While your coursework provides you with technical knowledge and skills, experiential learning applies what you're learning in the classrooms to real-world situations. Develop transferrable skills, realize your passion, and interact connect with your community with Stevenson's Experiential Learning opportunities.
Service learning at Stevenson allows you to apply the knowledge and skills that you’ve learned in the classroom to meet a genuine need in the community. Service learning engages you in authentic, real-world experiences to help you better understand course content and reflect upon possibilities for personal and social change.
When you participate in service learning, you become skilled in relating theory with practice, while experiencing a sense of civic responsibility, building connections with the community, and enhancing your employment opportunities after graduation.
In some courses, service-learning is an integral part of the class. A typical service learning course requires an additional commitment of approximately 2-3 hours per week serving the community, or a total of 20-30 hours per semester.
Enrolling in service-learning classes benefits you academically, personally, and professionally. The following are a few ways service-learning enhances your educational experience:
Benefits of service-learning also extend to faculty and community organizations. Faculty report enhanced teaching due to the practical application of the more theoretical concepts discussed in the classroom. It also provides opportunities for research, connections with community organizations, and outlets for professional expertise. Meanwhile, community partners receive valued service and institutional support which enhances the organization’s capacity to achieve their mission.
For more information about service-learning, contact Dr. Christine Moran.
Undergraduate research provides an opportunity for students to conduct original, independent research in their academic field under the mentorship of Stevenson faculty or an off-campus mentor. Students apply the knowledge gained from course work to original research questions and hone their critical thinking, technical, and communication skills in the context of a professional research setting. Undergraduate research allows students to experience what it means to be a scholar in their field, working at the forefront of a discipline and advancing knowledge.
Many opportunities exist for students to engage in undergraduate research in many programs, including independent research courses, capstone research experiences, summer research experiences, work study, and research assistant positions. Students are encouraged to discuss specific opportunities with their academic advisor or department chair. The Office of Sponsored Programs and Research also offers information on many off-campus and summer research opportunities.
Contact us at research@stevenson.edu for further information.