ORCO definitely has its share of learning outside the class. When I was first introduced to doing projects outside of class, I thought what have I gotten myself into, and why I changed my major to Organizational Communication. I stuck with it and thought it was a great oppurtunity to learn from others and come face to face with real life situations. I have done quite a bit with the EXL classes and have enjoyed almost every minute of it. My experience with EXL is positive and is a great outlook on projects that are not in the college classroom.
My ORCO in Communities class was my first hit of EXL; then, I had no idea of what EXL was. I just went with the flow and thought this class was truly an eye opening experience. After that, I gradually added up on the EXL classes based on my major. Each class has been different for me. Each of them provide different projects, skills, thinking, and much, much more. With all of the different topics provided in the following online portfolio, it has given me a chance to present some of my papers, presentations, and projects to a potential employer.
Before I was an ORCO major, I was Business Administration; which did not leave much room for learning from others or outside work; it was more for memorizing, and not really remembering any of the material. I changed my major to ORCO a year and a half ago and still remember pretty much everything I have learned; most from my EXL classes.
I thoroughly enjoyed my Event Planning class because that is what I potentially want to do one day. I provided me with information that I still have. It gave me a chance to help with an event in the community. I got to plan an event to show my skills as a planner. I did site assessments outside the classroom and discussed with the class. That was one of my favorite classes.
My Interview class has given me more information than I expected. Going out for an interview for the class was very nerve racking. I wanted to drop the class immediately. But since it was a part of my major, I stuck with it. I realized it was the best EXL class I have taken. I learned so much from this class and it will be very helpful when I enter the real world as a graduate seeking out a job.
I have worked very hard in all of my classes; but my EXL classes I tried to work harder than I would in another class. EXL classes are the classes I will remember what I did in my college classes. I do not remember anything other than doodling during class lectures in the Business major and did not try to learn. EXL is truly an outside learning experience. It provides more for the student to assess, more to learn from, even though there are no tests; and it provides a chance to grow as a person in the community. Though it is all through college and is a class, it is slowly helping an individual step out of their shell and get used to doing things in the community.
