Two-Year College Programs

Experiential Learning & Professional Success

Experiential Learning & Professional Success
Section 8

Career awareness and preparation
Section 8.1

One essential aspect of chemical education is to prepare students for a broad variety of career opportunities. Chemistry courses at all levels best serve students and society by increasing awareness of the transforming power of chemistry  and by providing opportunities for students to consider and experience such careers.

For chemistry-based technology programs, which focus on immediate employment, internships and co-ops are especially important. Participation in these types of learning experiences is also important for students who may struggle in traditional academic settings. In addition to increasing student awareness of the many and varied career options presented by the broader chemical enterprise, the experiential learning opportunities outlined in subsequent sections provide students the opportunity to demonstrate career readiness outside of the traditional classroom setting.

Essential Components

  • Students are made aware of potential careers in the field. 
  • Transferable skills, such as critical thinking, verbal and written communication, collaboration, and workplace ethics and professionalism are emphasized.

Successful Practices

  • Students are prepared for the conditions they will experience upon employment. 
  • Students are provided with and trained to use resources, equipment and facilities appropriate to the regional employment opportunities.

Aspirational Goals

  • Activities such as internships, cooperatives, research, job-shadowing, job-based simulations, and mentorships can provide the necessary exposure; programs identify these or other opportunities that will best serve the long-term career interests of their students.   

Experiential Activities
Section 8.2

Scholarly experiential activities allow students and faculty members to integrate and reinforce chemistry knowledge, develop their scientific and professional skills, enhance their safety and risk assessment skills, create new scientific knowledge, and add new contributions to other knowledge bases. Although implementing and sustaining such projects is a resource-intensive process, including but not limited to: faculty time, laboratory space, instrumentation, chemical literature, supplies, and student stipends, the investment is justified by its positive impact on student learning and the richness it adds to students’ and faculty members’ scientific experiences. Increased student-faculty member engagement has also been shown to increase student success.

Essential Components

  • Inclusion of some type of student-centered experiential research and/or job-centered activity. 

Internships/co-op experiences

  • Include general goals and objectives related to the academic and professional goals of the student.
  • Have a clearly defined beginning and end, as well as a job description outlining desired qualifications.
  • Provide supervision and routine feedback by a qualified, experienced professional.
  • Employer-provided resources, equipment, and facilities provide appropriate financial compensation or academic credit.

Successful Practices

  • On-campus internships and research projects are acceptable alternatives to external program partners.

Internships/co-op experiences

  • Include the development of transferable skills,
  • Include workplace conditions similar to those that interns will experience upon full-time employment.  
  • Include a tangible contribution to the larger body of work of the organization.

Aspirational Goals

  • Experiential activities provided by program partners ultimately hire the program graduates. 

Internships/co-op experiences

  • Include specific goals and objectives that relate to the hiring organization. 
  • Provide appropriate financial compensation and academic credit.

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