From the Provost

Why does this expansion matter? 

The driving force behind this expansion is the belief that EL enhances the student experience by complementing traditional classroom learning. By incorporating more hands-on, real-world opportunities, we aim to ensure our students not only learn but also apply their knowledge. These experiences help students build critical thinking, problem-solving, and leadership skills, while also preparing them for the complexities of the professional world. 

To achieve this, it is essential for our faculty to take a leading role in shaping the future of these opportunities. Faculty are encouraged to think about how case-based, problem-based or project-based learning can be incorporated into courses, whether through partnerships, real-world case studies, or opportunities that allow students to solve actual problems. Consider how to better connect theory with practice and how to bridge classroom knowledge with the challenges and opportunities students will face after graduation. 

A unified vision for EL 

IUB’s long-standing commitment to EL spans many of our schools, including Education, Social Work, O’Neill, Public Health, Luddy, the College, and Kelley. These schools have been leaders in areas like short-term study abroad and project-based learning.  

Through programs, courses, and student organizations like the Kelley Institute for Social Impact, the Hamilton Lugar School Global Consulting, the Cybersecurity and Global Policy program, the O’Neill Leadership Program, THRIVE Living-Learning Center, Global Gateway for Teachers, the Media School’s Semester in Los Angeles program, and the Diplomacy Lab, our students have opportunities to engage in meaningful work that impacts both local communities and the world. 

As we continue to expand, it is essential to create a more unified and streamlined approach to ensure that all IU students, regardless of their disciplines, have access to these high-impact opportunities. We are focused on reducing duplication, streamlining EL offerings, and building an integrated infrastructure that tracks student progress while supporting collaboration across schools and departments. Through this, we are aiming that every IU student completes at least one EL activity at an applied or professional level before graduation. 

EL is not a replacement, but an extension 

I want to emphasize that EL will never replace the core academic content we teach in the classroom. Instead, it will provide students with valuable opportunities to apply that knowledge to real-world situations, where theory meets practice.  

EL enables students to engage in experiences such as internships, consulting projects, community service, study abroad, and more—all while reinforcing and enhancing their classroom learning. We aim to expand these opportunities so that every student has the chance to engage in meaningful EL activities that directly align with what they are learning in their academic programs. 

The road ahead  

Over the next academic year, we will be taking significant steps toward formalizing and expanding EL at IUB. Specifically, Undergraduate Education will work toward creating structures to: 

• Approve co-curricular experiential learning 
• Track experiential learning activities 
• Work with faculty to implement an experiential learning requirement 
• Create more experiential learning opportunities for students 

This spring, the Educational Policies Committee (EPC) of the Bloomington Faculty Council will discuss the potential of making EL a graduation requirement for the incoming class of 2025. This is a critical moment in our institution’s development, and we are excited about the positive impact this step will have on the university’s long-term success and the success of our students.  

In closing, I want to express my gratitude to Vasti Torres and Paige Andersson for leading this expansion, as well as to the many faculty, staff, and partners, including David Wild, Isak Asare, and Elisheva Cohen, and the many faculty, staff, and partners who are already doing incredible work in this area. Your dedication to excellence in experiential learning is what makes IUB a global leader in education, and I look forward to continuing this journey together.