Looking to make your courses more engaging, hands-on, and impactful? Experiential learning—learning by doing— invites students to apply ideas in real-world contexts, deepening their understanding and connection to your field. Whether you teach in the sciences, the arts, business, or the humanities, this approach can transform your students’ experience and enrich your teaching practice.

Join us for CET’s Experiential Learning Faculty Showcase, where you’ll explore how to bring these ideas to life in your own courses. Four campus centers will share ways they can help you design unique, interactive, and applied learning opportunities. You’ll also hear from USC faculty members who have successfully used these campus resources to create meaningful and memorable learning experiences for their students.

10:00 am
Opening Remarks
Andy Stott, Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Dean of the Graduate School

10:05 am
Integrating Service-Learning and Community Engagement into Your Courses
Susan Harris, Executive Director, Joint Educational Project (JEP)
Since 1972, the USC Joint Educational Project has supported thousands of students in service-learning assignments at local schools, hospitals, clinics, and non-profit organizations. Learn more about JEP’s unique approach to service-learning and how JEP staff support faculty seeking to integrate community engagement into their teaching.

10:20 am
Supporting Language Learning through Service-Learning
Anastassia Tzoytzoyrakos, Master Lecturer American Language Institute (ALI)
The USC American Language Institute (ALI) provides English language instruction, assessment and resources for USC international students and scholars to support their academic and professional pursuits. This presentation describes a partnership with JEP to provide opportunities for International Teaching Assistants to share their work, passions, lives and experiences with K-12 students, inspiring the next generation of scientists!

10:35 am 
How to Leverage USC’s Campus on Catalina Island for Your Teaching
Hannah Maryanski Kiszla, Education & Engagement Administrator, USC Wrigley Institute for Environment & Sustainability
Just 90 minutes from Los Angeles, the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center (WMSC) on Catalina Island is a dedicated campus for immersive, interdisciplinary learning. Faculty across USC—from the arts and humanities to the social and natural sciences—have used WMSC to teach experiential courses at the intersection of people and planet. You could be next! Join us for an overview of how to teach at WMSC for a day, a weekend, or a month-long Maymester or Julymester course.

10:50 am
Kayak, Snorkel, Hike: Connecting WMSC’s Educational Activities to History Coursework
Sean Fraga, Assistant Professor (Teaching) of Environmental Studies and History
This presentation explores how kayaking, snorkeling, and hiking on Catalina Island have become core parts of a Maymester course on coastal environmental history. These activities not only immerse students in Catalina Island’s unique ecosystems, but also connect directly to classroom discussions about human–environment interactions, conservation, and coastal change. By linking place-based learning to historical inquiry, the course deepens students’ understanding of environmental history while fostering engagement with the island landscape.

11:05 am
Translating Faculty Research into Dynamic & Engaging Learning Experiences for Your Students
Kiel Shaub, Academic Curator to the EXL Lab @ USC
The EXL Lab at USC was launched in 2023 as an initiative of the Office of Experiential & Applied Learning under former Associate Dean Tammy Anderson. One of the Lab’s core missions is to collaborate with USC faculty to translate cutting-edge research into dynamic, hands-on learning experiences for students across disciplines. This presentation highlights the Lab’s collaboration with Phil Ethington, Professor of History and Spatial Sciences, in developing The World Beneath Our Feet, an urban hiking series that invites students to explore the hidden histories and cultural layers of Los Angeles.

11:20 am
Journey to Yaanga: How Experiential Learning Helped Students Connect to the Indigenous History & Culture of Los Angeles
Phil Ethington, Professor of History, Political Science and Spatial Sciences 
This program highlights how collaboration with the EXL Lab transformed the Mapping Los Angeles Landscape History project into an immersive student learning experience. Through a guided hike organized in partnership with Peaks & Professors, students explored the historical village site of Yaanga, uncovering the Indigenous foundations of the modern city. By connecting place-based learning to historical research, the program deepens students’ understanding of Los Angeles’ layered past and fosters a richer sense of place.

11:35 am
Exploring Sustainability through Campus Living Labs
Chelsea Graham, Experiential Learning Manager, USC Office of Sustainability
Exploring Sustainability through Campus Living Labs (ExSCLL) provides applied, hands-on learning opportunities for students to advance campus sustainability progress. Through partnerships between operational staff and faculty, students are able to apply classroom knowledge to solving real-world sustainability challenges. This presentation will overview the ExSCLL program and resources and share some examples of past projects. 

11:50 am
Trojan Sustainability: Conducting Applied Psychology Research to Support University Initiatives
Jorge Barraza, Associate Professor (Teaching) of Psychology
This presentation showcases how graduate psychology students turned their Master’s thesis into a consulting project in partnership with the Office of Sustainability. The team conducted original research to provide USC with collaborative solutions to reduce waste and enhance sustainability practices across USC’s housing operations. By working with multiple stakeholders across campus, students were able to connect research methods in a consulting-style project and apply core psychological principles to the interpretation and delivery of findings.