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This resource helps university instructors design meaningful experiential learning (EL) opportunities that equip students with the skills they need to support community partners through advocacy and knowledge translation activities.  

What is Advocacy in the Context of Experiential Learning? 

A process by which students apply academic knowledge to raise awareness, influence public opinion, or promote policy or social change in support of their community partners’ identified priorities and needs. 

What is Knowledge Translation in the Context of Experiential Learning? 

A process of translating knowledge from one format to another in ways that are useful, accessible, and meaningful to community partners and their audiences. In an EL setting, students may also engage in a two-way process of knowledge sharing and knowledge co-creation with their community partners.  

Why incorporate Advocacy and Knowledge Translation into EL Courses at Queen’s? 

When staff, faculty, and students work alongside community partners to co-create EL opportunities with outcomes related to advocacy and knowledge translation, we support partnerships that enrich student learning while addressing real-world challenges. When grounded in concepts of reciprocity and mutual benefit, these opportunities provide students with foundational skills that will help them advance social impact now and into the future. 

Design Process 

1. Begin with Collaborative Co-Design of Student Placements and Projects 

• Early Engagement: Involve community partners from the outset — co-create project goals and expectations. Explore ways to minimize resources required from community partners. 

• Mutual Benefit: Ensure that both student learning and community needs are being advanced by the course learning objectives. 

• Clarify Community-Identified Goals: Understand whether the community partner desires public awareness, policy change, fundraising support, behavior change, etc. 

2. Ground Students in Key Skills 

• Incorporate Skills Assessment and Reflection: Encourage students to assess their current skill sets, reflect on the specific skills they’ll need for success in their EL opportunity, and to set intentional goals around how they’ll develop those key skills during the experience. 

• : Advocacy and knowledge translation activities in an EL setting require students to use and develop a wide range of skills in particular contexts and settings. The Queen’s Skills Cards provide an excellent starting place for grounding students’ learning in key skills, while still offering them opportunities to identify additional advocacy or knowledge translation skills specific to their EL opportunity.  

3. Integrate Critical Reflection Throughout 

• Multiple Opportunities for Reflection: To help students engage in deeper levels of critical reflection during the experience, create opportunities for reflection before, during, and after the experience:  

4. Structure Projects with Clear Deliverables 

• Defined Outputs: Agree with community partners on concrete outputs (e.g., social media toolkits, policy briefs, infographics, awareness campaigns, events, workshops). 

• Audience Identification: Students should identify who the "knowledge users" or advocacy audiences are — policymakers, the public, funders, etc. 

• Timeline and Milestones: Break the project into stages (research, draft, feedback, final product) to ensure scaffolded learning. 

5. Support from Course Instructors 

• Outreach and Ongoing Communication: Make connections with community partners and facilitate discussion and co-development of projects. 

• Facilitate Reflection: Explore ways to incorporate community partners into the reflective process as part of the knowledge-exchange process. 

• Networks and Disciplinary Knowledge: Leverage professional networks and use disciplinary knowledge to support the advocacy and knowledge translation work of the students and community partners. 

6. Ethical and Responsible Engagement 

• Consent and Representation: Teach students about informed consent for sharing community stories, knowledge, or identities. Provide students with processes for gathering informed consent during their projects. 

• Respect Community Contributions: Ensure that student work adds value to the community and wherever possible, the community should retain ownership of the outputs of the project.  

7. Celebrate and Disseminate 

• Explore Options for Dissemination: Work with students and partners to select formats for disseminating their project outputs in ways that best reach their intended audiences. 

• Documentation: Help ensure the sustainability of projects by encouraging students and partners to create documentation that the partner can use beyond the end of the course. 

Sample Activities for Projects and Dissemination  

• Create a plain-language research summary for use in community grant applications. 

• Develop an infographic or social media toolkit to raise public awareness about an issue. 

• Draft a policy advocacy brief on a topic the partner wants to advance. 

