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.