{"id":80733,"date":"2026-07-13T00:30:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T04:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=80733"},"modified":"2026-07-13T00:30:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T04:30:20","slug":"experiential-and-work-integrated-learning-arent-the-same-and-it-matters-for-higher-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/experiential-and-work-integrated-learning-arent-the-same-and-it-matters-for-higher-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Experiential and \u2018work\u2011integrated\u2019 learning aren\u2019t the same \u2014 and it matters for higher education"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Experiential learning programs are ubiquitous in post-secondary education. Formalized in the mid-20th century, experiential learning is defined by the\u00a0Association for Experiential Education<\/a>\u00a0as a teaching philosophy that engages learners in direct experience and focused reflection.<\/p>\n

My research has looked at\u00a0the changing ways that universities and others have spoken about the purposes of experiential learning in Canada<\/a>. I have noted that, over the past decade or so, there has been a movement\u00a0from community service-learning, and community-based research<\/a>, to a newer and overarching term of \u201cwork-integrated learning.\u201d This suggests the purposes of experiential learning have been reconfigured. The shift in the language from \u201ccommunity\u201d to \u201cwork\u201d has not been accidental.<\/p>\n

Through this research, and as a director of a community service-learning program in a faculty of arts in a research-intensive university, I am concerned that across higher education, experiential learning is often being reduced to align with short-term labour market outcomes.<\/p>\n

In doing so,\u00a0policymakers and higher education institutions<\/a>\u00a0risk reducing the quality of our students\u2019 education.<\/p>\n

Job training has been shifted onto education<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Canada boasts a highly accessible system where nearly\u00a0two-thirds of adults hold a post-secondary credential<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The expansion of experiential learning responds to this reality. Researchers still point to a \u201cgraduate premium\u201d in lifetime earnings for people who completed post-secondary education, particularly a university education. Yet some have noted that this premium is diminishing. Post-secondary education has become\u00a0a basic criterion for future work rather than a lucrative advantage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Governments and families tend to view experiential learning as a way to align qualifications with employers\u2019 needs through internships and co-ops. Simultaneously, corporate Canada has\u00a0shifted the responsibility and costs of on-the-job training onto post-secondary institutions and students<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Government funding\u00a0per student has declined, while tuition has risen<\/a>, especially in the most competitive programs.<\/p>\n

Students rightly worry about whether their investments will pay off. This is especially the case amid\u00a0high youth unemployment<\/a>\u00a0and market volatility.<\/p>\n

A philosophy of teaching and learning<\/h4>\n

But should experiential learning be designed primarily for labour market outcomes?<\/p>\n

Goals for experiential learning programs have been diverse, and have included increasing knowledge, developing skills like critical reasoning, clarifying values and building the capacity to contribute to communities.<\/p>\n

Experiential learning has undeniably assisted students\u2019 transition into careers. Yet as it has emerged in the humanities and social sciences, experiential learning is a philosophy of teaching and learning that builds human capabilities beyond a narrow focus on labour market skills.<\/p>\n

Experiential learning theories have been informed by\u00a0insights about how knowledge arises<\/a>, the social-justice-oriented\u00a0education movement<\/a>\u00a0of the 1970s and beyond, and\u00a0psychological learning theory<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In my own context, experiential learning encompasses community service-learning, studying abroad, creative innovation, performative practice and undergraduate research as well as work experience.<\/p>\n

Connected to purpose of higher education<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Rather than a corrective to the academic mission, experiential learning is a means of its accomplishment. So what is the point of university education?<\/p>\n

I ponder this question from the perspective of a human\u00a0capabilities approach<\/a>\u00a0within the humanities and social sciences \u2014 concerned with, as higher education scholar Melanie Walker elaborates,\u00a0developing student agency and well-being in concert with broader social change towards greater justice<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For Walker, there are both intrinsic and external purposes and student motivations to participate in university education:<\/p>\n