Explore beyond the classroom
Our students' learning is enriched by their access to local, national and international cultural resources and it is our dedicated Experiential Learning Department that exists to foster off site learning, extending the student learning experience beyond the classroom and beyond traditional learning.
The EL Department provides the logistical tools to support instructors in creating a challenging learning environment based on the creative application of knowledge, and implement assessment methods to ensure pedagogical excellence.
Our students are encouraged to process their experiences in the field via guided reflection and critical thinking, supported by the instructor, who will help students foster their own active learning and acquisition of transferable skills.
Our experiential and active learning days run with precision! Itineraries for specific off site activities will be posted on the individual course pages and our Experiential Learning Hub on the OnQ website at least a couple of days before the activity takes place, as well as on the EAL notice boards within the Castle. You can download your itinerary as a pdf to save on your mobile phone.
Where embedded experiential learning conflicts with normal mealtimes, a packed breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner will be provided. You should note that punctuality is an absolute must on our EAL days. If you are late, we will have to leave without you in order to stay on schedule, so be sure to set an alarm!
Cultural Studies Trips
Your Student Services team arranges at least one cultural studies trip per term that is open to all students at the Castle. These are optional trips that enrich your international experience by giving you the opportunity to see more of the UK, outside of an experiential and active learning context.
Previous cultural studies trips have included:
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A day-trip to Canterbury, which includes a visit to Canterbury Cathedral.
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A day-trip to Bruges to sample some of the world's best chocolate!
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A day-trip to Cambridge, including a punt down the Cam.
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A day trip to Brighton, to watch a live comedy show.
Mid Term Trips
Once per term, and built into your fees, the mid-term trip (MTT) is your gateway to adventure! Our mid-term trips are an outstanding, extended opportunity for you to explore global political, cultural and historical sites of interest. You will examine primary sources first-hand as you take the opportunity to visit sites relating to your courses, as well as time to explore on your own.
Our MTTs have previously included destinations such as London, Paris, Oxford, Cambridge, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Berlin and Geneva.
Our mid-term trip destination in Fall 2023 will be Edinburgh, Scotland.
Our mid-term trip destination in Winter 2024 will be Paris, France.
Stellar examples of course-related experiential and active learning include our first-year Biology students, who visited Edinburgh’s Royal Botanical Gardens on their midterm trip. This outstanding research institution has a mission to conserve, explore and explain the world of plants for a better future. Students make their way through ten glasshouses, each of which replicates a different global climate, including a tropical rainforest and an arid desert. It’s an outstanding immersive learning experience. As you walk into some of the glasshouses the humidity really hits you, and there are even birds flying around inside!
Our upper-year Global Health students had an extended stay in London, where among other places, they toured the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine - a world-leading centre for research and postgraduate education in public and global health and the Langdon Down Museum of Learning Disability - taking a guided tour with the museum's archivist. Our summer term Global Health and Disability students meanwhile, visited Geneva over their midterm, a once in a lifetime academic experience to meet world leaders in disability studies.