Integrating Experiential Learning Into The Curriculum and Call For Collaboration
By Carolina Kuepper-Tetzel
This blog post is a bit different because it includes a call for collaboration at the end. But first, I’ll give some context what this is all about.
This academic year I have moved into a new role: I’m the new Experiential Learning Lead at the School in Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Glasgow. In this role, I will be reviewing and creating opportunities for students to obtain practical, hands-on experiences during their studies that can help them develop crucial employability skills and explore future career avenues. The new Learning and Teaching Strategy 2036 at the University of Glasgow specifically highlights experiential learning as one strategic pillar in their vision statement: “Our vision is for all our students to have a high-quality, research grounded, educational experience that is futures focused, experiential and globally oriented” with “work-related elements will be built into all programmes” (Learning & Teaching Strategy 2036).
Indeed, involving students in experiential, work-based learning opportunities contribute positively to affective learning outcomes such as motivation, engagement, and confidence, but also enhances socio-communication skills (1). For example, I have taught a service-learning course for many years now where students learn about effective learning strategies and then design ‘How-To-Study’ workshops that they deliver to pupils in local schools in and around Glasgow (2). Teaching that course is one of the most rewarding aspects of my work. Students report how their confidence and communication skills increase through service-learning and our school partners keep returning year on year to continue the collaboration. Students also get to explore potential careers and find out what they enjoy or don’t enjoy. My experience with service-learning aligns with research into its benefits for students, community partners, instructors, and universities (3).
However, service-learning is only one way to engage students in experiential learning. In the past two months I have had the chance to learn about many more ways to implement experiential learning into the curriculum. It feels as if I have entered a brilliant rabbit hole. The Careers, Employability & Opportunity department at Uni Glasgow has developed an Experiential Learning Continuum to support identifying the range of practical, work-related opportunities (see figure below). I find the overarching categories of ‘Learning about work’, ‘Learning through work’, and ‘Learning in work’ helpful because it helps teachers to signpost to students where experiential learning is already happening. Students may not realise that specific classroom activities already involve opportunities that are directly connected to skill development or career exploration (e.g., real-world examples, guest speakers, problem-based learning). The framework also encourages designing new opportunities that move from classroom to workplace settings.
When it comes to experiential learning it is not only important that these experiences are authentic, but that they also provide students with agency (1). Agency can be achieved when students participate in the experiential learning activities. For example, employer-led challenges offer a structure for students to address a task set by an organisation. Within the set parameters, students have room to approach the task in different ways (i.e., agency). However, student agency can also happen as part of designing these experiential learning opportunities in the first place. Consequently, I set up an Experiential Learning Think Tank with Year 2, Year 3, and Year 4 undergraduate students in Psychology to co-create experiential learning opportunities with them – not just for them. As a first task, we will identify where experiential learning is already taking place and which categories are represented (i.e., learning about/through/in work). In a follow-up step, we will create plug-in activities to enhance experiential learning in underrepresented categories. The idea is to develop a toolbox for teachers with ready-made activities that they can use in their classroom.
Call for Collaboration
Working with students and implementing experiential learning into the curriculum in my department are first steps, but what I would like to do, too, is connect with Higher Education institutions world-wide to exchange ideas and share best practice on how you implement experiential learning in your classrooms. These experiential learning opportunities can range from guest speakers and problem-based learning to placements. If you are interested in collaborating, I’d love to hear from you. My hope is to produce a cross-institutional experiential learning resource covering different institutions and disciplines that is available for everyone to use. This resource would also give you an opportunity to share your experiential learning approaches and materials which could be a first step towards preparing a piece for publication about it. That is only one idea of what we could do as a collaborative on this topic. I’m open to hear your ideas. Here is a very short form for you to indicate your interest in the “Implementing Experiential Learning into the Curriculum” initiative.
References:
1. Duchatelet, D., Cornelissen, F., & Volman, M. (2024). Features of Experiential Learning Environments in Relation to Generic Learning Outcomes in Higher Education: A Scoping Review. Journal of Experiential Education, 47(3), 400-423. https://doi.org/10.1177/10538259231211537
2. Kuepper-Tetzel, C. (2025). Service learning: applying knowledge through community service. Psychology Teaching Review, 31(1), 87-91. 10.53841/bpsptr.2025.31.1.87
3. Kuepper-Tetzel, C. E. (2026). Service-learning as an innovative teaching practice and how to make it successful. In Traci A. Giuliano and Jenny Nissel (Eds.) Teaching High-Impact Courses in Psychology (pp. 59-70). Edward Elgar Publishing. ttps://doi.org/10.4337/9781049400648.00013
