Implementing applied learning: A system view

Applied learning includes a variety of curricular and co-curricular experiences within higher education, including student internships, undergraduate research, cooperative learning, capstone experiences, and independent/directed study. While research has shown the benefits of applied learning experiences related to student outcomes, how to implement applied learning at scale across various disciplines and institutional types within higher education remains a complex challenge. This article considers research on organizational change in an effort to better understand how applied learning content and experiences can be expanded across diverse postsecondary settings. A case example employing document analysis considers the State University of New York (SUNY) Applied Learning Initiative as an example for implementing applied learning at a system level. We consider the case through a theoretical model for understanding and researching organizational change, encompassing issues of content, context, process, and criterion in implementing change within organizations. Key findings indicate that prioritizing applied learning offers opportunities for faculty and staff to engage such pedagogies in a consistent and replicable manner toward benefitting student outcomes. Yet, we also find that such efforts are in many ways contingent upon carefully managing vertical and horizontal organizational dynamics to ensure such ambitions are fully and equitably realized.