deepening experience · experiential learning throughout her time at loyola, engaging in...
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IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 | 1
DeepeningEXPERIENCEImpact Report 2015-2016 Center for Experiential Learning
2 | IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016
2 Voices of Experience: Cristina Rodriguez
4 Voices of Experience: Meriem Sadoun
6 Experiential Learning Program Highlights
10 Community Partnerships
12 Student Engagement around Chicago
14 Voices of Experience: Andy Greenia
15 Voices of Experience: Alex Minton
16 Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium
18 Pathways to Social Justice Work
19 Pathways to Social Justice Work: Samia Khan
20 Pathways to Social Justice Work: Gustavo Mendoza
21 Pathways to Social Justice Work: Austin Tolentino
22 Faculty Development
24 Experiential Learning Courses
25 Engaged Learning at Loyola
Letter from the Director
I am always moved by Paolo Freire’s statement:
“Education does not change the world. Education
changes people. People change the world.”
From students serving at diverse congregations in our
communities and interning at social justice organizations,
to students conducting research in hospitals and
community agencies, Loyola students engage and
deepen their experiences all over Chicago. The pathways
Loyola students take to engage their learning vary, but
the breadth and depth of their experience is significant.
Loyola students change themselves and change the
world around them!
Welcome to the 2015-2016 IMPACT annual report from
Loyola’s Center for Experiential Learning! This annual
report features the narratives of Loyola students, in
their own voices, who engaged in multiple forms of
experiential learning at Loyola University Chicago. It is the
story of the Loyola students’ impact on student learning,
community development, and faculty teaching.
The Center for Experiential Learning, in working with
faculty instructors and community organizations, facilitates
the development of high-impact learning experiences
connecting classroom content with real-world experience
– a significant element of the Jesuit education. As Rev.
Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., former Superior General of the
Society of Jesus, stated:
Solidarity is learned through contact rather than concepts. When the heart is touched by direct experience, the mind may be challenged to change. Personal involvement with innocent suffering, with the injustice others suffer, is a catalyst for solidarity which then gives rise to intellectual inquiry and moral reflection.
In this IMPACT report, we see how a Loyola student’s
“heart is touched by direct experience” through service-
learning, academic internships, and undergraduate
research, and articulated through learning portfolios. As
students connect their new learning in these experiences,
they emerge with a new understanding of social justice
and new reflections with critical inquiry – leading to
solidarity and action. Perhaps their stories will lead you to
be “challenged to change.”
In service,
Patrick M. Green, Ed.D.Director, Center for Experiential LearningClinical Instructor of Experiential Learning
Center for Experiential Learning Mission
Advancing Loyola's Jesuit Catholic mission of "expanding knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice, and faith," the Center for
Experiential Learning is an undergraduate curriculum center that collaborates with community, staff, and
faculty partners as co-educators, to coordinate, develop, support, and implement academic
experiential learning for students.
Contents
Loyola students
change themselves
and change the world
around them!”
2 | IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 | 3
Cristina RodriguezSociology and Anthropology (2017)
Cristina Rodriguez has always been an involved
student, but it wasn’t until a semester spent
at Loyola’s Vietnam Center her sophomore
year that she got her first taste of experiential learning.
Volunteering at an orphanage as part of a service-learning
sociology class, Cristina learned a great deal and credited
it with helping her find the benefit of working with others.
In part because of this experience in Vietnam, Cristina
decided to apply for the Social Justice Internship program,
where she was accepted and matched with a position
in the Immigration and Naturalization department of
Catholic Charities. In this role, Cristina worked one-on-
one with undocumented individuals, most of whom
were victims of abuse or assault, to assemble documents
making their case for a visa. This emotional, taxing
work immediately struck a chord: “Working with such a
marginalized population showed me the importance of
using my privilege to be a person with others. My second
week there, I knew it was the type of work I was supposed
to do. I changed my major and my career goals due to the
passion that I developed working there.”
