York University has advanced its leadership role in experiential education (EE) through the creation of the YU Experience Hub. To support the University’s efforts in experiential education, a new YU Experience Hub website has been created that will provide information and support for all EE stakeholders including faculty, students and community partners.
“Experiential education bridges learning theory and practice by providing students with concrete, applied practical experiences and then helping them reflect on these experiences using the theoretical knowledge they have learned,” said York University’s Associate Vice-President Teaching and Learning William Gage. “And so it is with great pleasure that we announce the establishment of the YU Experience Hub website to continue the support of York’s experiential education priority.”
The new YU Experience Hub website provides expertise and a range for supports for students, faculty and community partners. This includes providing information and support to community members searching for faculty partners, a student guide to experiential education and an experiential toolbox for faculty seeking support for their EE initiatives as well as many other resources.
As it evolves, the YU Experience Hub will become the home of a database of community partners, standardized and simplified risk management documents and procedures, and will offer logistical support. Easily recognized by community partners and other stakeholders looking to engage in experiential education, the YU Experience Hub will promote best practices and showcase the breadth and depth of work underway at York University to foster experiential education opportunities in the classroom, community and workplace.
“I also am pleased to announce the formal appointment of Kathleen Winningham as director of the YU Experience Hub,” said Gage. “Kathleen brings more than 20 years’ of experience in the field of experiential education in the postsecondary sector. Most recently she has been the manager of experiential education in the YU Experience Hub. Her mandate is to support and enhance a pan-University approach to experiential education.”
In her new role Winningham will be responsible for an integrated and unified approach to engaging with EE stakeholders, prevent service duplication and optimize the use of resources. Specifically, she will work to support opportunities to develop new community partnerships and provide an access point to link community partners with appropriate individuals within the Faculties to engage in EE. Winningham will also manage a team that supports Faculties in administering internships and co-op programming.
“Please join me in congratulating Kathleen and we look forward to her continued contributions to York’s commitment to enhancing the student learning experience through experiential education,” said Gage.
For more information about the YU Experience Hub, contact Gage at avptl@yorku.ca, or Winningham at kwinning@yorku.ca.