Experiential Learning Design Accelerator at the University of Arizona—a dynamic opportunity to design or deepen high-impact, work-integrated learning experiences for your students.
Through a supportive, collaborative fellowship model, you’ll gain practical tools, dedicated time, and a national network of peers committed to advancing student success, career readiness, and inclusive teaching.
If you’re ready to bring your ideas to life and expand what’s possible in your classroom, we encourage you to apply.
The five-day virtual Intensive kicks-off this year-long program and introduces faculty to a human-centered design approach for integrating external stakeholders and authentic projects into 15-week and 7.5-week undergraduate courses. In this transformative experiential learning model, students work alongside their peers and community partners to develop desirable, feasible, and viable solutions to challenges informed by partners’ needs.
Our long-term goal is to embed community-engaged pedagogy across the institution. Research consistently shows students are more engaged and develop stronger community connections when learning alongside real-world partners.
BENEFITS: Faculty Fellows in this multi-disciplinary learning community will receive:
- Accelerator Intensive – 5-day design sprint provides training and application of human-centered design strategies and
iterative, creative problem-solving w/r/t curriculum development and undergraduate applied learning assignments. - Invitation to participate in a longitudinal research study examining potential improvements in students’ sense of selfefficacy and civic-mindedness across multiple dimensions of career-readiness and academic competency.
- Mentorship and a community of practice among faculty who have successfully developed scholarship, including grant
proposals, papers and presentations based on engaged learning pedagogy. - Support for establishing sustainable community partnerships rooted in true collaboration and mutual understanding
of benefits and responsibilities of that collaboration. - Instructional design support to create learning objects and activities that engage students in applying human-centered concepts and other effective creative problem-solving strategies to unscripted problems facing an
organization or community. - Support for broad course promotion to increase enrollment among relevant student populations on campus.
EXPECTATIONS: If selected, Fellows will contribute: - Responsive ideas for course (re)design within community engaged teaching and learning.
- Participation in the Accelerator Summer Intensive.
- Commitment to complete the (re)design phase and offer the course during AY 2026-2027.
- Participation in research study using student pre and posttests.
APPLICATION.
There is no cost to join the Summer ‘26 Experiential Learning Design Accelerator Intensive. However, we want to restrict participation to faculty who are committed to implementing authentic community partnerships into their undergraduate courses. We will accept applications from faculty across all disciplines and degrees. Courses must be offered during AY26-27 and must be 100 – 400-level undergraduate courses. Cross-listed graduate courses may also be considered.
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION. Deadline: June 15, 2026