While Cristina had a great initial experience at her
internship, she found that her continued improvement
as an intern depended greatly on the support of her
EXPL 390 academic internship course, saying, “if it were
not for the guidance of this class, my experience would
not have been as beneficial and effective as it was.” In
the spring, Cristina built on the academic element by
conducting a research project in conjunction with her
internship, studying the experiences of undocumented
women. Although her time as a Social Justice Intern has
concluded, her work with Catholic Charities has not. “I am
very happy to say that I have been invited to return to
Catholic Charities as a legal intern for my senior year, and
I am excited to also continue my research study on self-
empowerment in immigrant women. I have also decided
to pursue a graduate degree focused on immigration law.”
Visit Cristina’s learning portfolio at: crodriguez.info
Working with such a marginalized population showed me the importance of using my privilege to be a person with others.”
Service-Learning ➤ Academ
ic Internship ➤ Learning Portfolio ➤ Undergraduate Research
Pictured: Cristina Rodriguez presents her research at an oral presentation during Loyola’s Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium.
Meriem SadounPsychology (2016)
Meriem Sadoun has shown a commitment to
experiential learning throughout her time at
Loyola, engaging in service-learning internships,
learning portfolios, and undergraduate research. “These
experiential learning opportunities were among the
highlights of my undergraduate experience. Through
these opportunities, I was able to study abroad in three
different countries, engage in three different research
projects, and hold two internships. I discovered in myself a
passion for connecting with people and solving problems
through creative research.”
In her last semester of undergraduate study, Meriem
connected her personal and academic experiences to
serve the Rogers Park community at GirlForward (GF),
an organization that works with adolescent refugee
girls to provide mentorship, education and leadership
opportunities in a supportive community. “I definitely see
myself learning more about the countries our clients come
from and the refugee resettlement process. My family and
I are a refugee family from Algeria, and I was very young at
the time. Through GF, I see myself becoming more aware of
what it means to be a refugee in this day and age.”
For her work at GirlForward, Meriem received the Loyola
University Community Engagement Award for Impact in
2016. Her internship mentor, Ashley Marine, had this to
say about Meriem:
“Meriem’s presence has made a significant impact on the
individual girls she works with through our after-school
center. She uses her knowledge and identity to form
strong bonds with individual girls and serves as a role
model for them. Meriem has a unique ability to connect
the individual experiences of refugee girls she meets
with the broader political context occurring in the US
regarding refugees. Her presence has helped make the
entire staff more thoughtful and empowered to stand up
and speak out regarding the rights of those we serve.”
Reflecting upon her path, Meriem saw “a very clear
domino effect,” where each experience opened her eyes
to new possibilities and deeper resonance. “I believe these
experiences have allowed me to get to know myself, and
have given me the liberty to explore my career options, and
the world. As a first-year student, I was sure my calling was
medicine, and I wanted to be a doctor. I realize now that
I still want to help people, not with their health, but with
the acceptance and appreciation of their identity, and their
confidence as a human being.”
After graduating, Meirem is interning with the Muslim
American Leadership Alliance (MALA), recording stories
with StoryCorps to share the stories of Muslim Americans.
“I have learned that I want to do work that makes our
communities more inclusive and build people up to
embrace who they are.”
Academ
ic Internship ➤ Undergraduate Research ➤ Learning Portfolio
Pictured: Meriem Sadoun at her internship with GirlForward, a non-profit organization supporting refugee adolescent girls, and below, presenting at the 2016 Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium.
IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 | 5
These experiential learning opportunities were among the highlights of my undergraduate experience.”
6 | IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016
Academic Internships
Learning Portfolios
Academic internships foster experiential learning that integrates
knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical
application and skill development in a professional setting.
Students enroll in a course at Loyola that grounds the internship
experience in scholarship in order to receive academic credit. With
community partner employers as co-educators, students in academic
internship courses engage in real world professional experiences,
allowing students to “learn by doing” and reflect upon that learning.
of students were in non-profit or public service internships
of students received compensation for their internship work
An electronic learning portfolio allows Loyola
students to demonstrate their knowledge, skills,
and values through a digital collection of their
work. Loyola students begin building a learning portfolio in
their first-year seminar course, and continue documenting
their learning and reflecting on their Loyola experience.
Students’ work culminates in a professional portfolio.
The Loyola Experience serves as a roadmap for students
to identify key experiences, traditions, and high-impact
learning opportunities for all students throughout their
time at Loyola.
