The Lion’s Roar / Jonathon Rhodes
Students in the experiential learning office working together and helping each other study in the Real-World Ready Program. 

People often go out into the world to get a career in the field they majored in after graduating from college and receiving a degree. However, some people have trouble landing a job because their resume shows that they do not have any experience in that field. 

The Real-World Ready Program was created to prevent this scenario from happening to students.

The RWR program is part of Southeastern’s continuing accreditation process by the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. According to Coordinator of Quality Enhancement Plan Jayetta Slawson, this process requires universities to implement a five-year QEP to improve how students learn. 

“Southeastern chose Real-World Ready after a multi-year process and wide campus involvement,” said Slawson. “The QEP Design Team found research that supports the power of experiential learning for improving student knowledge acquisition regardless of discipline. Plus, students told us they wanted more of these performance-based opportunities.”

The program is designed to help students thrive out of the classroom in not only learning but working and gaining experience that is needed for their profession. 

“Southeastern’s RWR initiative promotes and facilitates the addition of experiential learning opportunities in various courses across campus. These activities are wide-ranging and include internships, service-learning and other practicums/study away experiences,” said Slawson.

The RWR program puts emphasis on helping students learn by doing, not by sitting in a chair and listening to a professor lecture. Everything learned from this program will be useful in a professional setting.

“Our RWR courses will provide ‘learning by doing’ while focusing on these skills, including communication, reflection and commitment to quality work. We want all Southeastern students to shine in their intended careers and to live up to their greatest potential,” said Slawson. 

Over the next five years, more courses will be added to the RWR program, therefore extending the amount of students that exponential learning will reach.

Graduate assistant Awovi Adu, a student worker at the Office of Experiential Learning, benefited from experiential learning.

“Working as a graduate assistant at the Office of Experiential Learning is enabling me to enhance my communication and clerical skills, while interacting with Southeastern Louisiana University students and faculty and with the general community during career fairs, office visits and meetings,” said Adu. “All of these experiences will be beneficial to my future career once I graduate.”

Recently five students have been named ambassadors for the RWR Program in order to help the director promote the program. These students include Caroline Pixberg, College of Education; Nish Lama, College of Science and Technology; Tony Miller, College of Nursing and Health Sciences; Rian Earnest, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; and Mikayla Shippy, College of Business.

“These students are campus leaders who have demonstrated excellence while at Southeastern and who embrace practice in an authentic setting as a great learning strategy to supplement classroom instruction,” said Slawson.

Students can find more information about the program by visiting the Office of Experiential Learning located in the Student Union Room 1301 or by calling 985-549-3340.