELFA Framework. Included are course intention, likely outcomes, and experiential learning presence. Experiential learning presence refers to the breadth and depth of EL included in the course and consists of the five elements indicated within each accordion menu (click the “+” to expand any section).
Course Intention: For students to have exposure to experiential learning and to build foundational skills and experience for further learning during their educational journey.
Likely Outcomes: Outcomes of experience are somewhat predictable and opportunity for error is minimal due to limited impact from student choice.
Experiential Learning Presence: Experiential learning is used as a strong pedagogical tool but isn’t the primary focus or teaching modality to meet the learning objectives for a course.
Students participate in activities that build on foundational technical and essential skills, with increased agency and opportunities for integration.
Students apply discipline-specific theories, knowledge, or skills to more complex real-world problems with moderate autonomy, enhancing their integration of theoretical knowledge and engaging in deeper analytical reflection.
Students participate in regular, in-depth reflection sessions, using detailed prompts and reflective essays to analyze their experiences, connect them to theoretical concepts, and engage in peer/supervisor feedback.
Students participate in more complex hands-on activities with moderate autonomy but still have supervised oversight, integrating their developing skills and reflecting on their experiences in real-world contexts. Often seen through industry connection and community engagement.
Students conduct more detailed evaluations of complex scenarios, developing sophisticated questions and conducting comparative analyses of different theories. They integrate knowledge from multiple sources to develop comprehensive
understandings, apply concepts to real-world problems, and create solutions by synthesizing information from various resources.
Course Intention: For students to engage in experiential learning, continuing to develop skills and beginning to apply their learning through more dynamic activities that allow for higher levels of student led direction.
Likely Outcomes: There is an increased variable of likely outcomes of the experience because of student led direction with opportunity for error and reflection impacted by student choice.
Experiential Learning Presence: Experiential learning is a prominent focus and/or teaching modality used to meet most of the learning objectives for a course.
Students participate in activities that build on foundational technical and essential skills, with increased agency and opportunities for integration.
Students apply discipline-specific theories, knowledge, or skills to more complex real-world problems with moderate autonomy, enhancing their integration of theoretical knowledge and engaging in deeper analytical reflection.
Students participate in regular, in-depth reflection sessions, using detailed prompts and reflective essays to analyze their experiences, connect them to theoretical concepts, and engage in peer/supervisor feedback.
Students participate in more complex hands-on activities with moderate autonomy but still have supervised oversight, integrating their developing skills and reflecting on their experiences in real-world contexts. Often seen through industry connection and community engagement.
Students conduct more detailed evaluations of complex scenarios, developing sophisticated questions and conducting comparative analyses of different theories. They integrate knowledge from multiple sources to develop comprehensive understandings, apply concepts to real-world problems, and create solutions by synthesizing information from various resources.
Course Intention: Course is designed for structure, support, supervision of and feedback on students’ highly autonomous learning.
Likely Outcomes: Outcomes of the experience are dynamic/unlimited because of heightened student agency with ample opportunity for error and reflection as students implement a series of choices.
Experiential Learning Presence: Experiential learning is the primary focus and/or teaching modality used to meet the learning objectives for a course.
Students undertake activities that require advanced understanding of technical and essential skills, working independently. They apply their skills in sophisticated, interdisciplinary contexts to solve problems.
Students apply discipline-specific theories, knowledge, or skills to solve complex, interdisciplinary practical problems with high autonomy, fully integrating theoretical knowledge to synthesize new insights.
Students undertake comprehensive reflection activities, using advanced prompts and reflective portfolios to critically analyze their experiences, integrate interdisciplinary perspectives, and engage in supervisor/mentorship feedback to refine their understanding.
Students undertake highly complex hands-on activities with high autonomy, applying advanced skills in sophisticated and interdisciplinary contexts. Most often seen through deep industry partnerships and community engagement.
Students conduct thorough evaluations of complex scenarios, formulating advanced questions and critically comparing theories to identify nuanced relationships and implications. They synthesize information to create new insights which integrate interdisciplinary perspectives to develop holistic solutions.
These learning objectives will not have to be adopted for a course to be considered an Experiential Learning course or to qualify for a specific Experiential Learning tier. Rather, their intent is to offer faculty a starting point if they would like to include Experiential Learning in a course or as a tool to help in identifying which level their course is at by comparing the learning objectives already established for their courses.
Students engage in structured, guided practice.
Student Behavioral Learning Objectives (SBLOs):
Students will participate in activities that build on foundational skills.
SBLOs:
Students will experience advanced engagement to apply technical and essential skills to dynamic contexts.
SBLOs:
These course case examples are not based on real MSU Denver courses. They are meant to show the thought process a faculty member might utilize when engaging with the ELFA Framework for determining if their course is a specific tier.
Example Course: Introductory Business Course (First-Year Experience)
Example Course: Community-Based Environmental Science
Example Course: Internship Experience in Social Work
Would you like your course to be included on the MSU Denver Experiential Learning course list?
Complete the form below to have your course added.
For questions regarding Experiential Learning for All, please contact Cassie Mullin.
Click here to connect with Cassie MullinIf you have ideas surrounding faculty engagement with the C2 Hub or experiential learning support and/or resources for faculty, or if you are not finding what you hoped to in this resource, contact the FE&EL Team for further collaboration.
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