Mentorship as Experiential Learning: Expanding Opportunity, Engagement, and Access

Mentorship as Experiential Learning: Expanding Opportunity, Engagement, and Access

As institutions strive to deepen student engagement and equip learners with real-world skills, mentorship is increasingly recognized as a powerful and often underleveraged form of experiential learning. In celebration of Mentorship Month, this webinar brings together higher education leaders and practitioners for an insightful session led by Dr. Ashley Finley, a leading voice in high-impact practices, assessment, and access-centered student success.

Dr. Finley will explore how mentorship functions as an experiential learning strategy that builds students’ agency, reflection, career readiness, and sense of belonging. Through the lens of national research and institutional case studies, she will illuminate how mentoring relationships create authentic, applied learning opportunities that support both academic and personal development.

This session will also offer valuable insights for leaders of experiential and clinical programs who are already embedding mentorship within learning experiences. Dr. Finley will challenge attendees to expand how they think about mentorship, not just as a component of professional preparation, but as a central, intentional element of experiential learning design.

Participants will gain insight into:

• Why mentorship meets the criteria for experiential learning and how it intersects with high-impact practices
• How mentoring relationships foster reflection, identity development, and real-world skill building
• Strategies for designing mentorship programs that intentionally integrate experiential learning outcomes
• Approaches for assessing the quality and impact of mentorship as a form of applied learning
• Ways institutions can scale accessible mentoring experiences across diverse student populations

Join us in honor of Mentorship Month for a thought-provoking session that reframes mentorship not only as a support mechanism but also as a transformative learning experience central to student success.

Date & Time: January 29, 1:00 PM EST

Featuring: Dr. Ashley Finley, Vice President for Research and Senior Advisor to the President, AAC&U

Ashley oversees AAC&U’s Office of Public Purpose and Opportunity which develops integrative approaches to linking students’ career preparation, civic engagement, and well-being. Through research, campus-based projects, and partnerships, this work advances higher education’s commitments to supporting economic, community, and individual thriving. Her publications include: The Career-Ready Graduate: What Employers Say About the Difference College Makes; A Comprehensive Approach to Assessment of High-Impact Practices; and The Effects of Community-Based and Civic Engagement in Higher Education. She also currently serves as a commissioner for the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC).