Experiential Learning at Ontario’s Universities

Preparing Students, Strengthening Communities and Businesses through Experiential Learning

Ontario’s universities offer a wide range of EL experiences tailored to different fields and career paths, helping students gain practical insights, build industry networks and develop the adaptability required in a rapidly evolving job market. Whether they are working with startups, established companies, or community organizations, students are actively shaping the future while learning from real-world challenges.

Students gain industry-relevant skills as well as valuable connections to local businesses through hands-on, experiential learning experiences, such as:

• In-Class Research: Students collaborate and conduct research to help solve a real-life problem or challenge as part of their in-class work. An example would be business students providing consulting services to small- and medium-sized enterprises or nonprofit organizations with a final report due as part of their class curriculum.

• Hackathon: Students get together to solve a specific challenge or problem for a business or non-profit organization in a condensed time frame and a more competitive atmosphere. For example, developing a solution to help a community agency better serve its clients, or building a digital app to help a local restaurant manage customer reservations.

• Performance and Artistic Productions: Students assist in projects and productions of audio, visual, theatrical or other artistic production such as designing a set for a play, curating an exhibit of paintings by local artists or assisting in the production of a musical performance.

Students can also be placed with a local employer or community organization in placements such as:

• Service Learning: Students embark on a placement with a local organization, such as an education student working with a local library to promote literacy in their community.

• Industry-Sponsored Research: Students work with a sponsoring employer on- or off-campus to undertake a research project related to the employer’s industry or business, such as pharmacy students working with a pharmaceutical company to research new medications for particular conditions.

• Community-Based Projects: Students work in their community on a project for a business or non-profit organization. For example, business students could develop a marketing plan for a local chamber of commerce, or accounting students could set up free tax clinics for members of their community.
• Community Research Projects: Students conduct research in their local community on behalf of a nonprofit organization or public body, such as social work and nursing students collaborating on a study to understand the social and health needs of their community for a regional health centre.

Students also have the opportunity to experience professional placements in their university programs, such as:

• Co-operative Education (Co-op): Students can complete a co-op placement as part of a requirement to complete their academic program or for a specific area of study. For example, co-ops are common in engineering programs, where students are often placed at tech firms, alternating between school and paid work.

• Internships: This is a time-limited placement with a local employer, usually taking place before a student’s final year of study. Examples include a business student working for a Business Improvement Association (BIA), a journalism student working for a local newspaper, or an international relations student working for a non-profit humanitarian relief organization.

• Field Experience, Clinical Placements and Practicums: Students apply what they have learned in their programs in the workplace for course credit. For example, placements and practicums are common for nursing, social work and early childhood education students as a requirement to complete their degree program.

Below are links to more information and resources about experiential learning across Ontario’s universities.