By Don Stenta and John Raskauskas
The International Experiential Learning Institute (IELI) experience ties professional development in experiential learning with a sense of place.
The most unique aspect of this experience is the immersion in the history and culture of the city of St.
John’s Newfoundland and Canada as a whole.
There is no other focus on experiential learning that links so directly to local culture values and climate.
The history of this city and province help inform the learning community that is developed; people from this area are giving and kind and generous. These values allow deep trust to form in shaping a learning community where every participant not only is there to learn for him or herself but can also help teach and inform others. The development of such a learning community helps reinforce theoretical concepts related to experiential learning.
The unique location of St. John’s contributes to the close knit learning that takes place among professionals that attend.Collegiate recreation professionals will be better connected to experiential learning theories that help inform the work we do in outdoor adventure, intramural group fitness, facility management, aquatics, and across our entire profession. Beyond just becoming familiar with the theories collegiate recreation professionals at IELI will more importantly be able to understand how to connect the theories to our practice. These connections will continue to offer insight into how collegiate recreation programs services and facilities assist with student learning and academic success.
Last year the International Experiential Learning Institute included material authored by Dr. Susan Komives Professor Emerita from the University of Maryland College Park. This year Dr. Komives will be IELI scholar-in-residence!
The 2014 IELI experience will include two full days of content led by Dr. Komives. She is the leading authority on college student leadership development and she has mentored countless doctoral students who are now moving the leadership agenda forward. Dr. Komives served as a member of the team that developed the Social Change Model of Leadership and she will link this model with a number of experiential learning theories to provide opportunities for in-depth study immersion analysis application and reflections for impact on our practice. Every professional who attends will regard this experience as a “best professional development opportunity” because of the close engagement we will have with Dr. Komives.
The 2014 IELI is a special opportunity to connect with colleagues in the midst of a unique learning environment for a fantastic institute. The inaugural International Experiential Learning Institute in 2013 experienced full capacity! Demand was so high that the program has added space for an additional 40 participants this year. Don’t miss out on your chance to attend this incredible event! The early bird registration deadline is May 1. Register today!
