Advancing Experiential Education at Drexel

This message was shared with faculty and professional staff members on October 22, 2026.

Dear Colleagues,

For more than a century, co-op has been a defining part of a Drexel education. As we prepare for Fall 2027, we are building on that legacy by ensuring every undergraduate engages in experiential learning, whether through co-op, research, global study, community engagement or courses built around real-world challenges.

To lead this work, Youngmoo Kim, PhD, has moved into a new role as senior vice provost for experiential education, effective Sept. 1.

This new role formalizes work Dr. Kim has been advancing since becoming vice provost for university and community partnerships in 2023. He has approached community engagement as experiential learning: something students actively participate in, not simply something the University sponsors. That idea now helps shape our direction across Drexel.

Dr. Kim will continue to lead University and Community Partnerships, including the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships. His expanded portfolio includes:

Chairing the Council on Experiential Learning Opportunities (ELO Council). The council has already advanced Course+ proposal requirements and assessment criteria and is developing what information will appear on an official student experiential learning transcript.
Helping to lead the development of an Experiential Learning Hub, a visible home where students can find guidance, and project space and showcase their work.
Connecting the many ways students learn by doing, working closely with the Steinbright Career Development Center, Drexel Global, the Honors College and partners across the University so students see one landscape of experiential opportunities rather than a series of separate doors.
Shaping how Drexel tells its experiential learning story to prospective and current students, amplifying the University’s signature approach to learning by doing — one that builds on and extends beyond co-op.

Building a Broader Experiential Learning Ecosystem

Beginning in Fall 2027, every incoming undergraduate will complete at least one approved Experiential Learning Opportunity (ELO) before graduation. Most Drexel students already fulfill that requirement through co-op or clinical placements. The requirement sets a floor. Our larger aim is to expand pathways into research, global experiences, and community-based learning while creating more courses focused on real-world challenges and built around sustained work with external partners, demonstrating global leadership in experiential education.

Faculty will be central to this work. Programs may propose discipline-specific ELOs, and academic units are encouraged to develop Course+ classes in which intensive, applied experience is at the core of the course. The ELO Council will support programs from concept through approval, and Dr. Kim will work with the Teaching and Learning Center to offer faculty workshops on Course+ development.

While co-op remains Drexel’s signature experiential learning opportunity, we are building a broader, more intentional approach to learning by doing — one that gives every student meaningful ways to connect what they learn with what they can do. Dr. Kim will provide the leadership to bring that vision together across the University.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Kim on his new role.

Sincerely,

Paul E. Jensen, PhD
Executive Vice President
Nina Henderson Provost