Experience-Driven Learning Venture Grant Recipients

Informed by existing experiential-learning investments, improvements and practices, Family Science and Human Development (FSHD) unit faculty seek to expand attainable, diverse and supportive professional learning experiences for undergraduate students majoring in WMU’s child development and services, family studies, and youth and community development programs. The Accelerator Grant investment will bolster the accessibility and impact of FSHD professional experience programming for students; strengthen the well-being of students as they complete a required semester-long internship and transition to a wide variety of roles as early career human-service professionals; and expand undergraduate research and collaboration within existing community partnerships.

The need-based priorities identified and addressed in this project are:

• Expanding community-based research experiences and partnerships.

• Developing subsidized internship opportunities.

• Promoting skills and strategies for personal and professional well-being in the helping professions.

Western is one of the only universities offering a digital marketing degree. In a few short years, WMU’s program has achieved rapid growth and status, winning international awards with an innovative, hands-on curriculum. Through the Experience-Driven Learning Incubator Grant, the Bronco Blitz Digital Career Activation Program will help students in this flourishing young program by funding a rapid professional outreach campaign to introduce the University to major Great Lakes businesses and agencies seeking this type of talent for jobs and internships.

The initiative will help bridge the talent gap by giving more insider hiring information to students, while giving companies better access to WMU talent. The culmination of this program will be the first digital marketing-oriented career fair held on Western’s campus in fall 2024, which will bring both sides together for the beginning of many professional relationships and collaborations.

A student hub that provides practical assistance to students and faculty on appropriate and productive use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Students develop skills to train and share which AI tools are relevant to disciplines across campus. Feasibility of a shared campus effort to create this hub will be the initial focus.

The Educational, Community and Cultural Engagement in Music (ECCE-MUS) project will enhance experiential-learning opportunities for students in the Irving S. Gilmore School of Music. Through partnering with community organizations such as the Kalamazoo Children's Chorus, Gilmore Piano Festival and Kalamazoo Public Schools, the project will bring student teaching artists from education, performance and composition majors to support and collaborate with K-12 students outside of the school day.

Graduates of the Irving S. Gilmore School of Music who participate in the ECCE-MUS project will enhance the musical and educational experiences of children participating in community arts organizations, while receiving applicable, relevant experience in the breadth of careers in music in the public school and nonprofit sector.

The WMU Cold Case Program with the Michigan State Police (MSP) is an immersive, collaborative experience that equips Broncos with some of the essential skills required for careers in law and law enforcement. Students in the program receive training in forensic science, law and criminal investigation tactics. Then they assist detectives in their review of cold homicide and missing person cases. By conducting research that supports detectives in their investigations, Broncos gain hands-on investigative experience, a deeper understanding of the workings of our criminal justice system and potential career paths. Broncos have so far helped detectives give closure to family members of two victims of violent crimes.

MSP’s generosity is seen in a pilot program recently instituted that pays Broncos for their work on cold cases in both posts and crime labs. Thanks to the generosity of the Experience-Driven Learning Accelerator Grant, the program can focus 2024 on finding state funding for the director’s position and ensure the longevity of this worthwhile program.

This project builds on the current practice of providing students with practical experiences while in the public health program at WMU. Key to this project is building a network of public health agencies within Southwest Michigan that can serve as partners in providing paid practical experiences for all public health students. The benefits of this approach are numerous, with the most important being students’ ability to immediately apply concepts being learned within the program to real-life situations, providing students with paid job opportunities that are essential for their resumes and securing sought-after jobs, and expanding community partnerships between local agencies and the University. In addition, implementing this model will set WMU aside as a premier provider of undergraduate public health curricula in Michigan.

InterDisciplinary Experimentations in Art and Science Collaboration Laboratory (IDEAS Collaboratory) is a new laboratory with a collaborative emphasis on experience-driven, cross-disciplinary pollination of ideas between science and art at Western Michigan University. The IDEAS Collaboratory focuses on engaging students and faculty from across the University in science and art research approaches with field, laboratory and studio-based work. Participants experience the nature of collaboration between science and art, building a greater understanding of each others’ viewpoints and one another’s practices as emerging scientists and artists. The IDEAS Collaboratory scaffolds a framework for relevant student experience, while also providing ample openness, opportunity and support for experimentation and risk-taking—where true collaboration unfolds.

Due to the national teacher shortage, Michigan's Grow Your Own (GYO) funding was initiated to allow current public school employees to become certified teachers for free. About 20-25% of the Western Michigan University GYO students enrolled in the undergraduate early childhood and elementary education future teachers program work full-time for schools outside of classrooms, such as in secretarial positions. This grant will provide a more equitable educational experience for up to 18 Western GYO students by providing up to 60 hours of paid pre-internship time with mentor teachers to assist in planning and teaching during summer school. In addition, three student leaders from the GYO program will be funded for 40 hours to help train, place and monitor the interns while evaluating this new learning initiative. Student participants will be placed in summer schools in Calhoun, Kalamazoo and Van Buren counties. What an excellent opportunity for WMU education students to gain valuable classroom and leadership experience, while assisting elementary students during summer school.

The Bronco Challenge for Sustainable Impact is an experience-driven, problem-solving competition to propose solutions to grand challenges embedded in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Environmental and social challenges associated with the 17 SDGs are especially relevant to WMU students who are passionate about addressing issues such as climate change, poverty, human rights and diversity. The challenge is open to students from all majors and at all academic levels. They work over the full academic year in four-person, self-selected, interdisciplinary teams on projects addressing SDGs that are most important to them. Students work not for grades but for prize money that has been donated by corporate sponsors. Based on written and oral presentations of their work, teams are judged by a panel of external experts selected for their knowledge of topics covered by the teams’ projects. The first-place team receives $10,000 to be shared equally by team members and may be used for any purpose. Second and third-place teams receive $6,000 and $3,000 respectively.

Undergraduate research—a high-impact experiential-learning opportunity—increases student engagement and preparation for success at WMU and beyond. Building off WMU’s successful track record of involving undergraduate students in research, innovation and creative scholarship, this project pilots a Summer Scholars program to support an expansion of undergraduate research involvement. Our goals are to build a comprehensive database of current undergraduate research across WMU; pilot a summer program that pairs 10 faculty and undergraduate students for a mentored research experience; assess and evaluate the pilot program; and develop a sustainable funding model for a coordinated undergraduate research program. Anticipated outcomes include increased undergraduate recruitment and retention; promotion of faculty-student connections; strengthened research enterprise at WMU; increased visibility of undergraduate research to alumni and potential industry partners; development of career-ready graduates; and enhanced recruitment into WMU graduate programs.

Undergraduate research has been shown to be incredibly beneficial for both students and universities. Student retention is higher for those who are active in research, and students learn valuable skills for their future education or employment. The WMU College of Engineering and Applied Sciences is implementing a summer research program for computer science, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering and chemical engineering undergraduate students. The objective is to introduce students to research in a way that is accessible to those who cannot or do not traditionally participate. This experience will provide underrepresented students with an opportunity to get a head start on senior design projects.