• Write a persuasive letter to the community partner’s local government representatives. 

• Host a community teach-in where students facilitate public workshops. 

• Create office/instructional manuals, procedures, or policies for a local organization. 

• Write a newsletter or record a podcast for a specific audience. 

• Record an oral history project to preserve and disseminate community knowledge. 

• Host a public showcase of the students’ projects using plain-language poster boards and/or short presentations. 

Supporting Resources   

• EL Hub Consultation: Book a consultation with the EL Hub at any time in your course or program development process. 

• Experiential Learning Faculty Toolkit: Resources, tools, and templates to help you design and implement high-impact experiential learning opportunities in a time-effective manner. 

• : Physical and digital set of cards describing a comprehensive list of skills that Queen’s students can develop during their studies, and that correlate with workplace skills employers seek.

• A guide to help students map SDG goals with career paths and opportunities that align with their values. 

• EL Workshops: Visit the EL Hub Faculty Toolkit website to see a list of workshop topics and fill out our ‘Request Form’. Customized workshops can also be developed to suit your course.

References 

Alghalyini, B., Zaidi, A. R. Z., Khaled, R., Adem, F., Alswes, M. A., Hafez, B., & Zaidi, F. Z. (2024). Developing a tool to evaluate the impact of a student-led community-engaging health promotion project on knowledge translation skills in medical students. BMC Medical Education, 24(1), 1534 

Hoffman, S. J., & Silverberg, S. L. (2015). Training the next generation of global health advocates through experiential education: A mixed-methods case study evaluation. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 106, e442-e449. 

Lenoir, B. W., & Van Metre, A. (2024). Leveraging experiential learning to increase undergraduate students’ advocacy skills and political efficacy. Communication and Democracy, 58(2), 284-303. 

Mauro, E., Manià, K., Ubels, N., Holroyd, H., Towle, A., & Murray, S. (2024). Reciprocity in Community-Engaged Learning: A Case Study of an Undergraduate Knowledge Exchange Project in an Over-Researched Urban Community. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 30(1). 

Patel, M., Chahal, J., & Simpson, A. I. (2021). Teaching advocacy through community-based service learning: A scoping review. Academic Psychiatry, 1-10. 

 Stoecker, R., & Tryon, E. A. (Eds.). (2009). The unheard voices: Community organizations and service learning. Temple University Press. 

Below is a list of elements to consider when designing reflection activities.  By incorporating these principles into the design of reflection activities, you can help to ensure reflection components encourage critical thinking and support learning objectives. These principles and questions suggest additional content students can explore to enrich their reflection. 

1. Design Connections between Theory & Practice 

Design course reflection activities that encourage students to make connections between academic learning and professional experience. 

Students may experience a tension between theory and practice. This is a good thing because it encourages your students to think critically about both learning spaces (classroom and workplace). As a curriculum developer you can develop exercises that challenge your students to develop new perspectives on coursework informed by their experience in the professional sphere. 

Sample Reflection Questions: 

1. What aspects of the experiential learning (EL) activity relate to classroom instruction? 

2. In what ways did your academic studies prepare you for the field? 

3. In what ways did classroom theory differ from what you experienced in the professional sphere? 

4. In what ways could your knowledge of course material be applied in the workplace to improve processes or other aspects of work?

2. Draw Connections to Broader Social Issues 

Students tend to be more engaged with learning when it has personal relevance to them (their career, prior experience, interests), and when they see connections with larger social issues (ecology, sustainable development, financial ethics). Reflection activities can encourage your students to draw connections between their experience in the professional sphere and broad social issues. 

Sample Reflection Questions: 

1. What aspects of the EL activity relate to broader social issues which interest you? 

2. Have you learned anything during your EL activity that has reshaped your opinion or understanding of a larger social issue? 

3. What knowledge or skills that you have learned in the classroom could help you make a positive change in the world? 

4. Describe how your EL activity changed the way you would approach a future project in your field (infrastructure project for a civil engineer; development project for a global development studies student, etc.) 

