Getting more out of less: The benefits of short-term experiential learningin undergraduate sociology courses

Experiential learning is a flexible instructional tool, adaptable to suit m ost courses. However, only a minority of instructors use these types of ass ignments in their courses. I examine whether short-term experiential learni ng reduces the drawbacks that may prevent instructors from using this instr uctional technique. I explore instructor and student perspectives on three types of short-term exercises: observations, participant-observations, and field trips. I find that short-term experiential assignments reduce the log istical concerns involved in experiential exercises and increase the opport unities for analytical reflection, especially for instructors of smaller co urses and for non-field trip activities, in large introductory lecture cour ses, additional steps to structure the reflection process can successfully alleviate many of the problems dealing with lack of analysis. Proper select ion of exercises included and careful choices about their use in courses or units with sensitive subject matter will help increase the chance of posit ive learning outcomes.