Students build their stories through experiential learning at OHIO

An Ohio University education reaches far beyond traditional classroom walls.

From local waterways to the halls of Congress and international consulting trips, OHIO sets out to connect every student with a unique set of experiences that transforms them and helps prepare them for their next steps. Ohio University Bobcats are rolling up their sleeves to gain real-world skills and stand out as emerging professionals. 

The new Story Builder tool, part of the OHIO Guarantee+ Graduation Plan, guides students through the experiential learning process as they explore, experience, and reflect. The OHIO Guarantee+ Graduation Plans are improving student experience and outcomes for Ohio University students. The Graduation Plan helps students graduate on time and on the plan through a tailored curricular and co-curricular pathway that meets the needs of each student. 

In addition to their courses, students’ graduation plans include Milestones and Story Builders as goal posts along the path to graduation. Milestones help students make consistent academic progress and develop career readiness skills. Story Builders encourage students to take advantage of diverse OHIO experiences so they have their own unique story to tell.

With the help of Story Builders and Experience Designers in the Center for Advising, Career and Experiential Learning, students explore their OHIO campus, their communities, career industries, and global communities before choosing which experiences they want to dive more deeply into as they build their Bobcat stories. 

Cassidy Serger, a senior mechanical engineering major in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, serves on the Experiential Learning Student Advisory Board and knows firsthand the value of learning from hands-on experiences. She served as an environmental health and safety intern for Hexcel Corporation in Arizona this summer and spent a semester studying abroad at University of Limerick in Ireland. Serger helped coin the term Story Builders to mark the transformative learning experiences that OHIO students engage in to help build their stories as they prepare for meaningful careers and engaged citizenship.

“My experiential learning opportunities have really shaped who I am,” Serger said. “My study abroad and internships aren't just one-off experiences. They continue to define my life and how I view the world. It's important to give these experiences a name that is indicative of how deeply they can affect a person and their life and education.”

Students can learn how to tell their stories well by reflecting on the experiences they have engaged in. Reflection with a mentor, both in courses and through co-curricular activities, will help students reflect on how they have grown academically, professionally, and personally through their experiences.

To learn more about experiential learning opportunities at OHIO and to start building your story, connect with an experience designer in the Center for Advising, Career and Experiential Learning.