We hear a lot of buzzwords and phrases at Dartmouth. My favorite as of late is the ubiquitous “experiential learning,” which is shorthand for the idea that the best learning comes from actively doing instead of reading and regurgitating. Indeed, once we finally leave the academic sphere, all of our learning will be experiential. Offices and oil rigs will not assign readings or dole out midterms. I applaud College President Phil Hanlon’s increased focus on the role of experiential learning at Dartmouth, but we as an institution can do more to incorporate it by introducing cooperative programs into our academic plans.
Cooperative programs interweave hands-on job experience with academic learning. Students can take a semester to work with a co-op employer and still maintain status as a full-time student because they receive academic credit through their salaried jobs. Many schools incorporate such programs into their degree plans, such as the University of Pittsburgh, the Georgia Institute of Technology and Northeastern University. About 90 percent of Northeastern students participate in co-ops across the country and the world during their time at the university. These programs place qualified students into positions that are both relevant to their degree and intellectually fulfilling. Dartmouth could strengthen its global networks by placing students in co-ops wherever they want to go, be it Dallas or Dubai.
Cooperative programs would mesh with the flexibility of the D-Plan and Dartmouth’s commitment to both experiential and global learning, while simultaneously providing some much needed structure for students. As it stands, finding an internship during an off term is strenuous — finding a paid one even more so. Many students are left with an unpaid internship that they cannot afford or an unfulfilling job they do not want and from which they do not learn. Incorporating hands-on but intellectually guided cooperative programs into students’ D-Plans would ensure that students are financially secured in a fulfilling job, while lightening the pressure that makes off terms just as stressful as on terms.
Moreover, by offering academic credit for these programs, students would have more freedom in their typical academic schedule to explore new classes and take full advantage of our nominally liberal arts education. Juniors and seniors should still be able to explore the ORC like they did during freshman fall, even if to a lesser degree. It could also relieve stress on students wishing to double or triple major. After all, there are only so many four-class terms a student can do before having a meltdown in King Arthur Flour. Dartmouth should actively encourage students to explore their interests all four years, instead of putting up as many obstacles as possible.
Many disciplines could incorporate this programming. Dartmouth co-ops could further invigorate undergraduate life at the Thayer School of Engineering by creating lasting partnerships with engineering companies in Boston and beyond. However, cooperative programs could also be incorporated into the social sciences and humanities through similar partnerships with relevant career paths. Though Dartmouth does not have a pre-law track, many social science majors seek to go into that field; why not partner up with Boston and New York law firms and provide structured channels of both experiential learning and professional mentorship? Similar programs could be worked out for those on a pre-medical track and utilize a large resource we have right here — our own Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Pre-med students could take a term working at the hospital (in addition to or in place of research there). Finally, Dartmouth could add more options like the Government FSP in Washington, D.C., which includes an internship component.
Ultimately, we are all responsible for what we choose to do during our on and off terms. Students should have the freedom to search out an internship or a job that they love and enjoy, one that will actually fulfill them. However, our current setup creates an essentially sink-or-swim internship search has ample room for improvement. Cooperative programs could be the answer, providing structure and financial security for students while furthering Hanlon’s ideals of experiential and global learning.
