Mount Allison University students across campus are taking their learning to new heights this term through partnerships projects with WestJet Airlines, the Canadian Museum of History, and opening a new international café in Sackville.
 
Three classes, in Religious Studies, Commerce, and Aviation, have been awarded over $110,000 in funding from the Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL Canada).
 
“Work-integrated learning and experiential opportunities are critical components in preparing today’s students for future endeavours. This is an area we are focused on building upon at Mount Allison,” says Anne Comfort, Mount Allison’s Vice-President, International and Student Affairs. “With support from CEWIL Canada, we’re seeing incredible opportunities for students in classes across campus to bring their learning into the wider community. On behalf of the entire university, thank you to CEWIL for their support around these innovative projects.”
 
Partners in History — exploring the Canadian History Museum collection in rural New Brunswick

Partners in History sees students in Dr. Susie Andrews’ Sacred Stuff religion class collaborating with local educators and their preschool and elementary school students to explore materials from the Canadian Museum of History (CMH) collection.

“CEWIL support has allowed us — through this project — to apply and deepen our in-class learning about of how objects matter in this exciting community collaboration” says Andrews. “In addition to honing 21st century competencies such as creativity, critical thinking, and communication, class members are gaining first-hand experience with early childhood education and the Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) industry.”
 
Co-creating learning invitations built around objects in the CMH "History Boxes", such as a Terry Fox: Marathon of Hope T-Shirt, a replica of the Last Spike, and a Maple Sugar Mould, the Mount Allison University Students are learning from and with a range experts. These include Sackville Playschool Inc. early childhood educators Crystal Allen and Allison Butcher, Salem Elementary School teacher Brianne Arsenault, CMH curator Dr. Jenny Ellison and CMH Learning Specialist Dr. Katie McDade, and Owens Art Gallery Curator of Education & Community Outreach Lucy MacDonald.

The diverse activities the Mount Allison University students have prepared will complement the CMH "History Box" with which university, preschool, and elementary school students  are working this spring. In addition to creating dynamic work-integrated learning experiences for Mount Allison students, the CEWIL iHub project, like the “History Boxes” themselves, aims to dismantle barriers to museum participation such that all children can benefit from dynamic programming of the type for which the CMH is internationally recognized.
 
Supporting student entrepreneurship — The Sip comes to Sackville

Commerce students in Dr. Nauman Farooqi’s Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation class received CEWIL funding to help support a new business venture in the Town of Sackville. The group of students worked to open a new ‘grab and go’ café offering international drinks and specialized sports shakes.
 
“The course is aimed at students seeking to gain hands-on experience, while identifying and developing the key skills necessary for establishing and managing an entrepreneurship venture. The dynamics of these approaches have proven to be successful as students build on skills such as teamwork, leadership and problem solving,” says Farooqi, who is also Mount Allison’s Dean of Business and Social Sciences. “We are delighted to add to the students entrepreneurial and experience with CEWIL’s support.”
 
Combining experiential learning with multiple reflective learning assessment tools, past years have seen several successful student-run businesses launched including a micro-brewery for making craft beer, the first coffee shop in the university library (which was bought by the university and is still running), and an art exhibition and auction gallery.
                                                                                       
In addition to this year’s business start-up, the CEWIL support is also enabling the class to embark on a tour to visit local start-up companies and businesses in the Greater Moncton Area and produce a video about the experience.
 
The Sip opened on March 31 and is located at 45A Main Street. Additional information and updates can be found on the company’s social media channels on Instagram and Facebook (@sipsackville).
 
The Business of Aviation: New Partnership with WestJet Airlines

The Business of Aviation allows students at Mount Allison access to innovative WIL and builds new partner relationships. Students will participate throughout the term in learning activities exploring the industry through a critical and academic lens, to further their understanding of the challenges and opportunities in aviation.
 
“The CEWIL support allows us to add an immersive field experience for the first time, giving students at Mount Allison University access to innovative WIL, and building new relationships with partners,” says Tom Machum, Mount Allison Commerce and Aviation professor. “Students will be able to explore the academic components of the business of the aviation industry and also participate in a field experience in Moncton and Calgary, including a series of experiential learning activities on the WestJet campus.”
 
This additional field experience will bring the classroom theory to life, help students gain a deeper understanding of the aviation industry.

All CEWIL projects at Mount Allison are supported and managed through the University’s Office of Experiential Learning and Career Development. Faculty members who are interested in learning more about future opportunities can contact Rebecca Leaman, Director of Experiential Learning and Career Development (rleaman@mta.ca)