5. Has your experience in the professional sphere changed your feelings about what type of company or work you plan to be involved with in the future? If so, explain how. 

3. Encourage Self-Assessment 

Depending on your course learning objectives it may not be enough for students to reflect on 'how they felt' during an experience. This is an important first step in reflection but it may not go far enough towards enhancing the learning experience and achieving learning outcomes. Reflection activities can be designed to encourage your students to examine their role in the EL activity, its impact on how they perceive themselves, their future role in the profession, and their role in the wider world. 

Sample Reflection Questions: 

1. Would you participate in this experience again? Why or why not? 
2. If you could change one thing about your role in this experience what would it be? 
3. Name one thing you will do differently in your next professional experience? 
4. What have you learned about yourself (strengths, interests, career goals) as a result of this experience? How has this informed your future professional, academic or personal goals? 

Self-assessment reflection activities are also useful in helping students to question their assumptions about the world, the profession and their place in both. Throughout the experiential learning process, learners can be prompted to pose questions, experiment, solve problems, and construct meaning. 

Sample Reflection Questions:

      1. How did your experience change the way you look at global development? 

2. Through the experience did you become aware of any personal assumptions or biases that you previously held? Why did your perception change? 

3. Has the experience changed the way you would approach future development efforts? What in particular would you change about your approach? 

4. During your EL activity did you utilize perspectives and skills from disciplines other than your own to achieve a goal or complete a project? How might you use interdisciplinary knowledge in the future? 

5. Based on your recent experience in the field, what areas of academic specialization would benefit you the most in future professional work? Are there areas of study you need to focus on? If so, how will you accomplish this? 

4. Link Back to Course Learning Objectives 

Learning outcomes are usually provided to Queen's students at the beginning of a course in order to encourage students to take ownership over their learning experience, to help shape the experience, and also to encourage the development of metacognitive skills. Reflection exercises can be utilized to encourage your students to connect the EL activity with course learning objectives. 

Sample Reflection Questions: 

1. Describe the internship in reference to course or program learning objectives. Use specific examples to explain what you learned during your experience. Why is this knowledge important to you? 

2. If you were the course designer, what learning objective(s) would you add to the course description? Explain why you think the learning objective(s) should be added and what benefit you believe it would provide to future students. 

5. Encourage the Development of Workplace Skills 

If the EL activity is in a workplace, curriculum developers may want to identify the development of transferable workplace skills as part of the program's learning objectives. We recommend using the to guide goal setting and reflection. For many students this will be the first chance they have to experience a professional environment, and it is an invaluable opportunity for them to learn about the skills and knowledge they are gaining through classroom and co-curricular activities transfer into the workplace. Networking, leadership, business communication, and expectations around quality and consistency of work output are all potential areas for learning. 

Reflection activities can help students identify, frame, and refine the skills they may be learning in the experiential learning environment. What is more, structured reflection activities can help students become more adept at communicating what they have learned - a vital skill for job interviews. 

Sample Reflection Activities: 

1. Would you describe the project you worked on as a collaborative effort with contributions from many parties, or was it accomplished mainly through individual work? Do you think this was the best way to achieve the results? Why? 

2. Have you noticed or experienced communication challenges among team members during your current project? Why do you think this is happening? Is there anything you can do to improve the quality of communication on the team? 

3. Looking back on your EL activity, was there someone you worked with closely or admired at the organization? What do you believe are that person's core qualities or strengths? How do these qualities help this individual succeed in his work? 

4. What have you learned about professional communication in the workplace? How would you communicate differently in a similar environment in the future? 

5. Did you receive any feedback about communication or other transferable skills that changed the way you approached relationships with people in the office? If so, describe how. 

6. What networking techniques helped you develop relationships with other employees during the internship? What advice would you give to another student who might consider an internship at the company in the future? 

