About

Sponsor:

Humanities College Brigham Young University (Frank Christianson, Associate Dean)

Mission statement:

This website guides experiential educators, both novices and those with years of experience, as they use writing as a vehicle for reflection in their experiential courses (both K-12 and university) laboratories, internships, mentored learning, leadership training and career development, study abroad, community outreach, service learning, adventure education and therapy, and outdoor recreation. More specifically, the sections of this website offer templates, process descriptions, writing prompts, lesson plans, bibliographies of scholarly articles, assessment tools, and rubrics for designing personalized material, to enable ExL practitioners to establish a culture of reflective practice, made rigorous through writing, in all their disciplinary contexts.

Website Moderator:

John Bennion, emeritus Brigham Young University English Department

Website Creation Team (Brigham Young University):

John Bennion: advisor, writer,

John Balzotti: advisor, homepage design, Experience Journal

Jamin Rowan: advisor, video editor

Anika Shumway: content director

Rebecca Cazanave: managing director

Forrest Burton: writer

Michael Chadwick: website design

Spencer Cheng: website design

Anna Hales: animation

Ashlyn Hanzon: video managing director, video design

Lillian Jensen: website design

Thomas Jenson: writer, editor

Melanie Morales: graphic design

Lauren Nelson: writer, editor

Dylan Robinson: writer, editor

Andrew Roundy: video animation

Sarah Schulzke Trump: writer, editor

Beatriz Tozo: video animation

Lauren Wooley: writer

In Memoriam: Ashlyn Hanzon

The driving force behind the videos on this website was Ashlyn Hanzon, who was the storyboard writer/designer, producer, and production manager for all our videos. In addition, she recorded herself as the narrator for many of them. It’s no exaggeration to say that without her skill the videos would be mediocre or nonexistent. As a student on Jamin Rowan and Mat Duerden’s study abroad in London that focused on

reflection and lifetime learning skills, she integrated and internalized the principles of experiential learning. As a result, she understood the philosophy behind the videos and made them clear, precise, and evocative. An exercise and wellness major, she had an instinct for design and taught herself the software needed to create graphics, record a soundtrack, and blend the two. She was enthusiastic and easy to work with. A tragic auto accident took her life not long after she made these videos. They are an excellent memorial to her creativity and energy.