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L&S Criteria for the Workplace Experience Course Attribute

Workplace experience attribute: Course criteria

The Workplace Experience course attribute is used to identify courses where students apply theories and concepts from the classroom in a professional workplace setting (such as internships and practica). The criteria for the designation:
  • The course has undergraduate-only audience.
  • The course has learning outcomes that intentionally and significantly connect course content (knowledge, skills, abilities) with application of that learning in the workplace.
  • Enrolled students are substantively engaged at and spend significant time in a workplace setting. The setting is usually off-campus, with students working with an on-site supervisor who is responsible for evaluating workplace performance.
  • The course includes opportunities for the students to reflect on their workplace experience
  • The syllabus includes information about how the course content relates to workplace. Or, if the course is directed study, a template plan with learning objectives that connect course content to the workplace is provided to students.
  • The course also must meet campus criteria for the attribute.
In addition, the course must meet the criteria of other UW Madison courses, such as:
  • the instructional contact with the UW instructor meets the campus credit hour policy
  • it has a qualified instructor with UW-Madison instructional appointment who is responsible for student learning and evaluation (grading)
  • all sections of the offered course meet the criteria, since the attribute is placed at the the catalog level.

Request the Workplace Experience attribute for a course

You must submit a course proposal to add the Workplace Experience attribute to a course. The attached syllabus must meet the criteria above and the campus criteria for the attribute.
If the course is directed study, you must also submit a sample template study plan that students and instructor complete and keep on file regarding the agreed upon work and instruction of the course.  

More information

For more information, contact Kimbrin Cornelius at kimbrin.cornelius@wisc.edu