Co-Curricular Resources

Please Select an Opportunity

Work Study 
On-Campus Work Experience 
Short-term Internships 
Teaching Assistantships 
Research Assistantships
Volunteerism
Student Clubs and Associations
Student Leadership
Student Government
Community Engaged Learning 
Living Learning Community
Entrepreneurship
Career Preparation/Professional Development

Note: In order for the activity to be experiential learning in nature, it must meet all of the Experiential Learning Principles, including recognition on the Co-Curricular Record.

Work Study

Work study examples including recreation and athletics and library placements

Definition: Paid part-time work experience offered by the university for eligible students who demonstrate financial need.

Examples:

Resources:

  • Western’s Work Study Program offers an opportunity for students to work part-time on campus in jobs that accommodate their studies. On-campus employment can play an important role in skill development, goal realization, career exploration and preparation, and increased student engagement (McClellan, Creager, & Savoca, 2018). In 2018-19, a pilot project was introduced, which saw participating Work Study Supervisors and students engage in a number of structured activities (goal-setting, critical reflection, self-assessment, and evaluation) aimed to enhance the overall Work Study experience. The activities utilized for this pilot project undertaking have been provided below.
  • Information from the Registrar's Office: Work Study
  • Sample Check-In Documents: Check-In 1, Check-In 2, Check-In 3 (Student Copy, Supervisor Copy)
  • Information: International Student Work Opportunities Program (ISWOP)
  • Book: McClellan, G., Creager, K., & Savoca, M. (2018). A good job: Campus employment as high-impact practice. Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing, LLC.

Highlights

"Being a supervisor in the Work Study Pilot program gave me an opportunity to better understand my student's goals and objectives, and to work with them to increase their specific skill sets to help prepare them for employment. It also allowed me to further consider what my needs and learning outcomes for their roles should be, to ensure that the students received the best experiential opportunity possible." - Deborah Coward (Communications Manager, Sports and Recreation Services, Student Experience)

"Being a work study student has been such a wonderful opportunity since I have the privilege to work on campus near all my class and get paid for the work I do. I also enjoy the work I do, harnessing my skills and refining them, in order to one day be able to successfully apply them to the workforce. This year, work study positions have changed a bit, since they can now be added onto our co-curricular record. This is something that has been very helpful, especially for me, since I plan to attend law school after completing my undergraduate degree. One of the prerequisites for attending is having a well-balanced record, which is fulfilled through this addition. This is such a great initiative since many work study students like myself find themselves with a shortage of time. I also appreciate the additional support and check-ins given to me through Deborah. These check-ins have helped me directly address which areas I would like to improve, which in turn raises efficiency in our office/department." - Michelle Paredes Apunte (Work Study Student, Student Experience)

Students working at campus recreation facilities, and on campus

Definition: Paid work experience offered by a Faculty or administrative unit.

Examples:

Resources:

Internship contexts in wind-tunnel, office environment, and production plant

Definition: Paid, supervised work experience during a single academic term.

Examples:

Resources:

Instructors teaching a concept to pairs of students

Definition: Paid work experience offered by the University through which graduate students carry out supervised teaching-related duties.

  • Contact our Graduate EL Coordinator to explore embedding experiential learning within your Graduate Teaching Assistantship

Highlight:

"I found today’s workshop helpful because the skills we practiced can translate to any job search, regardless of whether or not the position is within academia. I meet a lot of people who don’t really know what Anthropology is or why it is useful, so I definitely feel the pressure to communicate my strengths and experience in a way that will be palatable to people from outside my own area of study. I think the interactive nature of this workshop was really useful because it allowed us to leave with something tangible - an actual template for how to highlight our skillset in the future." - Lauren Gilhooly, Graduate Teaching Assistantship Experiential Learning Pilot Project

Definition: Paid work experiences offered by the university through which graduate students carry out supervised research-related duties.

  • The University is working to explore ways to embed experiential learning in these valuable student experiences.

Volunteer experiences such as O-Serves and ASB-Serves CEL. Students planting trees, maintaining outside space, and painting a community window.

Definition: Students participate in university-sanctioned, unpaid activities or projects with community organizations.

Definition: Approved or recognized student-led groups based on shared interest or goal (e.g. Autism Awareness Western, Athletic Clubs).

  • Note that not all clubs are experiential learning in nature. Contact the Experiential Learning Unit to learn more about experiential learning within this context.  

Definition: University-sanctioned opportunities for students to develop their skills while contributing to the Western community

Examples:

Definition: Representative bodies of elected students who advocate for constituents, provide leadership and service, facilitate programs, and may potentially oversee student fees.

Examples:

CEL Opportunities such as Habitat for Humanity site build and construction and Global CEL experience group photo

Definition: Students engage in non-credit project, developed collaboratively with a (local, national, or global) community partner, that has mutually beneficial outcomes (e.g. Alternative Spring Break, Western Serves Network).

Examples:

  • Explore our new Community Engaged Learning website to learn more about co-curricular forms of CEL.

Definition: Residence students live in intentionally-designed learning communities that are framed by shared values, common interests, or academic discipline, and participate in a series of structured learning outcomes.

Examples:

  • Faculty-based Learning Communities
  • Interest-based Learning Communities
  • Lifestyle-based Floors

Resources:

 

Students crafting and honing their entrepreneurial work in the Propel space

Definition: Engagement in organized activities related to entrepreneurship and innovation (e.g. hack-a-thon, incubator, pitch competition).

  • Contact Propel to learn more about entrepreneurship at Western.

Definition: Intensive work undertaken to explore career interests and develop professional skills (e.g. mentorship, workshop series).

Examples: