Kansas State University is committed to providing all degree-seeking students with an Applied Learning Experience before they graduate, fulfilling our commitment to prepare students for life beyond K-State. Courses will be designated as an Applied Learning Experiences course in the course catalog.
This webpage serves as a resource to faculty, staff, and administrators interested in designating a course as an Applied Learning Experience.
Please note the following deadlines for submission to the ALE Course Team within Curriculog:
Summer and Fall Semester 2026 Courses: January 23, 2026
Spring 2027 Courses: April 24, 2026
The ALE team will partner with the Office of the Registrar to provide a working Q&A session. The session will be held in Leadership Studies Building room 247 from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, December 5. Use the link below to register and submit questions.
The course designation process begins with the submission of the relevant Curriculog forms. PDF previews of the Curriculog forms are available on the Curriculum Forms page provided by the Office of the Registrar. Three options are available:
Applied Learning Experience Form. This new form can only be used to add the Applied Learning Experience designation to an existing course. No other course changes are allowed.
The NEW Course form, edited to include the ALE designation in newly created courses.
The CHANGE Course form, edited to include the ALE designation in existing courses being changed.
The full ALE course designation process is outlined in the Approval, Routing, and Notification Policies for Course and Curriculum Process, or ARN, Appendix D.
Complete the ALE Course Form and submit it within the course management system.
Receive approval at the department or college level.
Receive approval from the ALE Course Team. The ALE Course Team will review each course proposal using the ALE Course Checklist.
If the course is approved and does not currently exist in the catalog, it will be forwarded to the Faculty Senate Committee on Academic Affairs and will then be handled in the usual approval process.
Faculty Senate Academic Affairs Committee (a minimum of 10 calendar days will occur between the receipt of a proposal and this committee’s vote)
Faculty Senate Executive Committee
Faculty Senate
If the course is approved and currently exists in the catalog, it will be forwarded to the registrar for inclusion in next year’s academic catalog.
Courses that are denied for inclusion will be returned to the appropriate school or college with a brief rationale, noting the option to resubmit to the ALE Course Team or to remove the Applied Learning Experience designation request and move forward by sending the proposal to the Faculty Senate committees for review.
This video illustrates the process:
All courses designated as an Applied Learning Experience must incorporate four components which align with the ALE framework. The ALE Course team will use the following checklist to ensure alignment.
Requirement
Criterion
Evidence
The proposer has planned the required assignments within the syllabus.
The syllabus includes the required ALE assignments (outlined below). The assignments are clearly indicated as ALE assignments in the course syllabus.
Syllabus
Requirement 1
Experiences involve learner engagement at least equivalent to the intensity, depth and/or time commitment of a 1-credit-hour course, a minimum of 45hours engagement in total. The experience is not required to be credit-bearing.
The experience is equivalent to the intensity of a 1-credit-hour course, a minimum45 hours of sustained engagement.
Syllabus Upload
Requirement 2
Experiences are intentionally designed to develop professional, technical, personal, and/or interpersonal skills. These learning outcomes and competencies are supported and assessed.
a. The experience is intentionally designed to develop professional, technical, personal, and/ or interpersonal skills.
b. An appropriate system is detailed for each student to have a knowledgeable mentor.
c. The mentor, student, and faculty all bear responsibility to ensuring the experience provides the richest learning possible.
d. There is sufficient flexibility and formative feedback to ensure the learner can react and adjust during the experience.
Question box
Requirement 3
Experiences incorporate purposeful experience, active engagement, and critical reflection. The learner is responsible forthe sharing and communication of new understandings and the application to new situations.
a. The experience is authentic in nature. It involves real, current problems and/or solutions from business, industry, community, university, or other career partners. The experience does not involve simulation or contrived variables.
b.Through the reflective process, learners develop a sense of being: the sense that they are not just experiencing something, but that they are developing a professional identity.
c.There is opportunity for shared reflection with the mentor and when appropriate amongst peers.
Question Box
Course Title and Number:
Reviewer:
Date:
Options for Integration of ALE Framework
The four elements—ALE Student Planning Form, ALE Activity and Mentor Log, ALE Formative Reflections, and ALE Summative Reflection—have been identified as essential elements of a high-quality applied learning experience. The ALE Student Planning form is mandatory for all experiences. Other elements may be achieved through self-designed assignments connected to ALE Canvas Outcomes, or facilitated through ready-made resources in the Canvas Commons.
Kansas State University will use the results from these elements to assess the impact of the Applied Learning Experiences requirement and continuously improve its implementation. This approach ensures consistency across courses and contributes to a cohesive educational experience for all students.
Requirement – ALE Student Planning Form for a minimum. Courses may add additional components to the form.
Measurable Outcome: Students will complete and submit the ALE Student Planning Form with clearly defined learning goals, timelines, and mentor expectations, achieving a minimum score of 80% on the planning rubric.
Requirement – An activity and mentor log. Can be faculty-designed that meets the ALE framework or a course may use a ready-to-use version.
Measurable Outcome: Students will accurately log/record experiential learning activities and have intentional conversations related to their activities.
Requirement – At least 3 formative reflections assignments throughout the semester. Can be faculty-designed that meets the ALE framework or course may use a ready-to-use version.
Measurable Outcome: Students will submit at least three formative reflections that demonstrate growth in professional competencies, with each reflection meeting or exceeding expectations on a reflection rubric (e.g., scoring 3 or higher on a 4-point scale).
Requirement – A summative reflection assignment that meets the ALE framework (i.e., synthesizes their ALE experience, authentic application of knowledge, active engagement with initial goals, development of processional identity).Can be faculty-designed that meets the ALE framework or course may use a ready-to-use version.
Measurable Outcome: Students will submit a summative reflection that synthesizes their ALE experience, demonstrating authentic application of knowledge, active engagement with initial goals, development of professional identity, and creation of new knowledge applicable to future practice, scoring at least 85% on the summative reflection rubric.