Western Students Benefit from Practical Experience

Ashley Jones, a Social Work major, talks with a client during her applied learning experience, a 456-hour practicum at a St. Joseph social service agency.

Western's commitment to applied learning has been acknowledged by the Missouri legislature. Senate Bill 98—which became law on August 28—has been celebrated because it changed Western from a college to a university. Another very important provision in the bill confirmed Western's statewide emphasis on applied learning.

Western officials have explained that the change of Western's name was an acknowledgement that the institution was already functioning as a university. One of the ways that this has been true is that Western made a commitment to applied learning and has made an extensive list of these opportunities available to students.

Applied learning is based on the thesis that when classroom theory and teaching is supplemented by practical experience the result is a much better understanding of the subject content and its real world application. Western students are encouraged to participate in applied learning opportunities that include student-faculty research projects, internships, and clinical experiences.

Criminal Justice major Jeremy Lancey was an intern with the St. Joseph Police Department and is shown here on his patrol of the local parkway system.

In 2002 Western's new five-year strategic plan included the goal that 75 percent of the graduating class would have an applied learning experience by the year 2007. That goal was surpassed in only two years as 77 percent of the class of 2004 and 79 percent of the class of 2005 had participated in applied learning activities.

It is uncommon for undergraduate students to engage in research of a nature that they would be invited to present their findings at national or regional conferences. This is an honor usually extended to faculty or graduate students. Western's student researchers are an exception. Last year the Missouri Western State University Foundation distributed $15,000 to assist 53 students with the cost of attending such conferences because they were invited to present their research.

In all, 88 percent of the academic departments were involved with faculty-student independent research projects. Internships and/or practicum opportunities were available in 82 percent of the departments and 29 percent had study programs that took students to distant locations, including international sites. Nearly half provided service-learning experiences.