Experiential Learning and Community: Examining the University's Teaching Mission

Institutional autonomy, private interests, and relevance are central themes in the evolving discourse on the nature and role of higher education. Whether pushing institutions to become more responsive to industry and labour market demands or resisting these very pressures, leaders and policymakers insist that universities must adapt. Experiential Learning and Community explores the changing role of the university, with a particular focus on how the rise of experiential learning (EL) is reshaping teaching and learning. Through the lens of EL, universities are balancing two core principles: fostering an engaged citizenry and democracy, while also equipping learners with the skills needed for a prosperous economy. As EL rapidly expands in various forms – such as work-integrated learning like co-ops and internships, as well as community-engaged student placements such as service learning – universities are extending their reach far beyond the campus. The book asks: Should universities fully embrace EL? If so, how can institutions and faculty adapt to this fundamental shift in their core mission? Are community partners now equal collaborators with a voice in pedagogy and curriculum? And perhaps most importantly, are students better served by this emergent EL approach to teaching and learning? Experiential Learning and Community addresses these questions when universities, communities, and learners urgently need answers.

Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations 1. Introduction: Experiential Learning in Town Michael Buzzelli Part 1: Learners and the Intra-Institutional Lens 2. Moving beyond Simplistic Perspectives on Experiential Learning and Graduate Employability Ville Björck 3. When Logics Collide: Experiential Learning and Intra-Institutional Dynamics Emerson LaCroix 4. Mission on the Fly? Experiential Learning in Search of Principles and Ethics Michael Buzzelli Part 2: Partners and Networks in the Community 5. On Experiential Learning through Social Innovation, Social Enterprise, and Social Entrepreneurship in Canadian Universities: An Institutional Complexity Perspective Peter Milley 6. Actively Involving Primary Stakeholders in Experiential Learning Catherine M. Giroux, Kaylee Eady, and Katherine A. Moreau 7. Dismantling Colonialism through Indigenous Storytelling, Experiential Learning, and Town-Gown Collaboration Carolyn Bjartveit, Roy Bear Chief, and Hannele Gordon 8. Experiential Learning as Community Engagement and the Need to Attend to Equity Rebecca Collins-Nelsen, Hannah Egert, John Maclachlan, and Sandeep Raha Part 3: EL and Local Governance 9. Recasting Master's Level Geographical Education through Experiential Learning: University-Community Connections for Social Development and Environmental Protection in the Emilia-Romagna Region of Italy Elisa Magnani, Matteo Proto, and Michele Manocchi 10. Experiential Learning for Sustainability: Grand Challenges and Local Communities Guus Dix, Corelia Baibarac-Duignan, and Ben Jongbloed 11. A Dance of Dilemmas: The Local-Global Possibilities of Experiential Learning in Higher Education for Sustainable Development Marin MacLeod, Moni Kim, and Perri Termine 1 2. Afterword Contributors Index

About the Author :
Michael Buzzelli is director of the Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance at the University of Western Ontario.