Spring 2013 - Oglethorpe University

engaged campus community
A-
Lab
Atlanta Laboratory
for Learning =
New Experiential
Enterprise
By J. Todd Bennett
The value of liberal arts
Ask any Oglethorpe graduate if their education
prepared them for the future and you’ll likely
hear a resounding “yes.” But, the case for the
value of a liberal arts education sometimes
can be difficult to make. While employers
say they want graduates with the ability to
reason, analyze and problem solve—the very
skills developed by a liberal arts education—
the mantra “we train you for nothing, but
educate you for anything” is a tough pill
to swallow for financially strained families
looking at a six-figure investment. Students
and their parents want to know that a college
will not just educate, but prepare students for
a career.
In our most recent survey of admitted
students, experiential learning (internships,
research, study abroad) ranked highest
in importance among academic and
co-curricular decision factors, followed
by undergraduate research opportunities
and a career-focused curriculum. Our
challenge is to provide both a strong
theoretical foundation and hands-on,
real-world application.
Experiential learning
Since 1944, the Oglethorpe Core has served
as a model for integrating the disciplines
to develop strong critical thinking skills.
Experiential learning builds upon that
model as students test that knowledge out
in the world and apply new learning to old
constructs. As with the Core, we have long
offered experiential learning opportunities,
but we have yet to take full advantage of our
unique position as a high quality liberal arts
institution located in a major international city.
The university has made great strides in recent
years with the founding of three centers for
experiential learning activities:
> Center for Civic Engagement
> Center for Experiential Learning
> Center for International Studies
(opening in 2013–2014)
Oglethorpe has already multiplied the
opportunities offered to our students and
expanded our partnerships with organizations
in Atlanta and abroad. However, they are
not yet differentiating Oglethorpe in the
competitive higher education marketplace.
In fact, most universities large and small,
urban and rural, classical or vocational, have
centers much like these. Therefore, we must
take advantage of these centers, our location,
and unique Core curriculum by combining
them to create something even more powerful.
Introducing the Atlanta
Laboratory for Learning
Is it a place? A program? A place to experiment?
An experience? The answer is “yes.”
The Atlanta Laboratory for Learning, or A-Lab
for short, is all of those things and more. The
A-Lab will serve as a symbol, both on and off
campus, of our commitment to exceptional
engagement between theory and practice
and will, by its very name, embrace the city of
Atlanta as OUR laboratory.
With the opening of the new campus center,
we will bring all of our experiential learning
centers together under one umbrella, in a
single, highly visible location. The A-Lab will
become the new front door to the world beyond
our campus walls. The physical place, and the
programs within, will serve as an incubator
((top) A rendering of a future A-Lab meeting
room; (middle) Dr. Jeffrey Collins’ class gathers
el fresco during a short-term study abroad trip
to Italy; (bottom) Professor Roarke Donnelly’s
Urban Ecology class learns about Atlanta’s
BeltLine project
for the development of new ideas and novel
ways to test classroom learning. The A-Lab
will open doors for students and support their
experiences. And those experiences will be
ambitious, even adventurous.
An integrated approach
Oglethorpe’s Core emerged from the premise
that sequenced, integrated learning across
disciplines results in a stronger intellectual
foundation. Each course or experience affects
the way students approach the next, and
gives new perspective to courses in their
major discipline.
Oglethorpe will take a similar approach with
the A-Lab, helping students to gain additional
perspective as they apply their learning in
the world around them. These experiences,
ranging from internships and career planning
to service and international study, will build
upon their intellectual foundation while also
building a resume.
With all three of our experiential learning
centers housed in a single location, students
will be able to get information about
volunteering, service learning, internships,
career planning, study abroad and travel, all
in one place.
A prominent feature of the A-Lab’s physical
space is “the Exchange”—a large, highly
configurable, collaborative workspace and
resource center designed to foster creativity,
exploration and the open sharing of ideas and
experiences. Because the A-Lab is about active
experience, the aesthetic of the location will
emphasize student engagement in activities—
and of course, Atlanta. Global learning
happens here, too, so Atlanta’s role as a leading
gateway to the world will be featured in the
imagery that adorns the walls.
This physical location is more than a matter
of convenience. Indeed, uniting these three
experiences—organizationally and physically—
brings other benefits.
Imagine the possibilities
Through integration, new and expanded kinds
of experiences can emerge. Now, a service trip
abroad combines “civic engagement” with
“global learning.” What else might we create
when we fuse together these three components
in novel ways?
> Imagine an incoming freshman having one
stop to start creating a comprehensive fouryear
experience plan, much like their fouryear
academic plan...and both are integrated
from the start.
> Imagine the formation of an A-Lab
network that brings our Atlanta partners
together with our faculty, alumni and staff
to mentor students and open doors to
career opportunities beginning as early as
freshman year.
> Imagine a creative space that allows
students with diverse academic backgrounds
to seamlessly collaborate both with each
other and with our Atlanta partners.
> Imagine that because the A-Lab simplifies
the process and expands the benefits, it
provides yet another reason for Oglethorpe
to be a school of choice—both for prospective
students and potential partners.
The prospects and possibilities are exciting
and endless.
Why the A-Lab?
> Helps students apply what they learn
through an integrated approach to
experiential learning
> Creates a defining feature that, along
with the Core, will differentiate the
university in a highly competitive higher
education marketplace
> Emphasizes the relevance of an
Oglethorpe education
> Strengthens Oglethorpe’s ties to Atlanta
corporations, agencies and nonprofits
Source: Admitted Student Survey, 2012.
8 CARILLON | spring 2013
spring 2013 | CARILLON 9