6. Link to Future Behaviour 

Reflection questions can encourage your students to take action to improve their workplace experience and then apply it to future professional contexts. Both reflection questions below are copied from guideline number five above. These examples include a question that prompts the student to apply what they have learned to future professional behaviour. 

Sample Reflection Questions: 

1. What have you learned about professional communication in the workplace? How would you communicate differently in a similar environment in the future? 
2. What networking techniques helped you develop relationships with other employees during the internship? What advice would you give to another student who might consider an internship at the same company in the future? 

The way that Experiential Learning (EL) is designed and implemented plays a critical role in ensuring that our diverse student population benefits from this high-impact teaching practice that leads to increased engagement in curricular learning as well as improved employment outcomes. Research tells us that students from equity-deserving communities have not had equitable access to opportunities that help build work experience and may face significant barriers during the various phases of an experiential learning or work-integrated learning course or program.

This drop-down provides an overview of I-EDIAA considerations to support EL course developers and facilitators as they explore the ways in which they can increase access to these opportunities for equity-deserving students, as well as how to structure the experience to create meaningful and inclusive student engagement with the learning opportunity. 

Barriers to Participation or Positive Engagement in Experiential Learning 

Equity-deserving students may face systemic, institutional, and individual at all stages of an experiential learning opportunity.  Barriers may be related to financial means, familial commitments, visible and invisible disabilities, geographic mobility, language barriers, lack of professional networks, and systemic discrimination, such as stereotypes, biases, and racism.  These barriers can result in a lack of awareness about opportunities, a hesitancy to apply or enroll in an EL course, feelings of not belonging during an experience, misalignment of expectations and outcomes, and potentially negative experiences such as harassment or microaggressions.   

For a fulsome review of strategies that can be implemented to address I-EDIAA related barriers to experiential learning, the EL Hub has integrated detailed and specific I-EDIAA considerations and suggestions throughout the tools and resources found in the EL Faculty Toolkit.  The following is an at-a-glance list of some of the potential barriers to creating and delivering inclusive and accessible experiential learning opportunities at each stage of an EL experience: 

Course Design, Promotion, and Host Organization Outreach 

• Course pre-requisites and application processes, such as GPA requirements, having to apply multiple semesters in advance of a course start-date, medical testing, vulnerable sector checks 

• Lack of clarity around process for requesting accommodations 

• Costs associated with the experience and access to funding 

• Lack of flexibility in terms of timing and/or length of experience, location of experience (i.e. remote vs on-site options) 

• Course/program promotion that is narrow in scope and may not reach diverse audiences 

• Limited opportunities for students to express accommodation or travel needs that may be required due to their intersecting identities  

• Lack of host organization commitment to I-EDIAA in their mission, vision, and values 

• Limited range of host organizations; may not reflect students’ varying needs and interests4 (e.g. location, sectors, missions, values, accessible sites) 

• Host organization inability to support equity-deserving students and create, accessible, inclusive and welcoming environments 

Before the Experience 

• Limited job search training provided within the structure of the EL course/program  

• Students’ lack of access to professional networks when asked to find their own EL opportunities/placements 

• Host organization bias in screening and interview processes and/or inability to provide accommodations 

• Insufficient pre-departure trainings and risk management processes; students going into EL settings unaware of: 

  • their workplace rights and responsibilities; 

  • how to disclose or request accommodation; 

  • how to recognize and report sexual violence (including sexual harassment), harassment, discrimination, health and safety concerns; 

  • strategies for successful integration into a new workplace; 

  • who to contact in they are experiencing any challenges or uncertainties during the experience; 

  • how academic considerations will be applied if they are unable to complete their EL opportunity. 

During the Experience 

• Lack of opportunities for anonymous student feedback on the experience 

• Limited communication or check-ins between instructor and host organization supervisors 

• Host organizations being unaware of who to contact in case of concerns 

• Lack of protocols for responding to critical incidents, including (but not limited to) harassment, discrimination, sexual violence, injury or discontent with the experience 

• Limited opportunities for students to engage in guided reflection with their instructor and/or peers 

• Lack of built-in time for students to learn about the organization’s policies, procedures, and values. 

