Work Integrated Learning Project Overview:
Arizona State University (ASU), with generous support from national funding partners, launched the Work-integrated Learning Accelerator (WIL Accelerator), a bold new initiative designed to bridge the growing gap between higher education and workforce readiness.
Despite a record number of Americans earning college degrees, employers increasingly report that graduates lack the necessary skills to meet industry demands, while students face significant barriers to accessing the kinds of experiences that could best be preparing them to meet those demands, known as work-integrated learning (WIL).
2025 Cohort Participating Institutions:
UMBC Work Integrated Learning Highlights
Summer 2025: Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Accelerator
- 1 of 8 institutions selected for WIL Accelerator:
- Leadership team (James DeVita, Christine Routzahn, Collin Sullivan, Jamie Gurganus & Stephen Freeland) participated in kick-off and training in June 2025.
- Selection includes $150,000 in funding support WIL integration on campus
Fall 2025: WIL Accelerator Pilot Development
- October 2025: completed design sprint that included interviews with students, faculty, staff, and industry partners.
- Used findings from design sprint to engage with EdTech partners and ASU facilitators on pilot proposal.
- Selected Forage (EAB) as WIL partner for pilot
Spring 2026: WIL Pilot in UNIV
- Pilot integrates WIL into the New Student Experience at UMBC through UNIV course.
- Spring 2026: 3 sections of UNIV will integrate WIL experience + Forage modules.
- Developing structure for New Student Experience (NSE) Council to guide implementation of WIL experiences for all new students
UMBC Next Steps
- Collect data and feedback from pilot experience; expand integration/WIL options in future semesters
- Propose curricular revisions on UNIV to formalize WIL integration
- Collaborate with Forage on development of UMBC-specific career pathways resource, including simulations and networks with Baltimore-area specific employers and industry partners