The Loyola Experience theme of Engaging Chicago and
the World is captured in the Engagement Key focusing on
the integration of a student’s engaged learning course with
reflection upon the Loyola Mission. A key (pictured above)
is awarded to students who submit this reflection in their
learning portfolio. Thirty-seven (37) students earned their
Engagement Key this year.
1,280 students enrolled in one of 125 academic
internship courses, offered in 31 different disciplines
24%
69%
academic internship community
partners
492
Learning Portfolios by the Numbers
9,071 Learning portfolios
created by students through
academic and co-curricular courses/
programs to facilitate intentional
learning, reflection, assessment, and
professional development
3,263 Academic artifacts*
uploaded to course or program-
based ePortfolios
2,545 First-year students started
building their Loyola Experience
ePortfolio at new student orientation
*An artifact is a piece of evidence included in a Learning Portfolio that demonstrates skills,
abilities, values, competencies, or knowledge. 24 students created culminating electronic portfolios, reflecting on their four years at Loyola in the context of the four themes of the Loyola Experience: Community, Commitment, Engagement, and Create the Future.
Experiential Learning Program Highlights
The internship helped me learn and grow, while the class facilitated my reflections and understanding of my internship.”
31%for-profit
57%non-profit
12%government
8 | IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016
9 Biology Summer Research Fellowships
7 Social Justice Research Fellowships
5 Center for Urban Research and Learning Fellowships
4 Carbon Fellowships
4 Women in Science Enabling Research (WISER) Fellowships
3 Social Innovation and Social Entrepeneur Fellowships
3 Institute of Environmental Sustainability Fellowships
2 Rudis Fellowships
2 Molecular & Computational Biology Summer Fellowships
2 Hank Catholic Intellectual Heritage Fellowships
Service-Learning
Undergraduate Research The service-learning experience
transformed my civic identity from a state of dormancy to one of learning, growth, and action.”
Genevieve Roth enrolled in a service-learning course offered
through the CEL, EXPL 290, and worked with pre-school and
elementary aged children (pictured above) to develop literacy
skills at Jordan Elementary School in Rogers Park
Service-Learning at Loyola University Chicago is a
credit-bearing academic experience that invites
students into our surrounding communities in ways
that stimulate their academic, civic, social, vocational, moral,
ethical, and spiritual growth and development while they
contribute to the common good. Each semester approximately
50 faculty members at Loyola facilitate service-learning
experiences with their students.
2,519 students participated
in service-learning courses
Students provided a total of
113,350 hours of service
123 courses offered
(summer, fall, spring)
31 departments offered
service-learning courses
90%
90%
94%
91%
of students found that the service experience enabled them to work on something of interest to them or that the experience sparked an interest in them.
of students found that the service experience helped them to clarify their values in addition to working with people who they would not ordinarily encounter.
of students were able to learn about the broader context of the social issue they worked on through the service experience.
of students found that the experience provided new/different perspectives about society.
of students felt better equipped to address problems in urban communities. 90%
110 Mulcahy Fellowships
100 Provost Undergraduate Research Fellowships
17 McNair Scholars
12 Research Mentoring Programs
10 Biology Research Fellowships
10 Johnson Fellowships
Number of Fellowships by Program
TOTAL300
The Loyola Undergraduate Research
Opportunities Program (LUROP) includes funded
fellowships for mentored research, guides to
external research opportunities, travel grants, workshops
on research and presentation skills, and a symposium to
showcase undergraduate research.
LUROP by the Numbers
83 Mentors
12 Graduate (Doctoral)
Student Mentors
18 Travel grants for students provided
so students could present their
research at prestigious conferences
30 Majors represented by
students conducting research
Dr. John Pelissero, Loyola’s Interim President, visits with Provost Fellow, Gayle Blakely, as she presents her research poster at the 2016 Undergraduate Research & Engagement Symposium in the Mundelein Auditorium.
10 | IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 | 11
Community Partnerships
Mutually beneficial relationships are at the
heart of the work of the Center for Experiential
Learning, and relationships with community
partners form the backbone of Loyola student learning
outside the classroom. Students are able to expand their
learning beyond campus through meaningful interactions
with organizational staff and clients, highlighting the fact
that everyone is both teacher and learner. As students
help build capacity of our partner organizations, they are
able to apply their learning to real-world situations and
connect it to the lived experiences of their neighbors.
