UWM sits in Wisconsin’s urban and economic center, and thus we are surrounded by corporations, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and school systems that can serve as a “classroom-outside-of-the-classroom” for our students. Further, UWM is already deeply rooted in the Milwaukee community, and leads the way amongst Milwaukee institutions of higher education in terms of community partnerships. This positioning offers a real opportunity for UWM to become a destination campus for student looking to do various forms of experiential learning such as:
- Internships,
- Practicums,
- Clinical placements,
- Service-learning,
- cooperatives,
- Student Artist in Residence (SAIR) Program,
- Field placements,
- Undergraduate research,
- study abroad, and more.
So much of this currently exists on our campus, however information about these efforts need to be better packaged, tracked, and highlighted. Further, UWM “champions” of experiential learning across campus who are facilitating experiential learning and ensure student learning through the process can learn from one another through awareness about other programs and informal networking.
Similarly, community partners from the all sectors should be able to easily navigate and connect with members of the campus community based on opportunities, needs, content area, and academic discipline. If you are a community partner from the non-profit, government, or private sector, looking to connect with UWM students through any form of experiential learning, please submit the Experiential Learning Partner Request Form.
If you are a UWM faculty or staff member who coordinates a experiential learning program for our students, please let us know about it using the Experiential Learning Program Summary Form.