http://www.kzoo.edu/exed/

The intentional weaving together of hands-on involvement, experiential learning, and mentorship within the context of a rigorous academic life is the hallmark of a "K" education. Students have opportunities for experiential education (learning by doing) on and off campus, domestically and internationally, during their four years here. Students develop foundation skills to prepare for lifelong learning; are encouraged to explore, deepen, and extend their understanding of themselves and the world, and are guided in establishing connections among their experiences. This holistic perspective, broadened by an international curriculum and work experiences in several settings, equips "K" graduates to fulfill their potential in a diverse and rapidly changing world. Learning by doing is part of the "K" way.

Campus-Based Experiential Activities
Getting involved in life beyond the classroom is a central part of a "K" education. Opportunities abound. Students participate in residential life activities, student government and organizations, campus employment, campus leadership positions (Residential Assistants, Peer Leader, Land/Sea Leader, ARC consultants and more), athletics, theatre, music, and much more.

Academic Service-Learning and Co-Curricular Community Service
Over 20 different service-learning courses integrate community service with academic instruction across the disciplines. Students may choose from courses in English, Biology, Music, Chemistry, Theater, Anthropology, Economics, Sociology, and languages. Service-learning projects engage students and faculty with community-identified social issues through direct involvement with non-profits, government agencies, citizens’ groups, and public schools. “K” students also work, outside of classes, as volunteers and through work-study placements in thriving, student-led community projects facilitated by the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for Service-Learning.

Career Development
The staff in the Center for Career Development assists students as they develop a confident understanding of themselves in relation to work and service. Students draw from their own experiences in course work, campus employment, internships, service, international study and senior projects to develop and find a sense of purpose. In the Center for Experiential Education, students have access to direct support in their efforts to secure internships, employment, and admission to advanced degree programs. The Center houses a library and a searchable database of internships. The "K' Alumni Career Network assists students in various ways as they explore careers and make decisions.

Study Abroad
Students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture and way of life of a different country. Students may apply for a one-, two-, or three-quarter program in designated places around the world. Each program offers challenging course work in an educational system whose values and methods reflect those of the local culture; students can take advantage of opportunities for integrative cultural experiences. Approval in advance is required for participation in study abroad programs, through application to the Center for International Programs.

Kalamazoo Project for Intercultural Communication (KPIC)
A new initiative launched in 2002, designed to help students to benefit more fully from the study abroad experience and to communicate the richness of that experience more effectively to others after returning home. The pilot program helps students place their study abroad experience within a larger framework allowing them to connect lived experience with theoretical understanding, the host culture with the home culture, and personal experience with the articulation of that experience to others. The first group of student participants in the program returned to campus in the spring of 2003, and two new groups of students began the pre-departure phase of the program at that time as well. It is hoped that this program will one day be a part of the study abroad program of every Kalamazoo College student.

Senior Individualized Project (SIP)
The Senior Individualized Project is a capstone project conceived of by the student and planned with a SIP advisor. SIPs can be creative work, lab or field research, internships, a thesis, or student teaching. SIPs are completed within departments of the College, under their particular requirements.

Liberal Arts Colloquium Credit (LACC)
Intended to help students make connections between the parts of the K-Plan and to supplement curricular study, the College offers approximately 100 events each year, including lectures, concerts and theatrical performances, and presentations, addressing subjects across and beyond the College's range of academic disciplines. As this is a graduation requirement, students must attend 25. Often these choices lead to deeper explorations into an area of interest of the discovery of something new.