3 Part 2: Being On-Site

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1. Maximizing Your Experience

• Active Engagement: You will have a rich experience if you are fully engaged each time you are on-site. Try to brainstorm questions to ask, seek feedback, and take on new challenges when possible.
• Reflective Practice: As mentioned above, one of the essential parts of the applied and integrative learning process is reflection. You are encouraged to reflect on your experiences to understand what you are learning, and how you can apply that learning in the future.
• Documentation: You are strongly urged to keep a journal or portfolio of your projects, tasks, and reflections, as these can be useful for future job applications and interviews.
• Journaling Strategies: You may be assigned specific journal prompts or other reflective assignments by your instructor, but you can also reflect or journal on your own. It can be very helpful to have a few structures for your journal entries ready – sometimes, the act of answering a specific prompt will draw out learnings or reflections we didn’t know we had. Below are a few examples of journaling strategies and prompts, adapted from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/best-practices-in-community-engaged-teaching/:
  • Critical Incident: Explore a significant event that occurred on site. Answer questions such as, ‘Why was this event significant to you?’ ‘What did you learn from this event?’ ‘How will this event influence you, your thinking, your behavior, and/or your choices in the future?’.
  • Three-Part Journal: This type of journal is intended to be kept each time you visit your site. It is divided into three parts: description, analysis, and application. In the description section, describe some aspects of the applied learning experience. In the analysis section, analyze how course content relates to the applied learning experience, and in the application section, comment on how the experience and course content can be applied to your personal or professional life.
  • Double-Entry Journal: In this type of journal reflection, you describe your personal thoughts and reactions to your on-site experiences on one side and write about key issues from class discussions and/or course materials on the other. Explore the relationships between the two by drawing arrows to indicate relationships, including notes about the nature of the relationships as relevant.
  • Interpersonal Reflection: Reflection may happen in conversation with your peers, either inside or outside of a classroom context. You are encouraged to recognize insights you may have as valid reflections about your experiences and document them.
• Have Fun! You are encouraged to find ways to have fun with others on-site and enjoy the process of connecting with new people and organizations. Having fun will support you in many of the other areas outlined in this guide, including reaching goals, building relationships, seeking support, etc.

2. Building Relationships

Relationships are a critical resource to applied and integrative learning – both to you personally as you navigate your experiences on-site, and to your understanding of the broader challenges and issues that you encounter.

This section will focus on tips to support you in building interpersonal relationships in your applied and integrative learning experiences. There are also many resources available to support you in analyzing the web and networks of stakeholder relationships that might shape your experiences on-site.

Quick Relationship-Build Tips:

• Create two-way relationships/mutually beneficial relationships. 
• Keep in mind that everyone has something to give and offer.
• Ask questions! When you meet with someone, make use of and respect that person’s time by coming prepared with thoughtful questions and approaching the conversation with respect. People will be more likely to share with you if they feel respected and considered.
• Maintain open and professional communication: Strive to maintain open and professional communication with your supervisors, mentors, and peers. For example, following up on meetings and expressing gratitude for support and guidance are important.
• Use your student status to your advantage and aim to connect with people in a variety of ways! People tend to be open to supporting your learning; many of us have been students in the past and will recognize your efforts.
• Mentorship: Seek mentors in your applied learning site, ask for their guidance, and try building relationships based on mutual respect and learning.
• Networking: Conference attendance can help you to engage with colleagues and industry professionals. You are also encouraged to participate in relevant discussions in your field and when possible, attend networking events.

Quick Networking Tips:

• Take advantage of LinkedIn and other social media. For example, you can use LinkedIn to stay connected to people you meet on-site, to follow what they are doing, and keep up with them.
• Explore professional organizations and networks. Look for people who are connected to or working in organizations you’d like to be in. Find ways to connect with them and ask them questions.
• Volunteer your time. Volunteer as a way to connect with others, whether you volunteer within or outside your field or area of interest. As you connect to causes and people and demonstrate your skills, you will more easily network with people who may more readily remember you for opportunities. You also learn transferrable skills that you can use in the future.

3. Cross-Cultural Awareness

• Awareness of Cultural, Linguistic, and Other Kinds of Diversity/Cultural Humility: Depending on your site, you may be encountering people from different cultures and/or countries; who speak different languages than you do; who hold different beliefs and perspectives; who are of different identities and abilities. You are encouraged to be prepared with tools to help you navigate those differences, such as translation apps, and to enjoy the process of learning about others. This CDC article shares more information about cultural humility.
• Participating in Applied Learning as an International Student: As an international student, you may encounter systems, customs, behaviors, processes, etc. that are unfamiliar or even seem foreign or strange to you. You are encouraged to observe these differences with an open and curious mind. If you leave your site with questions, find an instructor or mentor you trust to discuss them.
• Assume Best Intent. You may occasionally have a conversation or encounter that does not go the way you intend or that you do not fully understand. It can be helpful to assume the best intent of the person or people involved – whether that is your site supervisor or someone else you are working with.
• Ask for Help! If there is something you don’t understand, or something about what you are experiencing is provoking to you, ask for help to process it! Your peers and instructor are important resources in navigating your experiences in a way that is sensitive to differences.

4. Balancing Academic and Applied and Integrative Learning

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• Time Management: Keep in mind the importance of planning when going through the applied and integrative learning process. It will require organization and effort to effectively balance your academic workload and applied and integrative learning obligations appropriately. Tools such as calendars, planners, task lists, etc. could be helpful.
• Prioritization: Prioritization is also vital during your applied and integrative learning process. This is because managing multiple deadlines can easily become overwhelming for example, as a result, each assignment must be given priority based on deadlines and importance, making sure that adequate time is allocated for study and applied and integrative learning.

 5. Seeking Support and Resources Utilization

• Resources: Students are encouraged to utilize all available resources to enable them to have a successful applied and integrative learning experience.
• Academic/Faculty Advisors: A regular meeting with a Faculty Advisor to seek advice and discuss progress is important during the applied and integrative learning process.
• Peer Support: The support that can come from leaning on one’s cohort cannot be overly stated. You are encouraged to share experiences and reach out to one another as you go through the process.
• Institutional Resources: Your university likely has lots of resources that can help you as you go through this process. You are encouraged to take advantage of all available resources, including career and counseling services.

Reach Out to Your Instructor Right Away If You Encounter an Uncomfortable Situation. Remember that you have resources at your disposal if you encounter a difficult or uncomfortable situation – do not hesitate to use them! If something happens on-site that you are uncomfortable with, speak with your applied learning instructor as soon as possible.