Experiential Education

A researcher trimming a plant in UBC Okanagan's Plant Research facility.

A researcher trimming a plant in UBC Okanagan's Plant Research facility.

Programs & opportunities

Expand your learning and develop your skills with UBC Okanagan's experiential education activities.

Types of experiential education at UBC Okanagan

Every experiential education opportunity at UBCO broadly falls under five clusters and seeks to include

the purposeful involvement and expertise of educators;
the direct experience or engagement by learners;
an intentional approach to teaching and learning through experiences;
critical reflection by learners; and
relational opportunities for engagement and accountability.

The five clusters of experiential education activities are

Guided Research Experience

Students engage in experience-based research in order to solve a particular problem or gather data. The research is guided by or otherwise collaboratively developed with faculty input, and may involve a partner organization, community and/or company.
Examples of applied research experiences include
- Consulting projects
- Design projects
- Community-based research, fieldwork or public scholarship

Classroom-based and Developmental Pedagogies

An opportunity where participant experiences are an integral part of a credit-based course.

The purpose is to allow students to practice and engage directly with course concepts, skills and values to understand them more deeply.

Examples of classroom-based and developmental pedagogies include

Case studies
Labs
Simulations
Project-based group work
Debates
Rehearsals
Entrepreneurial activities

Community Engaged Learning

A form of learning where students gain valuable experience working in the community, with community members and leaders, or through community informed lenses and practices.

Community engaged learning situates community members as teachers, leaders, experts, mentors and facilitators

Examples of community-engaged learning include

Service learning
Civic learning
Justice learning
Public scholarship
Facilitated volunteer placements

Land and Place-based Learning

Land and place-based learning broadly includes pedagogies that involve deep intentional, reflective, historical, spiritual and/or physical engagement with the situated place where students are learning.

Land and place can include wilderness areas, but also engagement with urban and architectural understandings of place, and Indigenous knowledges that are inextricably intertwined with the land, as well as immersive experiences.

Examples of land and place-based learning include

Adventure-based learning
Outdoor and environmental education
Field trips
International exchanges

Work-integrated Education

Work-integrated education (WIE) refers to work-integrated learning programs that contain a substantial and meaningful workplace experience with intentional links to the students’ degree experience.

The workplace or practice setting is the primary site of learning.

Examples of work-integrated education include

Co-operative education
Work study – a campus-based employment program
Internships
Practicums and community field experiences
Clinical education

EXPLORE EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Use the filters below as you identify which types of opportunities you are interested in. From there you can click through to the additional pages for additional context on how you can become involved in the experiential education offerings.

Opportunity Types


Capstone Projects Exchange ideas and receive guidance working with an external organization.	Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies Work-Integrated Learning	Partnership-based Curricular Unpaid
Co-op Education Immerse yourself in professional environments within a specific industry or field.	Work-Integrated Learning	Partnership-based Curricular Paid
Community Service Learning Apply your skills and knowledge to social issues, making a tangible difference in your community.	Community Engaged Learning	Partnership-based and University-based Co-curricular and Curricular Unpaid
entrepreneurship@ubco Startup Sprint Start a successful business by creating a living entrepreneurship laboratory.	Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies Work-Integrated Learning	University-based Co-curricular Unpaid
Global Seminar Interesting lessons in interesting places—attend a UBC-led seminar anywhere around the world.	Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies Land and Place-based Learning	University-based Curricular Unpaid
Go Global Study abroad with one of UBC Okanagan’s partner institutions.	Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies Land and Place-based Learning	University-based Curricular Unpaid
Intercultural Development Program Gain practical strategies for effective communication in culturally diverse environments.	Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies Land and Place-based Learning	University-based Co-curricular Unpaid
Live Case Challenge—Business Simulation Enhance your learning through collaboration, communication and strategic thinking	Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies	University-based Co-curricular Unpaid
Living Learning Communities (UBCO Housing) Find like-minded peers and get the most out of your campus experience.	Community Engaged Learning Land and Place-based Learning	University-based Co-curricular Unpaid
Practicum/Preceptorship Hone your skills with hands-on-experience in a professional setting.	Land and Place-based Learning Work-Integrated Learning	Partnership-based Curricular Unpaid
Undergraduate Research (Co-curricular opportunities) Actively contribute to research while fostering collaborative and collegial relationships with faculty and project partners.	Applied Research Experience	University-based Co-curricular Paid and Unpaid
Undergraduate Research (Curricular research-intensive engagements) Get hands-on experience participating in a research project with the university.	Applied Research Experience Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies	University-based Curricular Unpaid

Opportunity Types


Capstone Projects Exchange ideas and receive guidance working with an external organization. Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies Work-Integrated Learning Partnership-based Curricular Unpaid	Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies Work-Integrated Learning	Partnership-based Curricular Unpaid
Co-op Education Immerse yourself in professional environments within a specific industry or field. Work-Integrated Learning Partnership-based Curricular Paid	Work-Integrated Learning	Partnership-based Curricular Paid
Community Service Learning Apply your skills and knowledge to social issues, making a tangible difference in your community. Community Engaged Learning Partnership-based and University-based Co-curricular and Curricular Unpaid	Community Engaged Learning	Partnership-based and University-based Co-curricular and Curricular Unpaid
entrepreneurship@ubco Startup Sprint Start a successful business by creating a living entrepreneurship laboratory. Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies Work-Integrated Learning University-based Co-curricular Unpaid	Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies Work-Integrated Learning	University-based Co-curricular Unpaid
Global Seminar Interesting lessons in interesting places—attend a UBC-led seminar anywhere around the world. Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies Land and Place-based Learning University-based Curricular Unpaid	Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies Land and Place-based Learning	University-based Curricular Unpaid
Go Global Study abroad with one of UBC Okanagan’s partner institutions. Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies Land and Place-based Learning University-based Curricular Unpaid	Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies Land and Place-based Learning	University-based Curricular Unpaid
Intercultural Development Program Gain practical strategies for effective communication in culturally diverse environments. Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies Land and Place-based Learning University-based Co-curricular Unpaid	Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies Land and Place-based Learning	University-based Co-curricular Unpaid
Live Case Challenge—Business Simulation Enhance your learning through collaboration, communication and strategic thinking Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies University-based Co-curricular Unpaid	Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies	University-based Co-curricular Unpaid
Living Learning Communities (UBCO Housing) Find like-minded peers and get the most out of your campus experience. Community Engaged Learning Land and Place-based Learning University-based Co-curricular Unpaid	Community Engaged Learning Land and Place-based Learning	University-based Co-curricular Unpaid
Practicum/Preceptorship Hone your skills with hands-on-experience in a professional setting. Land and Place-based Learning Work-Integrated Learning Partnership-based Curricular Unpaid	Land and Place-based Learning Work-Integrated Learning	Partnership-based Curricular Unpaid
Undergraduate Research (Co-curricular opportunities) Actively contribute to research while fostering collaborative and collegial relationships with faculty and project partners. Applied Research Experience University-based Co-curricular Paid and Unpaid	Applied Research Experience	University-based Co-curricular Paid and Unpaid
Undergraduate Research (Curricular research-intensive engagements) Get hands-on experience participating in a research project with the university. Applied Research Experience Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies University-based Curricular Unpaid	Applied Research Experience Classroom-based Developmental Pedagogies	University-based Curricular Unpaid