Experiential Learning

The library offers a variety of experiential learning opportunities for Queen’s students.

In all cases, there is an identified library supervisor, and learning objectives are set and supported by reflection, critical analysis and synthesis. The learner will be actively engaged in posing questions, investigating, experimenting, being curious, solving problems, assuming responsibility, being creative, and constructing meaning. A Learning Reflection form is used to guide the experience.

Paid Part-time Student Assistantships

Students work up to 10 hours per week, reporting to a library supervisor. They have defined projects and/or roles in developing and delivering services. These opportunities are posted periodically on the library’s website on our Careers page.

Examples

  • Queen’s Learning Commons programs delivered by peer student assistants
  • W.D. Jordan Rare Books and Special Collections digital humanities projects

Unpaid Placements Offered Within an Academic Program

The learning experience is directly related to the student’s program of study and also contributes in some way to library/archives services. Arrangements are made between the library and an academic unit and documented in a memorandum of agreement. The number of such opportunities offered in any given term will be determined by the head of the library unit involved, based on current strategic priorities and time available for supervision. To discuss ideas for such placements, contact the head of the library unit of interest.

Examples

  • Queen’s Archives Internships in HIST 501 (a research-based practicum in which students work with a collection of their own choosing over the term and write a report or create an exhibit) and HIST 502 (in which a student undertakes an assigned project(s) in consultation with an archivist, working to further describe, preserve and make more readily available archival fonds).
  • Student placements in the Adaptive Technology Centre for the Queen’s Occupational Therapy Community Development Placement program, in which the students developed and delivered a user needs assessment survey and created a comprehensive, informational resource on currently available technologies for persons with disabilities.

Paid Full-time Intern

The Queen’s Undergraduate Internship Program offers work terms of 12-16 months for full-time positions, with start dates of May, September or January. The goal is for students to acquire hands-on experience in professional settings, build contacts, learn about workplace expectations, explore career options and the bridges between theory and practice, and develop skills. These opportunities are posted periodically on the library’s website on our Jobs page.

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