After the Experience 

• Limited opportunities for debriefing and reflecting on the experience 

• Reflective learning activities and assessments that do not account for diverse preferences for personal reflection 

• Limited opportunities for students to make connections between the EL opportunity and their skill and career development 

• Lack of mechanisms to evaluate the impact of the experience on students and host organization 

Example Resources for Students: 

• Online I-EDIAA Modules for Underrepresented Students: Queen’s has developed a set of online micro-modules to support underrepresented students access internships and work-integrated learning opportunities.  The links to these resources, found in the Instructor Guide, can be embedded into onQ courses or shared via email.  These 30-minute modules can be completed as a whole or completed individually based on your student’s needs and interests.  

  • Module 1 Assessing Employer Commitment to Equity and Inclusion 

  • Module 2 Navigating Disclosure 

  • Module 3 Requesting Accommodation 

  • Module 4 Know Your Rights: Understanding Your Rights as a Work-integrated Learning Student in the Workplace  

  • Module 5 Microaggressions 

  • Module 6 Conflict Resolution and Challenging Conversations 

  • Module 7 Understanding and Responding to Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Violence in the Workplace 

Resources for Instructors and Program Coordinators  

Resources for EL Host Organizations: 

• Onboarding New Interns: A Checklist for Partner Organization, Queen’s EL Hub 

For many people, thinking about risk management is like deciding if they would take a shortcut down a dark alley at night. They are concerned about what might be lurking within and could cause harm, thus forcing a decision to either take a risk by using the shortcut or avoid it altogether by pursuing a longer route. Fortunately, risk management does not have to be alarming or burdensome. When practiced correctly, it can be an efficient and effective process within experiential learning opportunities.

Risk is defined as the potential for positive or negative outcomes. The definition is broad and therefore serves to bolster existing opportunities by increasing resiliency and reducing uncertainty. As educational experiences move beyond the traditional classroom environment, students are exposed to a wide variety of hazards, and universities are subject to increased scrutiny regarding their own legal liability. This fact only heightens the need for a tried and tested risk management process within. The desired outcome of risk management in experiential learning is to provide opportunities that are safe, robust, and satisfying for all parties involved. Ultimately, this effort encompasses a diverse group of stakeholders including students, faculty, staff, community partners and others.

The Risk Management Cycle

To promote a safe environment within an experiential learning opportunity, stakeholders are empowered to address a number of risk-related questions:

• What can go wrong?
• How likely is it to occur?
• What are the consequences if it does occur?
• How can the hazard’s likelihood of occurrence and severity of impact be eliminated or reduced?

Fortunately, these questions can be consolidated into a four-phase framework: identifying risk, assessing risk, managing risk, and monitoring risk. These four phases comprise the risk management cycle in experiential learning.

1. Identify Risks – What can go wrong?

It is important to note that different experiential learning activities will require different answers to this question. To simplify the process, consider the following categories:

• Transportation – are students required to travel? Is the method of transportation provided by the university, community partner, or personal travel?
• Location – will students work or travel in locations considered high-crime or high-risk? Does the physical location present additional risks? (i.e. dangerous worksite).
• Project Activities – will students use power equipment or dangerous tools/chemicals? If so, who is responsible for providing an orientation, safety training and personal protective equipment to students? Are there intellectual property questions? Who will have the ownership of the work output, if applicable? (i.e. research publications?)
• Special Populations – will students interact with high-risk or marginalized populations? (e.g. minors, elderly, homeless, prisoners, persons with mental or physical impairments etc.)
• Community Partners – is this a new partner to the university? If not new, what has been the experience with this partner? Are there any external factors to consider such as the partner’s reputation or industry standards?
• External Factors – consideration for any other unique or pan organizational risks to be considered (e.g. pandemic conditions)

While the above represents an example of factors to consider, it is impossible to devise a “one size fits all” strategy that can address vastly different experiences simultaneously and comprehensively. Therefore, each experiential learning activity must be reviewed independently to identify unique risks.

