Courses at Brescia

"My community development learning experience at Brescia was one of extreme value for me. Hands-on experience working with organizations and individuals outside the walls of the university prepared me well for life after graduation. Not only did I learn more about work being done in the city through incredible individuals, I also learned more about myself. The program helped me understand what areas of community development interested me and what I was deeply passionate about. I am also thankful for the many professors in the program, who through their personable and intentional teaching and guidance, lead students to understand the way they can contribute and use their degrees to help others and make an impact in the communities around them."                                               -Haley Thompson, Brescia Nonprofit Management Grad

At Brescia, we have a number of diverse Curricular (for credit) and Co-Curricular (not for credit) Experiential Learning opportunities that students can engage in. Opportunities can be classroom-focused, community-based or work-integrated Experiential Learning. The purpose of offering Experiential Learning experiences to students is to provide hands on, practical learning experiences where students can apply their classroom learning to concrete experiences. Depending on the type of experience, Brescia students can build their knowledge and leadership and learn a diverse set of skills including, but not limited to communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and problem solving.

Curricular Experiential Learning

Classroom-focused experiential learning

Classroom-focused involves engaging in experiential learning that takes place within the classroom environment (in person or virtually) and can include (but are not limited to) independent studies, hands on lab experiments, case studies and theses. Some examples of these include:

• History students going on class field trips to national, provincial/state or municipal parks to profile the history and power
• Political Science students engaging in a project with the City of London that is of strategic importance
• Food and Nutritional Sciences students getting hands on experience in the food labs to develop recipes, learn about equipment, safety and sanitation or plan menus.

Community-based experiential learning

Community-based experiential learning can take place in the classroom where we connect with our community partners or out in the community engaging in activities or projects that directly support our partnering organizations. Some examples include:

• Leadership students developing a marketing plan for an organization
• Non-profit management students interviewing Executive Directors of non-profits to understand their organizational role in the community.
• Community Development students participating in community experience days at multiple organizations across London.

Work-integrated experiential learning

The work-integrated experiential learning environment involves practicums, clinical placements, field experiences and internships where students develop their competencies and skills through hands-on experiences within organizational environments. Some examples of these include:

• Family Studies and Community development students spending their practicum engaged in working on programs or projects with community organizations or working with students and teachers in elementary and high schools.
• Management and Organizations Studies internship opportunities for students to learn on the job training.

Co-curricular experiential learning

We also have co-curricular (not for credit) experiential learning opportunities that students can get involved in that can be added to their co-curricular record. These opportunities include, but are not limited to:

• Student leadership initiatives (e.g., leadership role in student council)
• Peer education (academic peer tutor for students)
• Community-engaged volunteering (volunteering your time in the community)

If you are interested in engaging in Experiential Learning at Brescia and want to learn more, there are a few routes you can take to find out which courses offer Experiential Learning:

• Email bucdean@uwo.ca with your interest
• Contact faculty members in the area you are interested in learning more about