Reflection Statement for Experiential Learning Component

  1. Office & Department Directory
  2. Biology Department
  3. Reflection Statement for Experiential Learning Component

This Reflection Statement is submitted as part of Verification Form A.  Please follow this link to complete Verification Form A within one month of completion of your ELC experience.

One of the learning goals of the Biomedical Sciences major is to “identify and articulate connections between biomedical science concepts and hands-on experiences via reflection, analysis, and synthesis.”  In order to address this learning goal, every biomedical sciences major must participate in an Experiential Learning Component (ELC) that may be credit-bearing (e.g., 1 unit senior year experience or Health Coaches I and II) or non-credit bearing (e.g., St. Lawrence University, C-STEP, or McNair Fellowships; EMT Training, etc.) and submit a reflection of their experience via Verification Form A.  

 Research1 suggests that reflection exercises improve student learning and that in order to be effective, reflection should be: 

  • Continuous – i.e., takes place before, during, and after the experience 

  • Challenging – i.e., takes you out of your comfort zone to make new connections between concepts and think in new ways 

  • Connected – i.e., helps to bridge the gap between the experience and discipline-based academic knowledge 

  • Contextualized – i.e, framed in a manner that is appropriate for the context that the experience took place 

As you embark on your ELC, we would like you to conduct three phases of reflection: before, during, and after your experience. Although you will only submit to us your post-reflection, the other two phases will be important for you to provide us with a thoughtful, analytical, and synthetic write-up of your experience. Below are some prompts to think about for each phase of your experience: 

Before the Experience

Take a snapshot of where you are before the experience. It will be helpful for you to think, reflect, and document the following: 

  • What are some of your current understandings of the field you plan to embark in with this experience? 

  • What are your expectations for the upcoming experience? 

During the Experience:

As you are participating in your experiential learning component placement,

  • Check-in with yourself throughout your experience. What are some things that are happening?   

  • How is your experience connecting to the learning goals of the BMS major?  

  • How is your experience connecting to your coursework, both the science and biomedical context courses? 

After the Experience:

At the conclusion of your experience, consider your reflections about the experience thus far (above) and as well as the prompts listed below.  Compile your thoughts in a 500-1000 word Reflection Statement that must be submitted as part of Verification Form A within one month of eompletion of your experience.  Because this Reflection Statement is an official requirement for completion of your BMS degree, it should be carefully written and proofread and reviewed by your academic advisor prior to submission.  

  • How did your experience connect to the learning goals of the BMS major?

  • Did you apply knowledge from your coursework to specific situations?  

  • Review your pre-experience notes. Reflect on your expectations coming into the experience and what you took out of the experience. 

  • How can you apply what you learned in your ELC to your future career? 

  • Identify ways in which your ELC can enhance your experience in the classroom as you finish your requirements for your BMS major.  

  • What strengths, weaknesses, and skills did you discover through this experience? 

Two Important Notes:

  • For the non-credit bearing ELC options that do not result in licensure or certification, Verification Form A will also ask you to report the dates of ELC participation, how many weeks and hours you committed, the types of tasks you participated in, and contact information for your mentor/supervisor. Students are recommended to keep a journal/log of their hours and tasks during their experience in order to facilitate accurate reporting on this form at the end of the experience.  This form must be submitted within one month of completion of the experience. 
  • Please note that BMS majors who are also Public Health majors/minors cannot use the same ELC experience to satisfy the requirements for both programs. 

1 Eyler, J. (2001), Creating Your Reflection Map. New Directions for Higher Education, 2001: 35-43. https://doi.org/10.1002/he.11 

Return to:   Biomedical Sciences Major      Biomedical Sciences Experiential Learning Component