2. Assess Risks – How likely is it to occur? What are the consequences if it does occur?

The next step takes identified risks and ranks them based on their perceived likelihood of occurrence and severity of impact resulting in a list of prioritized risks. Defining risk priorities enables faculty, staff and students to make informed decisions about how to effectively address those risks.

In the context of experiential learning, the assessment process can require an approach that is more qualitative and subjective than quantitative and objective. For example, it may be possible that no student has ever been injured in a fieldwork course that requires outdoor foot travel/hiking. However, it is reasonable to predict a slip and fall during the activity is possible or even probable. The assumption might not be scientifically measurable but is something that should be considered in this phase.

One commonly used tool to assist the risk prioritization process is a risk map. Risk maps are helpful because they visually illustrate where an identified risk falls along an established risk continuum. The completed risk map classifies hazards into high, medium or lower risk categories.

Some risks may not be placed onto a risk map as they are related to certain policies and procedures that may impact whether a student can participate in the experiential learning. The Off-Campus Activity Safety Policy (OCASP) applies to all members of the Queen’s community involved in university-sanctioned activities that take place off campus. Experiential learning activities are sanctioned by the university so they fall under the purview of the Policy. The Policy establishes a framework for planning, risk-assessment, preparation and support of all off-campus activities and it defines the responsibilities of those involved in these activities

3. Manage Risks – How can the hazard’s likelihood of occurrence and severity of impact be eliminated or reduced?

Managing risks will help students enjoy a rich, rewarding experience while providing the university greater protections against liability. This is where practical, actionable strategies can be implemented to promote safety and resilience. Managing risks can be done in concert with community partners and risk management options consist of the following strategies.

• Treat – the process of selecting and implementing measures to modify the risk, making an unwanted event less likely, or softening the effects if it does occur. Examples include pre-program or on-site orientation/training and an overview of the learning site (location, scope of work, safety procedures, transportation, background checks etc). Another risk treatment is redesign of a risky activity. For example, can risky fieldwork be conducted in a less hazardous location? Contract/Agreements with community partners can also provide legalese protection to the university through the appropriate language and clauses (i.e. indemnity, roles and responsibilities, insurance).
• Transfer – a strategy where the burden of bearing a loss is shifted from one party to another. This can be accomplished by purchasing insurance which protects the university if a covered lawsuit is brought. Insurance related information and queries can be directed to the university insurance office. Another example is liability waivers which serve to inform participants of the nature of an activity, the inherent risks with the activity and the potential consequences if those risks materialize.
• Terminate – if all other risk management treatments have been exhausted and the burden of institutional liability is too great, complete termination of the activity may be necessary. For example, if sudden political unrest or an armed conflict springs up, it may be prudent to cancel all travel to the affected area.
• Tolerate – it is impossible to eliminate all risks that may accompany an experiential learning program. Upon implementation of risk management strategies, we must consider the need to tolerate residual risk that remains in the learning opportunity. It may be necessary to accept a certain threshold of risk to complete the program.

4. Monitor Risks

The last component of the risk management cycle is to continually gauge the effectiveness of the risk controls and adjust them as needed. It is important to obtain feedback from students and faculty throughout learning opportunities to evaluate how risk management controls areworking. These individuals have unique perspectives that may validate the mitigation strategies or reveal unexpected hazards.

It is impossible to guarantee that any experience will be free from interruptions, uncertainty, or harm. This is true of traditional classroom settings as well as experiential learning contexts. Therefore, as we identify avenues for students to engage with real-world problems and meet needs in the larger community, we endeavor to incorporate risk management best practices into experiential learning by proactively identifying, assessing, managing, and monitoring the risks present in these opportunities