Registering Community-Based Learning Activities
We encourage students, faculty, and program staff to register community-based learning activities via the University Career Center’s Experiential Education Portal. The University Career Center — in partnership with academic colleges and departments — have developed this web-based system for managing and tracking academic community-based experiential learning activities. Students use the system to register existing community-based learning activities and to apply for academic credit (after they have secured a position). Faculty and department administration use the system to verify and approve student requests, track data, and link to the Registrar’s system for MOUs and Affiliation Agreements.
This tracking enables the University to access real-time information about where students are placed, allowing for rapid communication.
Community Partners
The University Career Center reviews and accepts/denies any opportunities (both paid and unpaid) posted in Hire-A-Niner, the full-service system connecting students and employers. Opportunities requesting a connection to academic credit will be referred to relevant academic programs.
The UCC team is available to assist you with:
- Developing a sustainable Co-op/internship program for your organization and consultation on best practices to recruit talent
- Co-op/internship descriptions and projects to adhere to federal and state regulations
- Connecting with the appropriate academic department for potential clinical placements, student teaching, field experiences, community involvement, research, and other partnerships integrating academic learning and the workplace
Faculty/Staff
There are three ways to connect your information into the centralized system for experiential education.
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Operational Access: for departments interested in using the system to maintain all operations including student request forms, digitization of all paperwork, and data collection and analysis please contact Dr. Patrick Madsen at pmadsen@uncc.edu.
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Data Dump Access: for departments that have existing processes to manage large volumes of students and community sites (i.e. nursing clinical placements, social work placements, student teaching, etc.) you have the option to submit your information each semester to be automatically connected into the portal. Simply fill out this form by “census date” each semester and your information will be added. If you have questions, please email Dr. Patrick Madsen at pmadsen@uncc.edu.
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Banner Connection Access: for departments who want to keep their existing processes and deal in low volumes of students and community sites, email Dr. Patrick Madsen at pmadsen@uncc.edu to learn how to use Banner to enter information so that it can be automatically extracted by the portal for reporting and tracking purposes.
Students
Experience is the #1 thing that employers seek in qualified candidates. “Experiential education” (e.g., internships, service-learning and community engagement, cooperative education, field experiences, significant volunteer experience, etc.) provides a glimpse into the world of work, allowing you to apply what you have learned in class and enabling you to build relationships with current professionals in a field of interest. UNC Charlotte and the University Career Center provide several avenues for students to pursue experiential education opportunities. Depending upon your major and the industry you are interested in working in, you may select to pursue internships, cooperative education, practicum experiences, clinicals, or student teaching.
Experiential learning for credit: your first step is to connect with your academic department to inquire about what opportunities and processes exist that you must follow in order to be eligible for the potential to gain academic credit for an internship or similar experience. If your department does not currently have a formal process established, you may apply for credit through the University Career Center’s UCOL 3410 process.
Not-for-credit experiential learning: there are numerous opportunities to integrate academic learning and the workplace at UNC Charlotte. Take a moment to learn more about the University Professional Internship Program, the Office of Engaged Scholarship, Office of Undergraduate Research, Office of International Programs, Leadership and Community Engagement, Gig-ternships/Micro-Internships, and more! Already doing something that you found on your own? Take a moment to “report your non-credit internship” so that we can help keep you safe while you are building your professional profile.