As part of the Designing the Future(s) of the University, one of the ideas we’re kicking around redefines the boundary between the classroom and all of the other parts of a student’s life.
There’s a lot going on as part of “all the other parts of a student’s life.” For Georgetown students, it includes student clubs, where the organization designs activities to support the organization’s mission. It includes community activities, tutoring in literacy, and other skills. It includes on-campus activities like the Corp and other jobs. It includes internships in the DC area. It includes jobs for pay in organizations in the DC area. It can include work and intern experiences outside DC, sometimes in other countries. It includes work as a research assistant in other institutions.
One of the findings from talking with alumni around the country is that these “non-class” experiences can have large educational benefits. Looking back, they appreciate these experiences deeply. They provided organizational skills, time management techniques, interpersonal and interactional skills, critical problem solving skills, and writing skills. Many report choosing their careers based on these experiences. Those who pursue an academic curriculum relevant to these work experiences appear most deeply appreciative of the experiences.
If we ignore for the moment the traditional boundaries between credit-bearing courses and on-campus academic research, on one hand, and “all the other parts,” on the other, it seems that the total educational experience as a Georgetown student is much larger whole than the academic curriculum acknowledges. Why have we not formally recognized that?
How much more powerful could the educational experience of a student become if the academic and work-experience parts were integrated? Could the classroom experiences be sequenced and integrated into the work experiences in a way that the student would advance and mature in their knowledge and skills more effectively? Could wage-bearing employment, integrated with academic work, help to reduce the burden of tuition on families and students?
Some of these ideas are not at all new. Many universities have co-op programs that are structured so that students work full-time at various points of their academic program and then go to school full-time. It’s quite common among our graduate students to be working full-time and pursuing a program part-time.
It seems like an idea worth reflecting upon for Georgetown for several reasons. We know that many students come to Georgetown to take advantage of the unique institutions in the nation’s capital. Undergraduates flock to Capitol Hill, think tanks, global NGO’s, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and scores of federal agencies, to work as interns. Although faculty provide some help on these placements, students take on much of the outreach themselves. Graduate students seek out experiences that are directly relevant to their academic pursuits, to practice what they’re learning in the classroom.
Georgetown has been here for 225 years; students are just passing through. Could the institution not develop strategic alliances with employers in DC that have work environments relevant to academic programs on campus? Could we not identify experiences on the job that are deserving of academic credit? How could we assure academic rigor in such hybrid courses? Could we have on-campus experiences that use some of the on-the-job experiences as teaching materials? Would some of the employers with such a structured alliance offer salaries to the students for their labors? What implications would such a program have on the academic progress of the student; would it lengthen the time enrolled; would it enhance long-term career prospects? Would the programs improve the research productivity of faculty by providing new research problems the employers face in their businesses?
In short, if we made more permeable the membrane between DC work opportunities and Georgetown academic programs, could we make a better Georgetown?
Thousands of Georgetown students already work – for Georgetown. HE is at a crossroads where much is in need of reinvention. Could more Georgetown students be put to work on these issues right in our own back yard?
This post is right on the money. When I was senior government major in the College 40 years ago, I got a job working at the White House. I worked full time (including Saturdays) and also carried a full time academic load. The experience I gained dovetailed with my academic studies and the people I met there mentored me for a successful career in government service.
Focusing on these kinds of opportunities and leveraging our alumni network — “many of them are us” — the University can facilitate and broaden this unique option that our Washington, DC location provides.
I loved this post as I am passionate about ‘redefining the boundary between the classroom and all of the other parts of a student’s life’. I think Georgetown is already off to a great start! My academic experience – and relevant curriculum – as well as my involvement in certain student groups such as DC Reads definitely guided me towards my current career in education. I am indeed appreciative of my experiences at Georgetown. I think opening this dialogue and sharing these ideas is crucial for Georgetown generations to come! Thank you, Provost Groves!