Collaboration, innovation key to enriched experiential education

LAPS students social work lobby

In his message to the community, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) Dean J.J. McMurtry invites community members to learn more about the Faculty’s focus on experiential education through new and important initiatives and faculty-student collaborations.

In this month’s “Innovatus,” we’re focusing on our commitment to experiential education and work-integrated learning at the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS).

JJ McMurtry
J.J. McMurtry

I’m excited to share more about some of the groundbreaking work our teams have been focusing on, including launching our first co-operative education option for LA&PS students. This new initiative will open possibilities for our students and give them the edge they need in an increasingly competitive workforce.

I encourage you to learn more about the LA&PS Learning Design Lab (LDL), an initiative designed by the LA&PS Teaching and Learning team under the guidance of Anita Lam, associate dean, teaching and learning. The LDL is a perfect example of how to incorporate work-integrated learning in different teaching contexts.

We also look at how one Dean’s Award for Research Excellence (DARE) project is now available to the public, thanks to the collaboration between faculty and the project’s student researcher. It’s a great example of how DARE is making real-life impacts thanks to the hard work of our students and the excellent mentorship of their faculty supervisors.

Finally, I’m proud to share more about our unique mentoring program Advance YU for Black and women students. In its second year, Advance YU is already accepting applications for 2023-24.

I want to thank our teams at LA&PS for making experiential education a critical part of learning at LA&PS.

J.J. McMurtry
Dean, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies