In 2013, the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education developed the Office of Engaged Learning to track and promote hands-on, experiential learning activities happening across campus.
In 2023, the IUB 2030 strategic plan determined that expanding experiential learning opportunities was necessary to provide an exceptional academic experience for all undergraduate students and uniquely prepare them for the careers of the future.
This decade of development is now culminating in the rollout of the Experiential Learning Activity (ELA) designation, which will mark equitable activities that involve (1) the application of academic knowledge to real-world experiences, (2) active engagement in enhancing career-relevant skills, (3) IU-based mentoring and supervision with regular, meaningful feedback, and (4) structured critical reflection.
Since summer 2024, the ELA designation has been further refined with provisional engagement and activity types that will track different kinds of experiences. These refinements create a shared framework for staff and faculty to articulate the value of different types of experiential learning.
Activity Types
| Undergraduate Research or Creative Activity |
| Project Based Activities |
| Work Based Learning |
| Study Abroad/Study Away |
| Community Engaged Learning |
| Student Leadership & Employment |
Engagement Types
| Exploratory | Applied | Professional |
| Activities that integrate work contexts in short-term, limited ways, like field trips, observation, authentic case studies, career development modules, etc. | Activities that meaningfully engage with client-led projects, hands-on research, or simulations but that are less than full immersion or semester length. | Activities that focus on students spending a substantial amount of time in a workplace, with or without a small portion of class or university training time. |
The current goal is to have every undergraduate student at IUB complete one ELA during their time at the university. In the future, that goal may specify which engagement types students should interact with over the course of their education. Ideally, there would be enough ELAs available that each undergraduate student could access one ELA a year.
The progression of these experiences will be recorded in an experience profile or record that students can access starting in December 2025. This interactive document will represent the skills students developed through their ELAs and will be shareable on LinkedIn, with employers, and with graduate schools.
All this information and more will be available on the test website, which should be live in early January. Volunteers are needed to provide feedback when the website is ready! To volunteer for user testing, reach out to Cargile Williams at cargwill@iu.edu.
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