Experiential Learning
“Learning By Doing”

What is Experiential Learning?

Experiential Learning occurs when students engage in direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills and clarify values. At College of the Canyons, educators create opportunities for students to learn from experience through service, internships and job placement. These opportunities also provide students with career exploration, job preparation, a better understanding of community and civic responsibility, and personal development aimed at assisting students to be successful for life after college.

How to Get Started

Career Services, Cooperative Work Experience Education (CWEE) and Service-Learning are three departments at College of the Canyons that work together to provide students with experiential learning opportunities. Students may find it helpful to start with Career Services to explore careers and majors and speak with advisors about career choices. Further exploration can be achieved through involvement in an internship or service-learning opportunity depending on the time availability students have each semester.

Career Services

Career Services assists students and community members with career exploration and the job search process. Through one-on-one advisement, assessments, workshops and available resources, we can better prepare you to make successful job and career choices. We can assist you with the following:

• How to explore majors and careers
• How to conduct a successful job search
• How to create an effective resume
• How to improve your interview skills.

For more information, stop by our office at Seco Hall-103, or call us at (661) 362-3286

Cooperative Work Experience Education (CWEE)

The Cooperative Work Experience Education and Internship program is designed to “Connect College to Careers,” strengthen student learning and improve the likelihood of career success by:

• engaging students in enhanced on-the-job learning opportunities at their present workplace
• providing meaningful PAID and unpaid internship opportunities to students of all majors
• helping students apply the skills and knowledge acquired in their academic coursework while adhering to generally accepted business principles, standards and work ethics
• Research shows that students who participate in work-based learning programs such as CWEE, Internships and Service Learning, find full-time jobs faster and earn more money than classmates who do not participate

Students earn elective units by using the community as the classroom and completing independent career related assignments.

For more information, visit our office in TY-105, or call us at (661) 362-3309 or (661) 362-3681

Service-Learning Center

We believe students can make valuable contributions to the world as they gain challenging educational experience. We strive …

• to increase community involvement and strengthen leadership skills through direct service,
• to connect community-based work with academic study,
• to build meaningful relationships between members of our college and our community.

Through Service-Learning, College of the Canyons prepares an educated citizenry for service to society, but also makes a deliberate contribution to helping solve significant social problems. Service-Learning provides the occasion for the dedication of the College's resources to meet the pressing civic, social, and economic needs of the region.

For more information, visit the Service-Learning Center in the Student Center, Room S-111
Call us at (661) 362-3231 or (661) 362-3422