The Value and Need for Engaging Experiential Education within Emerging Technological Landscapes.
In-Person
Abstract
Engaging student experiences through experiential education remains a hallmark of best practices within higher education, supporting student retention and career readiness. Experiential education aligns closely with student expectations and application of real-word skills serves as a highly valued component to their classroom instruction and broader academic programs. Beyond engagement, these practices foster student identity, develop confidence, strengthen mentorship relationships, and connect learners to professional communities. Experiential education is a hallmark of our Statewide Campuses across many academic and technical disciplines such as the Welding Technology Certificate and affiliated Skills USA Competition, paid summer internships in the the Natural Resources and Wildlife Ecology and Management and Conservation and Restoration Ecology Programs, and many other opportunities such as study abroad, internships, and practicum placements.
As higher education continues to evolve alongside rapidly advancing technologies and shifting pedagogical innovations, questions emerge regarding the future role of experiential education. Does traditional experiential education and opportunities still have value? In the presence of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, online platforms, and how can it be adapted to support engagement and retention in tomorrow's educational landscape? Do both innovative and traditional experiential experiences remain valued and needed?
We will explore emerging tools and contemporary best practices for adapting traditional experiential education practices while engaging students in emerging tools and contemporary best practices. We further consider how technological innovations can be leveraged to enhance and expand, not replace, the core principles of experiential learning.
By integrating innovation with established experimental frameworks, higher education institutions can maintain the foundational goals of experiential education while preparing students for an increasingly complex and technology-driven world.
Presenters
James Taylor
Associate Professor Wildland Resources & Associate Director of Masters of Natural Resources Program
Dr. James Taylor is an Associate Professor in Wildland Resources and Associate Director of the Masters of Natural Resources Program and former Vice President of the Statewide Campus system. Experiential educational opportunities shaped his approach to learning and teaching at organizations like the Teton Science School, the National Outdoor Leadership School, and the Boy Scouts of America. James has been an educator and naturalist for more than 40 years and his first professional experience was as a backcountry ranger and researcher in Yellowstone National Park and has conducted field courses within wild places for decades. Outside of his academic work he has worked as an alpine climbing guide on the world’s highest mountains and loves trail running and travel.
Sunshine Brosi
Professor Wildland Resources & Director of Masters of Natural Resources Program
Sunshine Brosi, PhD, is a Professor in the Wildland Resources Department and Director of the Masters of Natural Resources Program in the S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Agriculture & Natural Resources at USU’s Eastern Campus in Price, Utah.
Her early career was shaped by paid, hands-on internship opportunities and she strives to provide similar opportunities for her students (all of whom had summer internships this year). Sunshine has 20-years of teaching experience, incorporating high-impact practices into her online, field-based, Community Engaged, Research Intensive, honors, study-abroad, first-year and capstone courses. She has taught over 21 different courses over the past six years at USU. In her vast amounts of spare time she enjoys fishing, hiking, adventure motorcycle camping, running, birding, and botanizing with her husband throughout the Intermountain West.
Chloe Wilson
Lecturer Welding Department of Technology Design & Technical Education
Chloe Wilson is a welding instructor and shop manager in the Welding Department within Technology Design & Technical Education (TDTE) at USU Blanding, where she focuses on hands-on, in-person learning and prepares the next generation of skilled welders. She is passionate about bringing more women into the skilled trades. While teaching, she is also completing her MBA full-time, showing her students the value of ongoing education and professional growth. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, cooking, yoga, hiking, and spending time with her husband, two dogs, and fourteen chickens.