During 2015-2016, Loyola students worked with 793
organizations across Chicago and around the world for
their engaged learning experiences.
We are very pleased with the caliber of students sent to us and hope to continue our partnership for a long time.”
Personal growth
Ability to work with others
Communication skills
Problem analysis and critical thinking
Workplace skills
Connecting theory with practice
98%99%97%91%94%91%
Percentage of site supervisors reporting
skill development among LUC students in...
Loyola students remain some of our sharpest interns in both general industry knowledge and ability to put ideas into practice.”
Loyola students are well-motivated, industrious, and reflective.”
I was thrilled with the student intern we received. She surpassed all of our organization’s expectations and was truly a joy to work with.”
97%of partners are satisfied or very satisfied with their students.
of partners said students built organizational capacity.
12 | IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 | 13
S T U D E N T E N G A G E M E N T A R O U N D C H I C A G O
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Misericordia Heart of Mercy4 Academic Internships and 63 Service-Learning students
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago11 Academic Internships and 36 Service-Learning students
United Church of Rogers Park22 Service-Learning students
Field Museum 1 Academic Internship and 2 Undergraduate Research students
Henry Lloyd Elementary School5 Service-Learning students
NorthwesternMemorial Hospital2 Academic Internships and 5 Service-Learning students
Centro Romero2 Academic Internships, 11 Service-Learning, and 2 Undergraduate Research students
Chicago PoliceDepartment5 Academic Internships
Joyce Kilmer Elementary School27 Service-Learning students
WGN-TV5 Academic Internships
Loyola University Chicago Medical Center, Maywood17 Academic Internships and 6 Service-Learning students
Cook County JuvenileCourt Clinic7 Academic Internships
RefugeeOne12 Academic Internships and 5 Service-Learning students
Safe Humane Chicago1 Undergraduate Research and 6 Service-Learning students
±
Avenues to Independence4 Academic Internships
Muslim Education Center1 Service-Learning student
Proviso East School-BasedHealth Center20 Academic Internships
1 in = 2 miles
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
40 or more students
1-2 students
Academic Internship Sites
40 or more students
1-2 students
Service-Learning Sites
Chicago Boundary
2015-2016
10 or more students
1 student
UndergraduateResearch Sites
S T U D E N T E N G AG EM E N T A R O U N D C H I C AG O
GIS Map created by David Treering, GIS Specialist, Institute of Environmental
Sustainability, Loyola University Chicago
14 | IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016
Alex MintonMarketing (2019)
Andy Greenia Alumnus (2013) Alex Minton, a first-year student majoring in
marketing, jumped into the Loyola Experience
with both feet! He volunteered at the Chicago
Children’s Museum (CCM) for a service-learning course and
built a learning portfolio to reflect on his experiences. Alex is
engaged with the Leadership Minor, an academic program
which the Center for Experiential Learning supports.
“During my second semester as a first-year student I was
enrolled in Introduction to Leadership Studies (ELPS 125), a
service-learning class. My semester at the Chicago Children’s
Museum reignited my passion to create opportunities for
others on campus in the classroom and the community. As a
biweekly volunteer one of my favorite exhibits to work in was
the Artabounds Studio or the Tinkering Lab because both
spaces directly enabled children and their families to unleash
their imagination. To be able to serve at a place where I can
enable a child to create a robot out of plastic bottles, or
see their face light up when they hammer their first nail, is
a rewarding feeling. Here on campus that opportunity to
create allowed my peers and I to focus on creating spaces in
Loyola alumni continue to deepen their
commitment to social justice often through
post-graduate service. As part of the Loyola’s
Social Justice Internship Grant Program, Andy Greenia
participated in a service-learning internship course offered
by the Center for Experiential Learning (EXPL 390). Andy
worked with the Refugee Resettlement Program at Catholic
Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago.
