This mixed methods case study sought to understand cultural competency in the students of a service-learning based course, “Citizenship and Social Activism (HDFS 310),” taught at North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota. Cultural competency refers to how people interact with those who are of different cultural groups. For the purposes of this study, cultural competency was also defined by four components: attitudes, knowledge, awareness, and skills. Using a pre- and post-test survey, the participants showed statistically significant changes in the levels of self-reported cultural competency in the overall scores and in the subsection scores that correspond to the four components. Survey data was complemented by qualitative data collected by coding participants’ reflective journals. The qualitative data provided situation-specific information about what levels of cultural competency participants were demonstrating; additionally, the journals provided information about how participants define, perceive, and struggle with the concept of cultural competency.

Internships are a great way for college students to gain real-world work experience. Students who participate in an internship should learn valuable skills, build a network and gain professional confidence. Employers want to see prior, relevant work experience when deciding who to hire and an internship can provide that. This quantitative research study examined the impacts on career outcomes and starting salaries for college graduates who participated in a paid internship, unpaid internship or no internship and in a structured internship program for which they receive college credit, a non-credit internship and no internship. The results clearly showed that students who completed any type of internship were employed at a higher rate than those who did not complete an internship. There was also a substantial impact on higher starting salaries for those who completed a paid internship.

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The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which the learning experiences of mentors and mentees in their mentoring relationships were reflective of Kolb's experiential learning cycle. The researcher interviewed five mentors and five principals who participated in the mentoring programme as encapsulated in the ACE School Leadership programme at the University of Pretoria. The principals were selected from the Nkangala education district of Mpumalanga province. Research questions covered the four modes of Kolb's experiential learning cycle: (i) Concrete Experience, (ii) Reflective Observation, (iii) Abstract Conceptualisation, and (iv) Active Experimentation. The participants were required to describe their experiences in the mentoring programme and their anticipated future mentorship practices within their schools. Participants described the reflective processes they engaged in and the skills and knowledge gained, as well as their interpretation of the mentoring phenomenon. The participants' responses were subsequently analysed to determine the extent to which their learning experiences were reflective of the experiential learning cycle as presented by Kolb (1984). The study confirmed the participants' learning as reflective of Kolb's experiential learning cycle. The outcomes confirmed mentoring as a vital tool for enhancing principals' leadership and management knowledge and skills in order to, in turn, develop their schools as effective learning institutions. The mentoring programme not only contributed towards school improvement, but also gave a huge boost to the principals' personal and professional development. Moreover, the mentors in the programme were instrumental in helping principals to become reflective practitioners as anticipated in the Department of Education's National Policy Framework for Teacher Education and Development in South Africa (2007). During this research it was discovered that the programme was not without its challenges, however. Mentor selection was found to contain serious flaws. Moreover, the principals selected for the programme were not fully informed of the reasons for their selection to the programme; the only information they were in possession of in this regard was centred on the academic aspect of the qualification, which meant that this was what they focused on. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Education Management and Policy Studies / PhD / Unrestricted

Undergraduate programs in nutrition and dietetics do not require experiential learning as part of their curriculum. This study examines the benefits of working as a camp counselor at a weeklong kids’ cooking camp on undergraduate nutrition students. Observations and surveys were used to determine the effects of the camp as an experiential learning scenario on nine undergraduate nutrition students at Mississippi State University. The study found that the experience provided academic benefits through reinforcing classroom knowledge, professional benefits through career discernment, and personal benefits through the development of softs skills such as problem solving and time management. The study can be used as evidence in favor of adding more hands-on learning experiences to undergraduate nutrition education.

The purpose of this study was to determine if secondary agricultural education courses provide students with more experiential learning opportunities than other science-based courses in the high school curriculum. An ex post facto research design was employed for the study. A researcher created instrument was distributed to a sample of Alabama agriscience teachers (23), science teachers (35), and agriscience students (909). Based on the responses of 8 agriscience teachers, 12 science teachers, and 103 students, there was a statistically significant difference in the percentage of class time students spent participating in experiential learning activities. Teachers and students indicated that agriscience classes allowed students to spend a greater percentage of class time participating in service learning projects, and a lesser percentage of class time participating in teacher-centered activities and standardized test preparation and completion. Teachers and students also indicated that agriscience classes presented more opportunities for participation in service learning projects.

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Though experiential learning is a popular topic in higher education, a great deal of research in the field neglects to make ties between program outcomes and educational theory, creating a gap in knowledge regarding how participant students truly experience educational programs. Consequently, this study proposes an updated perspective of experiential education that considers the experiential and social aspects of these learning environments. While it is important to determine programmatic impacts, it is equally important to assess how learning has occurred, so programs can be modified accordingly. The Equine Studies Program at the Middleburg Agricultural Research and Extension Center began in 2010, with seven cohorts having completed the program since its inception. At this time, however, no study has been conducted to gain a thorough understanding of the program's purpose, nor assess if programmatic impacts align with its objectives. This study utilized qualitative interview methods to determine the program's objectives and impacts on participants. The findings provide insight on how experiential learning programs can be enhanced to better prepare students for the challenges of modern industry. Recommendations are made for continued research in this area to determine how the implementation of experiential learning programs may impact overall undergraduate curricula. Additional research should also be conducted to compare the impacts of varying types of experiential programs. / Master of Science in Life Sciences

This article presents findings from an experiential learning exercise in which 34 care practitioners enrolled on a part-time BSc programme in Dementia Studies were asked to identify their own favourite music, and then to investigate the musical preferences of one of their clients with dementia. For both groups, practitioners and clients, three dominant themes influencing choice of music emerged: loving relationships; significant life events and places, and a sense of physical enjoyment. This exercise enabled the group of practitioners involved to identify commonalities between their own musical memories and those of their clients with dementia. They also uncovered considerable amount of new information about their client¿s life histories. On this basis they were able to make a number of new recommendations for improving care practice.

Using methodologies of interviews and observation, this study focuses on three distinctive and successful kinds of experiential education: a summer arts program, an outdoor science program and a wilderness education program. The project applies insights from the programs to the central question of this thesis: How can experiential learning be utilized within the traditional classroom given the constraints of the No Child Left Behind Law and standardized teaching?