Career Center: Work-Based Learning Experiences

What is a WBLE at JMU?

A WBLE, which stands for work-based learning experience, is a hands-on opportunity to gain skills and core career competencies that will serve you not just in your career, but anywhere you go after you graduate. Common experiences include internships, on-campus employment, research, practicums, clinicals, or student teaching.

I would definitely say that my photography skills have grown immensely in the last year and a half. I look at pictures that I took like a year and a half ago when I first started and I'm like, "Oh my gosh, like I could have done so much better." But obviously I didn't know then and now I know and I can only get better from here.

I've been able to get a lot of experience with community engagement and communications through my fellowship, whether that's tabling at community events or writing for newsletters or interviewing folks about their experiences with conservation practices. learning a lot about tailoring our messaging and our information for different audiences and different knowledge levels. It's very rewarding to help fellow students especially with a difficult subject. Biopsychology is is a very difficult subject. I've really started to understand the professor's mindset and how to make sure that students are actually learning what you're trying to to teach them. Being able to work in a place with people that care so much about my success. They're there for me when I fail. They're there for me when I succeed. I think it's definitely shaped me into who I am and it's been a great proponent of teaching myself that like it's okay to fail in order to take the next step forward and to make mistakes.

This was a great experience to get a taste of working in the nonprofit sector and in the environmental conservation field. It also sort of gave me a sense of what other jobs there are that exist in the field and might be somewhere that I want to go in the future with my career. Each WBLE should include: supervision by professional or faculty in the field have defined learning outcomes, structured reflection opportunities, mentorship and feedback, as well as a set schedule aligned with learning goals.

Here at the JMU Career Center, it is our mission to prepare students for the future.Visit the career center located in the Student Success Center on the third floor. Call us at 540-568-6555 or visit our website to learn more about WBLE and how to report your WBLE experience.

What is a WBLE?

A Work-based Learning Experience (WBLE) is a hands-on experience in an applied context that increases knowledge and skills necessary for discipline-focused career readiness. To qualify as a WBLE, the experience must:

Increase discipline-related knowledge and skills identified at the beginning of the experience
Be supervised by a professional in the discipline who provides oversight and guides the student’s experience
Occur in a context beyond a traditional class. This can include experiences:
1. in which a faculty member serves as the site supervisor (for example, with research or teaching assistant work) OR
2. in a course that requires students to complete a semester-long project for external partners or companies

NOTE: WBLEs may be paid or unpaid, for-credit or not, and in-person or virtual. They may include internships, research, practica, clinicals, student teaching, and teaching assistantships.

Explore our resources

Is your Course or Job a Work-Based Learning Experience?

WBLE Course or Experience Checklist

Each WBLE should include:

Supervision by a professional in the discipline/field of study (*faculty or other professional may serve as the supervisor)
Defined learning outcomes
Structured reflection opportunities
Mentorship and feedback
A meaningful duration, including start and end date, aligned with learning goals (defined by weeks or hours, such as 15 weeks or 150 hours)