“My time working with Catholic Charities gave me invaluable
insight into the needs and experiences of a population
I otherwise would not have worked alongside. It is the
relationships I built through this experience that granted
me the ability to begin connecting individual problems
to larger systemic issues as my understanding of and my
role in this work continued to evolve. As a sociology major,
this experience also granted me the opportunity to readily
apply my learnings from the classroom toward the efforts of
organizations doing work with real-world implications.”
“As the classroom portion of the service-learning
experience unfolded, we each learned how to develop a
learning portfolio. This practice provided an opportunity
to honor those who shaped our experiences as well
as reflect upon the ways in which this work could
translate into our lives as ‘contemplatives in action.’ In
being provided the intentional space to reflect upon my
motivations for engaging in this work as a person with
many privileged identities, I began to ask myself one
question: What is at stake for me? In seeking that answer, I
decided to return to Detroit after graduation and work as
a community organizer engaged in efforts to advocate for
justice within the education system.”
Greenia took his social justice activism and applied it to
his next post-graduate experience--working in the Jesuit
Volunteer Corps.
the classroom to explore different aspects of leadership.
Ultimately, my semester at the CCM brought me back to
my time at my own children’s museum where I realized
that you are never too old to imagine my possibilities,
create something new, and believe in myself.”
Alex continued his pathway of engagement by
enrolling in an academic internship course over the
summer and serving as an Orientation Leader (OL).
“To continue with the theme of creating
opportunities for others, my service as an Orientation
Leader directly correlates with my time at the
museum. As an OL, I view my role like a bridge,
being able to connect the Class of 2020 with Loyola’s
resources, campus partners, and with the overall
community itself.”
“Currently, I am continuing to serve at the Chicago
Children’s Museum and continue to work with
prospective students through my time as a tour
guide, as well as leading first year students in the
Loyola 360 November retreat. In the future I plan to
get involved with Loyola4Chicago [Loyola community
service program] and potentially attend an Alternative
Break Immersion to gain a deeper understanding of
what it means to serve others.”
“There is certainly a strong connection between my
CEL experience and career path. I am currently on staff
as a Program Coordinator with the Jesuit Volunteer
Corps in Baltimore, MD working with four communities:
Washington D.C.; Raleigh, NC; Atlanta, GA; Nashville, TN.
In this role I am able to provide the space for over 300+
current volunteers to make meaning of their experiences
through retreat development, facilitating group dialogue,
and other pieces contributing to the volunteers’ formation.
I also serve as a Co-Chair on our Racial Justice Task Force
working to address White dominant culture within our
organization’s policies, practices, and culture in working to
become an anti-racist organization.”
“In addition, I also have the privilege of working with
Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) in Washington
D.C. as well as the University of Maryland as a
Facilitator with their Intergroup Dialogue Program.
While I plan to devote the next few years learning
and working as a Program Coordinator with the
Jesuit Volunteer, I hope to eventually attend graduate
school for a Masters in Public Administration with a
concentration in Social Policy.”
There is certainly a strong connection between my CEL experience and career path.”
Service-Learning ➤ A
cademic Internship ➤
Learning Portfolio
Service-Learning ➤ Learning Portfolio ➤ Academ
ic Internship
Pictured: Andy Greenia, serving as a Jesuit Volunteer Corps member, facilitates dialogue with a group of volunteers.
Pictured: Alex Minton, serving as an Orientation Leader, mingles during an Orientation reception, and visits a Chicago community with his classmates.
Visit Alex’s learning portfolio at: aminton.info
16 | IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 | 17
Undergraduate Research and Engagement Symposium
The Center for Experiential Learning organizes the
annual Undergraduate Research and Engagement
Symposium. Over 300 Loyola students showcased
their research and community engagement projects at
this event during Loyola’s 2016 Weekend of Excellence. In
addition to research posters and oral presentations, students
presented their Learning Portfolios, service-learning projects,
and academic internship experiences.
Symposium by the Numbers
46 Oral presentations
104 Community partners/
employers, alumni, faculty, and
staff served as evaluators
Pictured: Loyola students present their research posters and projects at the 2016 Undergraduate Research & Engagement Symposium in the Mundelein Auditorium.
