Bypass Reality TV For Reality Learning
Internships, Co-op Education and Other Experiential Learning Programs
by Linda Bates
Parker
Employers recruiting today’s college graduates have high expectations that
they will interview
graduating students who have gained “real-world” experiences and stellar
academic credentials while in college. Unfortunately, far too many students are
either focused exclusively on their
academics or are too distracted by things like reality TV to invest time in
“reality learning” while in college.
Colleges and universities in the United States and abroad now offer a variety
of alternative learning experiences through which students can enhance their
academic coursework. By working, traveling or volunteering in organizations with
the goals of observing and learning from their experiences, students are
discovering real-world challenges and figuring out how they might make a
contribution. At my university, these experiences are termed “Reality Learning”
and include numerous on- and off-campus opportunities such as:
Cooperative Education (Co-op) – an educational program in which
students work, usually in full-time paid positions, in their majors. They rotate
between college classes and jobs over several cycles during their college
careers. Co-op gives students excellent and continual professional experience
while they earn academic credit. Relatively new international co-op programs
provide exciting opportunities for students to learn a second language and gain
international experience through an overseas co-op assignment. The University of
Cincinnati is one of the few universities in the United States offering such a
program.
Internships – similar to co-op, these work experiences also let
students gain professional experiences related to their majors or career
interests while in college. These off-campus assignments are determined by
employers, and help students to apply theories learned in
the classroom to the workplace while acquiring better understanding of the
professional requirements of particular career fields. Many internships are
created by businesses or organizations to improve their recruiting pipeline by
preparing college students for full-time
employment within their organizations upon graduation.
Service Learning – reflective educational experiences in which
students earn academic credit by participating in meaningful service activities,
on- or off-campus. Service-learning experiences
are designed to foster deeper understanding of course content and an enhanced
sense of civic responsibility, while doing important work on pressing community
needs. National organizations
such as “Campus Compact,” representing a coalition of more than 950 colleges and
universities and some 5 million students, are dedicated to promoting community
service, civic engagement, and service-learning in higher education.
Community Service – opportunities for students to “give back” to their
communities by committing time, energy and resources to a civic cause or
non-profit organization for the sole
purpose of improving the quality of life for others. Through community service,
students may get involved in important civic work and tough social issues in
churches or organizations that may have no direct link to their colleges but
offer life-broadening experiences.
Global Studies – academic programs that help college students live,
study and travel abroad, often immersing themselves in another culture and a
second language. These students gain
extraordinary international and cross-cultural experience, as well as academic
credit. With overseas study as part of their curriculum, students understand
their responsibilities as American and world citizens while making life-long
connections with people around the world.
Practicum – a college course, especially one in a specialized field of
study, that is designed to give students supervised, practical application of
previously studied theory to prepare them for
professional work in areas that frequently require an advanced degree.
All of the above opportunities allow students to learn more about the world
and the workplace, and how they can contribute in today’s work environments.
Students who participate in these “reality learning” experiences are able to
apply academic concepts to real-life situations. Most students who have had
these experiences are more mature and focused as a result. They also are either
more enthusiastic about their choice of a major or more determined to change it.
And once students are able to explain during job interviews the relevance of
their alternative learning experiences, they become highly attractive to
employers.
Unfortunately, “reality/experiential learning” is a term more familiar inside
rather than outside the academic community. Far too few college-bound students
of color or their parents understand
the importance of these experiences to career success in today’s highly
competitive job market. Many employers who recruit at the University of
Cincinnati have restricted their hiring to students who have had co-ops or
internships with them. They also look for students who have had diverse
leadership experiences and/or have worked or studied abroad.
Far too many African-American students and their parents consider these
experiences optional, if they consider them at all. Certainly, financial
concerns pose limitations for some students.
Co-op programs generally require an additional year of college as the students’
curriculum consists of alternating quarters/semesters of study and work. Often
our students have to work part-time or full-time jobs or get hopelessly in debt
to stay in college, and are reluctant to leave these somewhat secure jobs for a
short-term summer internship or study-abroad program. Internship opportunities
can be either paid or unpaid. Clearly, unpaid internships require other
financial resources to stay in college. Even paid internships for exciting
opportunities in entertainment or government require temporary housing in major
urban cities and may not include funds for travel and housing. Some college
students and their parents feel that the
student should simply focus on college academics and get a job after graduation,
without understanding that they will be much less competitive without these
experiences.
So what should African-American college students and college-bound
students do?
- Learn about all of the experiential /reality learning experiences before
going to college or as early as possible in your freshman year.
- Make appointments with your academic advisors, career and co-op advisors
to learn about eligibility for these programs early in your college career.
- Inform your parents of these career enhancing opportunities and seek
their support for your participation.
- Explore corporate and community scholarships for experiential/reality
learning.
- Attend career fairs in your freshman and sophomore year to learn more
about such opportunities from visiting employers.
- Talk to students who have interned, studied abroad or participated in
community service projects and gain their perspective on these experiences
(see sidebar).
- Talk to faculty about academic benefits of some of these programs.
- Target a specific experience and search on-line for additional
information and sources of funding.
- Ask your current employer about your interest in pursuing such
opportunities while retaining your job.
- Save all extra money (like birthday and other cash gifts) for these
experiences.
