Experiential Learning opportunities for students

Explore experiential opportunities that will help you get involved on campus, locally or globally.

co-operative education students looking at computer

Why get involved?

Studying and going to class is an important part of being a student, but there is so much more you can gain from your time at university!

Engaging in experiential opportunities will allow you to...

  • Expand and deepen your academic learning
  • Gain real-world experience that can help you reach your career goals
  • Develop practical skills, self-confidence, and self-knowledge
  • Explore your role in creating more equitable and sustainable communities
  • Meet new people, develop social networks, and make friends!

Did you know? There are 700+ opportunities recognized on the UM Experience Record!

  • Raghad, a third-year student, smiling at the camera

  • "Participating in experiential learning opportunities has allowed me to demonstrate what I am learning in both my academic and personal life. I am now able to think creatively in challenging situations and I have learned to listen more than I speak; such skills are difficult to acquire without practice.”

    – Raghad, Third year student

Ways to get involved

It can be overwhelming to figure out where to start when you want to get involved. Here are some tools you can use to find out which experience is the right fit for you!

Browse the Experience Catalogue in UMConnect

The Experience Catalogue is a one-stop shop for all University of Manitoba Experiential Learning courses, programs, and partnerships.

Search for opportunities by opening UMConnect and clicking on the Experience Catalogue. You can use keywords or search by experience type to learn about hundreds of opportunities on and off campus.

For help navigating the Experience Catalogue, stop by the Student Life office in 225 UMSU University Centre (Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM). Or, email us at: ccr@umanitoba.ca.

Talk to a Peer Involvement Advisor

Peer Involvement Advisors are fellow students who are trained to help you figure out which experience is right for you based on your personal interests, goals, and needs.

Appointments available by appointment or during drop-in hours in the Student Life Office (225 UMSU University Centre).

Book now!

Meet with a Career Consultant

Looking to gain experience to support your career planning or employability? Experiential Learning is a great way to help connect your interests to career opportunities and develop career related skills.

To learn more about how Experiential Learning can help you in your career, connect with the Career Services team.

Experience Record

The Experience Record is a document that summarizes a student's participation and involvement in activities that support holistic development, inside and outside of the classroom.

The University of Manitoba is in the process of transitioning from the former Co-curricular Record (CCR) model to our Experience Record model. We appreciate your patience through this transition period.

Why develop your Experience Record?

Your Experience Record is an excellent tool for...

  • Capturing the experiences you have participated in and allowing you to reflect on the skills and knowledge you have gained.
  • Allowing you to be intentional about gaining diverse experiences that will help set you up for success in your future career.
  • Creating a formal record of your participation that can be used to support your academic pursuits like scholarship applications and graduate/professional program applications
  • Assisting with resume building and interview preparation, since it contains a detailed record of your experiences.

For more information on how to use your Experience Record when looking for a job, get in touch with UM Career Services.

What activities are on the Experience Record?

There are over 700 University-approved activities on the Experience Record, which either fall under one of the 12 Experiential Learning categories or are noted as Student Involvement. All activities are found in the Experience Catalogue.

Experiential Learning

Experiential learning is when you learn by doing, and then reflect back to make meaning from what you learned. All Experiential Learning opportunities fall under one of the following 12 categories:

  • Applied Research

    Systematic investigation and original research, including research that utilizes Indigenous methodologies, conducted by a student under faculty guidance and/or co-created through collaboration with a community partner and faculty researcher.

  • Community-Engaged Learning (CEL)

    Learning opportunities developed through collaborative and reciprocal partnerships between community, faculty/staff and students. The site of learning can be the classroom, the community or a land-based setting and the spectrum of engagement can vary from knowledge exchange and consultation to involvement, collaboration, and co-creation with community partners.

  • Campus and Global Integrated Learning

    Intentionally designed and institutionally recognized experiences with a strong focus on personal growth and competency development with clearly defined learning outcomes and regular coaching, mentorship and/or supervision. For example, Elder or ceremonial helpers, elected and appointed governance and student leadership roles, orientation leaders, peer helpers, engagement in student mobility experiences (i.e. student exchange), student participation in Sweatlodges and other ceremonies.

  • Co-operative Education

    A Senate-approved academic program that alternates academic study with paid, full-time, supervised work experience. It is linked to the student’s area of study in appropriate fields of business, industry, government, social services, academic research and the professions in accordance with minimum criteria.

  • Creative Works

    Intensive creative effort that results in the production of fine artwork, dance, writing, filmmaking, musical compositions and other forms of creative expression. Examples include oral tradition and storytelling, design, self-organized paid performances, non-course-related rehearsals and music practices.

  • Entrepreneurship

    Engagement in the early-stage development of business start-ups and/or the advancement of ideas that address real-world challenges, while leveraging resources, space, mentorship and/or funding to achieve the desired outcomes.

  • Industry Project

    Students, individually or in teams apply discipline-specific knowledge to address an organizational challenge, explore a new idea, or start a new venture.

  • Internship

    Supervised, discipline-specific work experiences where learning is formally assessed and academic credit is granted. Unlike Co-op, students do not alternate work experiences with academic terms.

  • Laboratories and Studios

    A distinct component of a course that includes the self-directed application of course concepts in a controlled setting.

  • Program-Based Experience

    Unpaid program- and field-based activities that engage students in exploring and practicing discipline-specific concepts and competencies in a purposeful way for academic credit or recognition.

  • Project-Based Experience

    Intentionally designed opportunities for students to engage in contextual experiences that require the application of disciplinary knowledge and critical analysis to demonstrate learning or to address a problem or unmet need.

  • Work Experience

    Paid work in an on-campus or off-campus setting that is designed to promote the development of clearly defined competencies, is supervised, is approved by the Institution, and engages students in concrete opportunities to reflect on their learning.

Student Involvement

Student Involvement experiences are those that allow students to build skills, make social connections, and participate in meaningful opportunities without the requirement for structured supervision or reflection criteria. You can look for these activities in the Experience Catalogue by searching for the "Student Involvement" tag. 

For additional information, please contact the Student Life office. 

How do I access my Experience Record?

Experiences from Fall 2020 - Fall 2022

UMConnect includes all University of Manitoba approved activities from Fall 2020 to Fall 2022.

View and/or Print

Experiences prior to Fall 2020

Approved activities from 2012 through Summer 2020 are part of your Archived Experience, and will not appear on your record in UMConnect.

Request Archived Experience 

Unlisted activity or position

You should request your positions at the end of an activity (i.e. once you have completed it, not while you are currently participating in it). An activity validator will review and approve your request at the end of the academic year, at which time it will appear on your record.

If your activity does not appear in the Experiential Catalogue, a member of your group will need to apply to have your group recognized. If the activity is listed, but the position is missing, you will need to apply to add that position to the catalogue. Information about applications can be found on the experiential learning page homepage.