A Case Study on How to Implement Applied Learning as an Institutional Baccalaureate Graduation Requirement
Year: 2024
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: The definition of applied learning has broadened from hands-on assignments to assisting students to develop essential knowledge and skills through contextualized real-world learning to prepare for employment, community engagement, and further education through courses or co-curricular activities.Applied learning includes experiences such as practicum, undergraduate research, internships, clinical placement, civic engagement, service learning, cooperative learning, and independent/directed study.Research on applied learning in the classroom shows that it is an accepted method to reach student learning outcomes and increase student's ability to function effectively in their career, civic, and continued education during and beyond their undergraduate education.While there is research on the effectiveness of applied learning as a pedagogy, implementing applied learning across an institution with various disciplines needs investigation.The goal of this paper is to provide a case study with quantitative and qualitative data using document analysis, give an outline of the SUNY Applied Learning Initiative, and show how Farmingdale State College implemented applied learning as an undergraduate graduation requirement further to the State University of New York (SUNY) Applied Learning Initiative.To date, the Farmingdale State College Applied Learning Review Board has approved 159 applied learning courses (both full and enhanced courses) and 144 non-credit co-curricular applied learning activities [1].Since the 2018 launch of the Nexus Center for Applied Learning and Career Development, 56 of their applied learning co-curricular experiences have been approved [2].In addition, the Carnegie Foundation selected Farmingdale State College for the 2020 Community Engagement Classification Title [3].The results of this study will provide institutions with an understanding and shared resources on how to incorporate applied learning throughout a school of engineering, across campus, or potentially as a baccalaureate graduation requirement.
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--49425
Institution: Farmingdale State College
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4404995360