312Undergraduate students presented research
poster presentations202
I have built a professional, working relationship with a professor that allowed for a deeper connection than a classroom setting provides. I refer to this professor for any professional development advice as well any advice in general. Through my LUROP fellowship, I have concrete support for my competencies that I can display to others.”
18 | IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 | 19
Samia Khan Social Justice Intern
Through the Social Justice Internship Grant
program, 10 students each year complete
an internship at either Catholic Charities or
Misericordia, two of the University’s premier local
partner organizations. As a part of the program, students
participate in year-round meetings, enroll in the CEL’s
academic internship course, EXPL 390, and receive a
scholarship, a key part of the Center for Experiential
Learning’s efforts to making internships accessible to all
students, no matter their financial situation.
Samia Khan served as a Social Justice Intern at Madonna
House, a shelter for mothers and children run by Catholic
Charities. As a pre-med biochemistry major, the experience
was a major change of pace for her. At Madonna House,
Samia’s main responsibility was planning and coordinating
activities for the residents, a task she found to be mutually
beneficial. “It was through these activities that I got the
chance to get to know the residents on a personal level. My
interaction with the clients and children contributed to my
personal development as I built relationships with them
based on love and trust.”
Undergraduate Research ➤
Service-Learning ➤ A
cademic Internship ➤
Learning Portfolio
“As I reflect back on my internship, I can say that my
journey has been far from what I initially expected.
But, through my internship, I have lived out Loyola’s
mission of expanding knowledge in the service of
humanity through learning, justice, and faith as I
worked closely with the staff and residents of the
Madonna House. My internship experience has taught
me valuable skills such as teamwork, commitment to
service, and simply opened my heart and mind to new
experiences. As a science major, what I learned from my
internship are things that I would have never learned
just by sitting in a class. I know that the knowledge
gained from my experience is applicable no matter what
I pursue in life. But, the most important takeaway from
my internship is that we can all do something to help
others, to work towards social justice. At the moment
it may seem like our work is not making any tangible
differences. However, we are in fact working towards
positive changes in the long run.”
After graduation, Samia plans to apply learning from her
internship experience to her science education and pursue
work in biochemistry until she enters medical school.
Pathways to Social Justice Work
The Center for Experiential Learning helps students build their social justice
capacity through a number of different initiatives. From research fellowships
focused on social justice to internship opportunities engaging in social
justice work, Loyola students continue to learn in action. Pathways to engage in social
justice work include internship programs offering funding, such as the Social Justice
Internship Grant Program and the Community-Engaged Academic Internship Program,
as well as funded research programs, such as the Social Justice Research Fellowship
and the Social Innovation/Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship.
... through my internship I have lived out Loyola’s mission of expanding knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice, and faith.”
Pictured: Armeen Sayani, a Social Justice Intern, connects with a resident of Misericordia Heart of Mercy during her internship.
Pictured: Samia Khan, Social Justice Intern, facilitates a class for the residents of Catholic Charities Madonna House, a shelter for mothers and children.
Visit Samia’s learning portfolio at: samiakhan.info
Gustavo Arreguin MendozaCommunity-Engaged Academic Internship Program
Made possible through College of Arts and
Sciences (CAS), CAS undergraduates with
demonstrated financial need in service-learning
internships are eligible to apply for a $1,500 award. One
of the Spring 2016 recipients, Gustavo Arreguin Mendoza,
has cultivated his commitment to social justice through
community-based learning and research throughout his
undergraduate studies.
“My Jesuit education has taught me to seek learning outside
of the classroom and to take a critical approach to the work
I do with external organizations. I have learned to look
injustice in the eye and to be equipped through the skills and
concepts learned in the classroom, to assess and evaluate
the operations of international serving organizations.”
Austin TolentinoSocial Innovation/Social Entrepreneurship Fellow
Austin Tolentino, Economics and Marketing
major in Loyola’s Quinlan School of Business,
took the service-learning course, Marketing
Research. His service-learning experience connected
him to a LUROP fellowship, the Social Innovation/Social
Entrepreneurship Fellowship.
