Applied Learning

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#RCCAppliedLearning

Applied Learning refers to an educational approach that allows students to learn by doing. Our mission is to give students access to Applied Learning by providing opportunities to:

  • Translate classroom knowledge to real-world situations
  • Develop a deeper understanding of course materials
  • Gain real-world skills that are valued by employers
  • Expand their networks
  • Build their professional resumes or portfolios

Applied Learning opportunities vary and are available in a variety of formats.

SUNY Works

Internship Program

RCC’s Internship Program offers a formal, academic, and experiential alternative to the classroom format. Partnering with hundreds of local and regional businesses, the Internship Program offers students the opportunity to gain practical, hands-on experience in a professional setting while earning college credit.

Faculty mentors help students throughout the internship experience, and the Internship Program offers carefully screened customized partnering of student and business.

COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning)

COIL-enhanced courses provide students with the opportunity to increase their global awareness and competency. Through exposure to different perspectives and interactions with students from various countries, students learn not only through their own cultural lens but also through the lens of the unfamiliar culture. Collaborative activities spanning at least four weeks, and enabled by technology, permit students to communicate and work with others towards the achievement of shared learning outcomes.

Clinical Placement

RCC’s Nursing and Occupational Therapy Assistant programs provide opportunities for experiential, hands-on learning in a variety of health-care settings. These programs require submission of a separate program application, and qualified candidates are admitted on a competitive basis.

Once accepted into the specific area of study, students in the Occupational Therapy Assistant and Nursing programs engage in a variety of service learning, fieldwork, and practicum experiences as part of their coursework.

SUNY Serves

Volunteer Service Program

Community service, volunteerism and service learning are the cornerstones of SUNY Serves. RCC offers students the opportunity to engage with the community in both credit-bearing and non-credit-bearing modes. RCC’s Volunteer Services Program facilitates volunteerism by connecting agencies and non-profits with our students. Students and employers can find out more about this program by following the volunteer link below.

Service Learning Program

In addition, RCC offers a Service Learning Program that allows students to work on real social issues and apply knowledge learned in the classroom to meaningful, human, educational and environmental needs. This work is done as a component of a class and is part of a credit-bearing experience.

SUNY Discovers

Rockland Community College provides several excellent opportunities for students to explore and discover science through research and a study abroad experience.

Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program

Partnering with Purchase College, this program offers a six week paid science research experience for underrepresented minorities, first-generation college students and students who are financially challenged. Students are paired with Purchase faculty and participate in a research project. Weekly research meetings are held, and students present their results at the annual Summer Research Symposium.

Independent Research Experience in Science

Mentored by RCC faculty, students formulate a research question, design the experiment, gather data, and present findings in the form of a research paper. Students also have the opportunity to present their data at scientific conferences. In addition, students can earn up to 3 credits.

Cambridge University International Summer School Program

Cambridge International Summer School Program has been offering summer courses for over 90 years. Students select a 2-week course of study taught by Cambridge faculty. Course are offered in literature, science, history and Shakespeare. Students live and study with fellow students from around the globe on the Cambridge campus.