Lessons for Managing Academic Excellence in a Crisis: Experiential Learning

Abstract

Family and consumer sciences (FCS) has a long history in embracing the value of hands-on, project-based learning in the classroom. The value of this learning style extends beyond the classroom through internships and other types of experiential learning. FCS literature is replete with examples from the early years of the profession to more recent years (e.g., Bell & Haley, 1995; Branegan & Spafford, 1949; Brooks & Simpson, 2014; Dobbs-Oates, 2019; Hurst et al., 2014; Olson & Montgomery, 2000). Internships are traditionally one of the most popular ways to try out a potential career path and get real-life work experience. For many academic programs, internships are part of the curriculum. In many programs that are aligned with an FCS curriculum, there is a requirement to have an internship experience. However, the recent pandemic has illustrated that the ability to complete an internship may be dependent upon the predictability of the business environment in which such educational experiences can take place.

Pivoting from Face-to-Face Internships to Virtual Internships: Lessons Learned by Two Family Life Educators

“…Indeed, this was the case for our program, which comprised 93 interns placed across various sites. Other students and internship programs felt the challenges as described in the results (Harden et al, 2021;Mitchell et al, 2021).…”

“…They reported that issues with equity, communication, internet access will probably persist post-pandemic and that universities must prioritize equitable access and quality control as it relates to internships. Harden et al (2021) examined the impact of the pandemic on Family and Consumer Sciences programs, including hospitality, fashion design, and merchandising, and provided a review of the processes used to help students adjust to the realities of the pandemic. Students showed resilience and could adapt to the changing dynamic and get a realistic view of the challenges companies faced during the pandemic.…”