“The clients that came to the MARK 311 class included
Epic Burger, The Magnificent Mile Association, and
Edgewater Chamber of Commerce. Because of the
specific nature of working with real clients based in
Chicago through Marketing Research, I was better
prepared to scrutinize and fine tune the intentions
behind the design for my own research when I had
sought approval from the IRB to study the community
of Threadless.com, a Chicago-based company that
crowdsources artistic designs for apparel and products
and sells them online. The work in MARK 311 also trained
me in using qualitative research methods.”
“The research experiences both with clients and within
my independent study impacted me to become more
intentional in how I approach the research process from
the questions to design to implementation and analysis.
So not only do I strive to seek the truth when learning
but also to serve those in need by listening for their
voices and telling their stories, whether they were the
people at Edgewater Chamber of Commerce or the artist
community of Threadless.com.”
“These experiences have influenced me to make an
effort of being intentional not only in research and
learning but also in other activities I do, whether that
means reflectively engaging peers as a member of
the Student Community Board or working in Loyola
Limited’s new student-run integrated marketing
agency. Ultimately, the experiences have broadened
my way of thinking to apply what I do, however big
or small, to progress towards goals of sustainability,
equity, and social justice.”
“Currently, I am conducting research with a doctoral
student as part of the Research Mentorship Program
fellowship, helping facilitate and conduct sociological
research on community organizing in Chicago.
Moving forward, I am building off my research on
crowdsourcing communal creativity by exploring
the relationship between social discourse and civic
engagement/entrepreneurship within communities
in another Social Innovation/Social Entrepreneurship
Fellowship this upcoming academic year.”
Of his academic internship with Solidarity Bridge,
Gustavo reflects that it “has been a capstone experience
to my degree in International Studies. It has solidified
my passion for social services and challenged me to
consider how international relations work in terms of
service, who is served, and how. Solidarity Bridge is
committed to serving Bolivians at a holistic level and
this aligns with my interests of doing community work
and offering pastoral ministry.”
Gustavo notes that reflection was an essential part of
his growth. “I was able to deepen and integrate my
faith into the professional and academic experiences
during this internship. This, in turn, allowed me to
feel more present in the work I carried out….[it has]
required me to see the world with new eyes, it has
put me face-to-face with the realities of the poor and
internally transformed me and gently invited me to
devote my life to serving in South America.”
After graduation, Gustavo plans to get some experience
in the nonprofit field, learning more about the
communities in which he hopes to serve. He is also
considering future graduate study in the area of Public
Policy and Development.Pictured: Austin Tolentino, a member of Loyola’s student-run integrated marketing and communications agency, meets with his fellow student team.
Ultimately, the experiences have broadened my way of thinking to apply what I do, however big or small, to progress towards goals of sustainability, equity, and social justice.”
Service-Learning ➤ Undergraduate Research
Academ
ic Internship ➤ Learning Portfolio
It has solidified my passion for social services and challenged me to consider how international relations work in terms of service, who is served, and how.”
Pictured: Gustavo Arreguin Mendoza at the 2016 Commencement ceremonies.
20 | IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016
Visit Gustavo’s learning portfolio at: gmendoza.info
22 | IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 | 23
Pictured: Loyola faculty gather at the 2015 Focus on Teaching and Learning with national speaker on social justice, Dr. Diane Goodman, author of Promoting Diversity and Social Justice: Educating People from Privileged Groups (2011).
The Integrated Course Design workshop provided useful information to support the seamless integration of active
learning in my courses. It taught me how to infuse active learning techniques throughout the semester in a way that will boost
student enthusiasm, learning, and retention of course content. I’m excited to try the new techniques this fall.”
Robyn Mallett, PhD,Associate Professor of Psychology
From inspiring me to constantly refine and improve my teaching through new approaches and methods to providing valuable opportunities for my bright undergraduate researchers to present their research on campus and at national conferences, the CEL exemplifies Loyola’s dedication to cura personalis. Everything I have done as an educator and mentor at Loyola has been touched by them over the past five years.”
Faculty DevelopmentThe Center for Experiential Learning supports faculty in the development of
high-impact learning courses through one-on-one consultation and educational
development programs. The CEL also convenes service-learning and academic
internship affinity group meetings throughout the year, bringing faculty and staff together in
learning communities to share their experiential learning pedagogy and strategies.
