Engaging Our Student Partners: Student Leadership in a Library-Initiated Experiential Learning Project

Abstract

This chapter discusses aspects of Undergraduates Speak: Our Rights and Access, a library-initiated and student-led pilot project aimed at advancing educational initiatives in the realm of scholarly communication. The project provided undergraduate students with opportunities to engage in experiential learning. Experiential learning, commonly defined as “learning by doing,” emphasizes the role that experience and self-reflection play in the learning process. In recent years, universities across the country have increasingly committed to providing such opportunities for undergraduate students. One reason for this emphasis is because experiential activities have a demonstrated impact on student retention and engagement. Among these high-impact practices are undergraduate research, internship, and service-learning opportunities. This chapter examines all three via Undergraduates Speak, where undergraduate students actively participated in exploratory research at multiple stages along the research continuum.