First Va. Community College Student Experiential Learning Conf Scheduled for April 2023

NOVA’s VP and CAO is pleased to share that the VCCS is planning the first Va. Community College Student Experiential Learning Conference (tentative title) for April 2023. This statewide conference for students across the 23 community colleges within VCCS will showcase the transformative promise of experiential learning (EL) in both student-produced projects and presentations from collaborations between faculty/staff and students. While the timeline and plans have not yet been finalized, we would like to invite you to mark your calendar and to begin to consider NOVA program offerings, class assignments and projects that might be a good fit for this conference.  

What is “experiential learning (EL),” and why is it important? As the title suggests, EL involves learning from experience and reflecting on the skills obtained. Through EL, students “learn by doing” through a wide variety of hands-on educational experiences such as project-based learning, laboratory experiments, internships, practicums, field exercises, study abroad, undergraduate research, honor enrichment symposia, studio performances, service learning, apprenticeships, leadership programs, ePortfolios, first-year experiences, etc.

As you dive into potential research, learning that is considered “experiential” has multiple common elements: reflection, critical analysis, synthesis and numerous chances for students to be self-starters. Well-organized, evaluated and coordinated EL programs can help build careers and shape academic experiences by promoting leadership attributes, cross-cultural sensitivity, interdisciplinary learning, professional competencies, community involvement and employer-valued essential skills.   

Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate and highlight EL at NOVA! We know that EL is not new for NOVA; so let’s start planning now to join in our VCCS showcase of how these real-world learning opportunities, offered by our college, can transform our students.

For this seminal VCCS conference, we invite you to:  

• Begin to consider the various related programs offered at our college, class assignments and projects that might be a good fit for this conference.    
• Begin to consider which student experiences can be highlighted at the conference.  
• Keep April 2023 in mind. Additional details about the specific date, location and how you and/or your students can register and submit proposals will follow in fall 2022.  

We are looking forward to working collaboratively with you–faculty, staff, community partners and other student mentors–to highlight our student’s efforts. 

Submitted by:
Dr. Eun- Woo Chang, VP/CAO, EChang@nvcc.edu