Storytelling, Sensemaking, & Belonging

Human beings have an innate capacity for learning, actively learning from each other and the world around us. Learning happens across time and in many different places, and is exciting, engaging and filled with wonder and curiosity—or at least it can be. Research has expanded our understanding of how people learn, the experiences that shape learning, the design of learning environments and how they support or hinder learning, and how individuals can self-monitor and intentionally guide their own learning (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2018). Yet, learning is often defined too narrowly. Students come to universities with conceptions of learning rooted in memorization, grades, and academic achievement. Higher education professors, staff, and administrators can become focused on test scores and rankings. As a result, we can overlook the most important aspects of learning in college.

This project aims to expand conceptions of what counts as valuable learning in college including how learning processes are as important as outcomes, how learning unfolds in non-linear and non-traditional ways, how mistakes, perceived failure, and setbacks are an important part of the learning process, and how learning is a transformative process of becoming a new person who uses judgement to put new knowledge, skills, and identities to work.

Through storytelling workshops and other programming, we’ll explore the many ways learning happens across classrooms, communities, creative practices, research spaces, workplaces, and everyday life.