Office of Experiential Learning

Reimagining Learning to Address Grand Challenges

Creating integrated, interdisciplinary opportunities for our students to solve real-world problems for real-world companies is the cornerstone in the mission of the Office of Experiential Learning. Through dynamic curriculum innovations, the support of our alumni and business community, and exciting external opportunities, Smith students develop greater resilience, tolerance for ambiguity, critical thinking, and a keen ability to lead the organizations of the future.

Partner with OEL

Smith Business Consulting

Experiential Learning Thriving at Smith: OEL Annual Report

Partner Organizations

The Office of Experiential Learning had 114 unique experiential learning projects with over 250 alumni and corporate partners this past academic year. The most popular experiential learning opportunity was classroom coaching, where participants served as a guest speaker or a judge. They work at many top organizations, including Morgan Stanley, Sephora, Tesla, Southwest, Netflix, Uber, Lululemon, Microsoft, LinkedIn, YouTube and the World Bank. For Smith live cases, company representatives participate in a short-term class project. This year, live case participants included the U.S. Department of the Treasury, PwC, KPMG, CohnReznick, T. Rowe Price, Amazon and more. The longest engagement is a term-long capstone project, where students work with companies for several weeks, this year including Google, Marriott, Deloitte, Major League Baseball, Pepsi, Lockheed Martin, American Red Cross, BAE Systems, McCormick and many others. We are also using our experiential learning teams to reimagine the future of business in government, with partners like the Federal Labs Consortium, the MD State Dept of Veterans Affairs, Fannie Mac and Freddie Mac.

Recent Experiential Learning Projects

University of Maryland MBA Students Recommend a Solution for Space Junk With NASA Technology

Next Level Experiential Learning

Information Systems Students Build Web Solutions for Real Businesses

Students Across Campus Compete in Smith Analytics Consortium’s Annual Datathon

How a Fraternity Helped Smith Create a New Experiential Learning Class for Social Good

Smith’s Strategic Design Fellows Team Finishes Third in AMA Competition

Smith Professor, Students Take On Mortgage Climate Risk

Smith Students Learn Supply Chain Management With Immersive VR

MiM Program Closes Successful Year with Student Project Showcase

Benefits for OEL Partners

Access to top student talent
Build your employer brand with University of Maryland students
Tap into fresh thinking and outside perspectives
Receive meaningful recommendations for your organization
Interact with world-class research faculty
Contribute meaningfully to students’ education

How to Partner with OEL

Join an Advisory Council

Industry leaders and experts may be invited to join advisory councils to help shape what students learn, match classroom lessons to real-world needs, and widen the pipeline for internship and job opportunities

Engage in the Classroom

Continuous opportunities to speak with, coach, or judge to students working on real-world business applications

Provide a Class Project

Semester-long projects where graduate and undergraduate students apply and display their problem-solving and critical thinking abilities. These projects help provide solutions to challenges your organization may face, and a direct connection to talented Smith students.

Host a Live Case

A short-term opportunity for student teams to develop strategic business recommendations. The entire class is dedicated to the case, providing a wealth of recommendations and greater exposure.