The Experiential Learning Requirement (ELR) at Elon University allows students to combine knowledge learned in class with experiences outside the classroom. Students may satisfy this requirement by completing an internship, studying abroad, conducting independent research, participating in service learning or holding a leadership position. By the time graduation rolls around, most students have completed multiple ELRs.
Paul Miller, director of undergraduate research, said students don’t just do this to satisfy a requirement or complete a checklist.
“I don’t think people conceptualize it that way,” Miller said. “I think their motivation is something else that they want to get out of undergraduate research. It happens to satisfy an ELR. I don’t think they’re driven to satisfy their ELR by doing undergraduate research.”
Senior Jeffrey Flitter agreed, saying he unofficially completed all the ELRs.
“The two areas I have been most involved with at Elon have been service and leadership positions, but I haven’t done either of the workbooks because I just didn’t see the purpose,” Flitter said.
Miller said ELRs are “strong learning experiences” that set Elon apart from other universities, especially when incoming students are looking into Elon’s programs.
“It’s not just a checklist,” Miller said. “It’s very intentional. What are you getting out of this experience? What’s a reflective component?”
Beyond the classroom
Study abroad is another reason potential students find Elon attractive.Kevin Morrison, director of study abroad and assistant dean of global studies, said the school is fortunate because study abroad is a prominent feature of the Elon education.
“Students come knowing it’s something they want to do,” he said. “So I think we’ve got self-selected students coming. Students choose to study abroad because it is an opportunity to gain a new perspective on the world and to go someplace different. Sometimes it’s nice to get off the Elon bubble.”
While the research ELR can allow students to research something they’re passionate about, study abroad offers “an excitement factor,” according to Kevin Morrison. He said there’s a “spirit of adventure that’s being satisfied.”
Miller explained that, for some people, research seems like a daunting task. It’s the faculty’s job to support students to take that risk. He said the only thing the faculty can do is keep mentoring and supporting students to do research and be visible on campus.
“You can’t sit down and do a research project all at once in an afternoon,” Miller said. “I think once students start to engage the process they realize, ‘I’m going to do this a bit at a time, and it’s a developmental progression.’ It becomes a really meaningful and enjoyable learning experience.”
Mary Morrison, assistant dean of students and director of the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement, agreed with Miller, saying ELRs are “the hallmark of an Elon education.”
“We’re all about experiential education,” Mary Morrison said. “We believe, and there’s plenty of research to show, that it’s one of the most effective strategies for student learning.”
Elon’s statistics show that service learning is the second-highest way students satisfy their Elon experience. Eighty-five percent of students complete volunteer service, a close second to the 87 percent of students who complete internships.
“Of all the ELR experiences, first-year students have the most engagement in service, either through academic service- learning courses or through the ELR service workbook,” Mary Morrison said.
Because students become involved in service at the beginning of their college careers, Mary Morrison said they’re more likely to continue throughout their time at Elon, but she would like to see more of it.
“We would very much like to encourage faculty members to use academic service learning as part of the pedagogy in their classroom, and we think there’s opportunity in all kinds of disciplines for that,” she said.
Study abroad comes in third in the ranking of Elon experiences. Seventy-two percent of students study abroad during their four years, and that percentage continues to grow.
“We have a goal of 100 percent access,” Kevin Morrison said.
He said Elon intentionally presents experiential learning, and it is explicit about the fact that experiential learning is valued in addition to classroom work.
Mary Morrison said the students who volunteer in the Kernodle Center office express that ELRs are the reasons they chose Elon.
“One of the reasons they chose Elon was because it was clear that there was a strong value and emphasis on community engagement and service learning,” she said. “I think it is one of the reasons students choose this university. I think many other universities are looking more closely at experiential education because they see how impactful it could be.”
Continuing to grow
Incoming students and freshman are now required to complete two ELRs, instead of one, to support further development across the floor.“The eight percent of students who were not completing two were less likely to be employed or not get into grad school,” said Connie Book, associate provost for academic affairs and professor of communications.
Miller said this growth aligns with Elon as an institution.
“We’re always looking to grow, we’re always looking to be better and offer the best educational program we can possibly have,” he said.
Kevin Morrison said the ELRs are beneficial because they display Elon’s commitment to engaged learning in a way other schools don’t explicitly do.
“I think it shows that Elon values that learning is a holistic process and not just something that is done in a classroom,” he said. “We really do recognize that learning happens outside of the classroom, and that learning can be incorporated into what is inside the classroom.”