The CEL co-sponsored the national workshop on Designing Courses for Significant Learning,
led by international consultant, Dr. L. Dee Fink, author of Creating Significant Learning Experiences (2003). The CEL collaborated with the Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy to
feature national speakers on diversity and social justice, learning-centered teaching, engaged
learning course design, assessment, and critical reflection in the curriculum. In addition, the
CEL facilitated 10 faculty development workshops, building the capacity of Loyola’s course
instructors to develop engaged learning courses.
Kyle Roberts, PhD, Assistant Professor of History,Winner of the 2016 Sujack Award for Teaching Excellence
Stacy Neier Beran, PhD, Marketing Instructor Quinlan School of Business
The Center for Experiential Learning has deepened my scholarly teaching practice by offering an array of programs and events that constantly challenge me to reassess how, when, and where I engage the hearts and minds of my students. I am, without a doubt, a better instructor through the support of the CEL.”
24 | IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 | 25
My CEL experience allowed me to gain real-world experience which will allow me to showcase my abilities in my future endeavors.”
Mit Patel (pictured)
won a Provost
Fellowship award and
conducted research
entitled To Airbnb or not Airbnb: Survey
Analysis, with his faculty mentor, Nenad Jukic,
Information Systems. In addition to presenting
at Loyola’s Undergraduate Research and
Engagement Symposium during the Weekend
of Excellence, Patel also presented at the
2016 National Conference for Undergraduate
Research (NCUR) conference in Asheville, NC.
He also took courses that included building
a learning portfolio. “It served as an extra-
curricular learning experience that involved a
deeper understanding of course material and
its application to real-life examples. ”
1,682
Engaged Learning at Loyola
Experiential Learning Courses
The Center for Experiential Learning supports the
development, implementation, and assessment of
Loyola’s Engaged Learning University Requirement.
Existing research shows that multiple experiences of
high impact practices, such as service-learning, academic
internships, undergraduate research, and learning
portfolios have a positive effect on students’ learning and
development. During the 2015-16 academic year, 1,682
students who participated in experiential learning courses
did so for the second, third, or even fourth or fifth time. By
encountering multiple experiential learning courses on the
pathways of their undergraduate studies, these students
have repeatedly engaged with the benefits of transformative
learning experiences.
The CEL offers a number of experiential learning
courses for Loyola students to explore social
justice and community development through
service-learning (EXPL 290, 292), academic internships
(EXPL 390), and undergraduate research experiences
(EXPL 391) while developing learning portfolios.
In spring 2016, the CEL collaborated with the Office for
International Programs, the Athletics Department, and
Campus Ministry, and offered EXPL 292 International
Service-Learning, a course created for the LUC Men’s
Soccer team which included a 10-day community-based
learning experience in Peru over Spring Break.
The course focused on integrating conceptions of service
and community development, identifying engagement
approaches through asset-based community development,
and exploring sport as youth development/community
development. The 10-day trip to Lima and Cuzco, Peru,
organized with the support of our Jesuit partner university,
Universidad Ruiz de Montoya, immersed the Loyola
athletes in a developing country through community-
based work, facilitating soccer lessons with a youth
development NGO. The Loyola students interacted with,
and learned about, sport as youth development through
this NGO, and continued to explore this through four non-
profit organizations in Chicago using sports-based youth
development to learn how they can “think globally and
act locally.” Upon reflection, many of the Loyola students
discussed how this eye-opening experience impacted their
understanding of how much of the world’s population
exists with unequal access to resources, how powerful
sports are in terms of development and positive impact on
the community, and how many students are interested in
learning about other cultures.
Pictured above: Connor Stevenson, Loyola Men’s Soccer player, celebrates with kids while facilitating youth soccer skills sessions in the El Augustino community in Lima, Peru. The members of class worked with a Peruvian NGO dedicated to youth-based sports development.
This class has given me values and instructions for living out my role as a global citizen in the world, and in the process has helped me recognize the importance of my Jesuit education.”
By encountering multiple experiential learning courses on the pathways of their undergraduate studies, these students have repeatedly engaged with the benefits of transformative learning experiences.
students participated
in multiple experiences
1032 W. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60660
773.508.3366 | [email protected]
LUC.edu/experiential
Center for Experiential Learning