Course-Embedded Experiential Learning - Penn State Conferences and Institutes

Community engagement. Authentic learning. Future readiness.

Conferences and Institutes partners with Penn State faculty to enhance student success by integrating experiential learning into courses through domestic travel experiences. We know that some of the most impactful learning occurs outside of the classroom and are ready to help faculty identify travel locations and education partners, whether it’s for a brief corporate site visit, an extensive community project, or anything in between.

Destination student-learning experiences present many operational components and challenges, and Conferences and Institutes is prepared to carefully coordinate all the important details so faculty can focus on the instruction.

Benefits of Experiential Learning

Experiential learning gives students the opportunity to engage with communities, connect with professionals, develop new knowledge and skills, exercise critical thinking, work on real-world problems and projects, and cultivate and expand their interests.

Research conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employes (NACE) has consistently demonstrated many positive impacts of experiential education on early career success, including:

Faster-than-expected career progression
Higher rates of career satisfaction
An average of $15,000 more in salary

In many cases, these experiences are mutually beneficial to the University and the community, as students lend their time and talents to a problem or project a community partner is facing. This strong embodiment of engaged scholarship helps build reciprocal relationships and co-create solutions to problems for the benefit of society.

Experiential Learning Services We Offer:

Manage all logistical components of course trip(s)
Manage budget and class fee
Schedule and coordinate transportation
Book lodging
Schedule meals and activities
Manage contracts and waivers
Process all payments

Student Feedback

The thing I liked most was having the chance to synthesize and apply the knowledge I’ve learned in the real world.

This trip proved to me that I picked the right career path and grew my passion for the subject.

This experience was life changing.

Featured Experiential Learning

CED 400, 401 Exploring Indigenous Ways of Knowing gives students the opportunity to learn about the cultures, histories, and knowledge of Native Americans of the Great Lakes area. The course includes an end-of-semester trip to the Ojibwe communities in northern Minnesota, where students have an immersive experience that explores history, sustainability, preservation, and community.
CI 385 D.C. Social Justice in Education is a course that engages students in a deeply immersive learning experience in Washington, D.C., that includes a teaching placement, educational tours, Community Action Projects (CAPs), and much more.
KINES 414 Interdisciplinary Study of Street Medicine is a first-of-its-kind class that provides an immersive educational experience about caring for people living on the streets of Los Angeles. As part of the class, students spend a week in Los Angeles attending a street medicine workshop and making rounds in the community side-by-side with professionals from the University of Southern California Street Medicine Program.