Students have the opportunity to gain more knowledge about the world they live in with experiential learning.
Taking notes and studying them is the most effective way to retain information for some, while others may have trouble learning in a traditional setting and require more hands-on learning. Learning through experience is all around, the question is whether or not to jump at the opportunity.
There are plenty of experiential learning opportunities right here at Ohio University. Whether it’s through the Ohio Honors Program, studying abroad or getting involved on campus, all of these experiences can provide information that can’t be received through traditional lectures.
Not every student can be fortunate enough to partake in experiential learning, but the students who have had the opportunity to participate in them have loved every second of it.
Sofia Longoria, an undecided freshman, has been involved in experiential learning in high school. She participated in a program based out of central Columbus called Mosaic — a project-based humanities program where she got to learn hands-on what happens in all aspects of the world. To Longoria, experiential learning has impacted her life for the better.
“Experiential learning has a stronger impact and can strengthen a student’s relationship with education or learning,” Longoria said.
Other students, like Longoria, are just not fit for the traditional-learning mold that many students are forced to be in.
“Everyone has a different way of processing information,” Longoria said. “Experiential learning can allow students to obtain information if they’re struggling with more traditional methods.”
Learning through experience can prepare students for the real world more than many think. Belvia Ofusu-Frimpong, an undecided freshman, had a positive impact from the same experiential learning program as Longoria, preparing her for college and her future in the workforce.
“My involvement in experiential learning has definitely made me become more open-minded and accepting of things that I have learned and I feel like that is what college is all about to an extent,” Ofusu-Frimpong said. “I had to open my mind to have new and better ideas added to the way I think to not only better educate myself, but help me grow as a person.”
One way to obtain experiential learning is through studying abroad. OU offers many study abroad opportunities every year for all students. Many may find opportunities through the Office of Global Opportunities. Maddy Geiser, senior peer advisor for Office of Global Opportunities, had more insight into these opportunities.
“You get to touch the soil and learn from the people of whatever place you’re visiting,” Geiser said. ”It definitely changes the way you see the world and can show you how to apply the things you learned about in school.”
There are plenty of scholarships through OGO and other offices and programs all around campus to minimize the cost of traveling abroad. Aside from financial obligations, one of the most important aspects is the knowledge one can gain by getting involved.
“I wouldn’t say we learn more than what we learned in school, but we learn deeper,” Geiser said. “We learn in a different fashion. We learn valuable things that we can take with us for the rest of our lives.”
