PROJECT (ELP) GUIDE
SUSTAIN 1S03 – Winter 2023
SUMMARY OF ASSIGNMENT
• As part of this course, you will complete two (2) community-based, experiential learning
activities of your choice. There will be a list of pre-approved ELP activities that you can
choose from. The activities you choose must be started and completed this semester.
• After taking part in two different activities, will document your experience through the
creation of a personal reflection.
• Please note that you may complete your experiential learning projects at any time
throughout the current semester, as long as you hand your reflection in by each
respective due date. To clarify, you may work ahead of schedule if you would like.
• The following steps will help guide you through completing each of your two
Experiential Learning Projects →
STEP 1: DEVELOPING YOUR PERSONAL
LEARNING GOALS
• Develop 3-5 learning goals that you hope to achieve throughout the duration
of the course.
• They could be specific skills, abilities, and/or knowledge that you would like to
achieve throughout SUSTAIN 1S03
• Note: You will be reflecting on your progress in meeting and achieving your
goals in step 3.
• Include ALL your learning goals as a separate list at the beginning of your
reflection (please include this at the top of both reflections you submit)
• Your learning goals should remain the same throughout the semester
STEP 2: CHOOSING AND ENGAGING IN YOUR
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING ACTIVITY
• Choose activities that align with your personal interests and will help to support your personal
learning goals. This may require you to engage in some background research on the activities to
gain a better understanding of what is involved, as well as to be properly prepared.
• Pre-approved activities can be found in this file and is also posted on Avenue
• If your proposed activity is not found on the Approved ELP Ideas list, you will need to seek
permission and approval from your TA with justification on how it relates back to the course.
• The approval of an activity will be at the final discretion of the TA and must be approved
before completing the activity.
• If you choose an activity that is not found on the Approved ELP Ideas List or was not granted
permission by a TA, we will not grade your reflection.
• Review the reflection guidelines prior to taking part in each of your activities (see Step 3).
Makingnotes along the way will support the creation of you reflection to follow.
STEP 3: PREPARING YOUR REFLECTION AFTER
COMPLETING YOUR ACTIVITY
• Now that you have completed your experiential learning activity, you are ready
to prepare a formal reflection. Your reflection will be the basis for evaluating
your experiential learning.
• Throughout your reflection, you should be summarizing the planning, the
events that occurred, and takeaways from your ELP as well as its contribution to
your learning goals.
• The expectations for your reflection are found in the following section.
• The ‘Reflective Learning Framework. A guide for Students and Educations. Aug
2018’, is a helpful resource to refer to which can be found on Avenue to Learn.
• You may refer to page 6 and page 19 to understand how the Reflective Learning Framework
can be integrated into your reflection.
ELP HELP GUIDE & RUBRIC
What are
Experiential
Learning
Projects
(ELPs)?
Your choice of activity
that is sustainability-
based
Ex. attending the farmer’s
market, attending a
sustainability conference,
going on a hike
You will engage in 2 DIFFERENT activities
that is completed THIS SEMESTER
After completing an ELP, you will write a
reflection in essay format and draw
connections to sustainability themes.
Continue reading the rest of the slides to
know how to write a successful academic
reflection.
Learning
Goals
• Create 3-5 learning goals for what you want
to achieve upon completion of this course
• Let your goals guide you to choose
meaningful ELPs
• State ALL learning goals at the top of your
reflection
• The goals should be the same for both
reflections
Ex. you want to learn how sustainability will
influence your career, you want to incorporate
more sustainable practices in your lifestyle, you
want to reduce your carbon footprint.
ELP
Requirements
• The activity must be done this
semester (you cannot reflect on an
activity done in the past)
• You MUST complete an activity that is
approved, otherwise we will NOT grade
your work
• Your reflection must be written in essay
format (no headers)
• You will have to attach a picture of
yourself engaging in the activity
(preferably a selfie)
Pre-
Approved
ELP Ideas
• Please see the list of approved ELP ideas
below. We have provided locations for
certain ELPs ease the planning process.
• Any ELP you engage in must be done THIS
semester. This list will be updated as the
semester progresses.
• If you think of an idea that is not on the list
below, or require any further clarification,
please contact your assigned TA.
• Please see the next slides for pre-approved
ELPs →
Pre-
Approved
ELP Ideas
• Thrifting at a Non-Profit
• The Salvation Army Thrift Store (Across the GTA)
• Mission Thrift Store (Across the GTA)
• Goodwill Retail Store & Community Donation
Centre (Across the GTA)
• Restore-Habitat for Humanity (Across the GTA)
• re-Source Thrift Shop (Hamilton)
• The Giving Closet Thrift Shop (Hamilton)
• Journey Thrift (Brampton)
• Encore Thrift Store (Brampton)
Pre-
Approved
ELP Ideas
• Hiking *this is historically generally not well done by students, be sure to conduct
research and make direct connections back to the activity)
• Royal Botanical Gardens (Burlington)
• Mount Nemo Conversation Area Loop (Burlington)
• Dundas Valley Conservation Area (Hamilton)
• Borer’s Falls Conservation Area (Hamilton)
• Tiffany Falls Conservation Area (Hamilton)
• Crawford Lake Conservation Area Trails (Milton)
• Kelso Conservation Trails (Milton)
• Rattray Marsh Conservation Area (Mississauga)
• Heartlake Conversation Area (Brampton)
• Charles Sauriol Conservation Reserve Trail
(Toronto)
• Boyd Conservation Park (Vaughan)
• Milne Dam Conservation Park Trail (Markham)
Pre-
Approved
ELP Ideas
• Visit a Farmer’s Market
• Hamilton Farmer’s Market (Hamilton)
• Ottawa Street Farmer’s Market (Hamilton)
• Waterdown Farmer’s Market (Waterdown)
• Burlington Centre Lions Farmer's Market
(Burlington)
• Lions Farmers Market (Mississauga)
• Sorauren Farmers’ Market (Toronto)
• The Leslieville Farmers’ Market (Toronto)
• Go vegan or vegetarian for a minimum of 3
days.
• Reflect on the duration of your experience from
start to end + Include multiple photos of the
meals you ate
Pre-
Approved
ELP Ideas
• Shop at a sustainable/low-waste shop and
reflect on the products purchased.
• Park Market & Refillery (Burlington)
• The Pale Blue Dot (Hamilton)
• Mrs. Greenway (Hamilton)
• EcoFillosophy (Oakville)
• Pretty Clean Shop (Toronto)
• The Kind Matter Co. (Milton/Oakville)
Where else to find
approved ELPs?
• Avenue>Communication>Discussion
to find 1S03 Approved ELP Ideas List
• Contact your designated TA or email
SUST1S03@mcmaster.ca if you have
an idea outside this list with
justification on how it relates to the
course.
Reflection
Rubric
Components
RECOUNT
• Temporal Progression
• Important Aspects of the Experience
• Connection to Academic Theory
DISCUSSION
• Personal Thoughts and Feelings
• Cause-and-Effect Relationships
• Relating to Other Connections/Drawing Connections
• Planning and Future Practices
• Extras!
Here are some prompts
to help you…
Do not answer these
exact questions in your
reflection.
These are here to help
you write ☺
Planning
• Before engaging in your chosen ELPs, consider the planning process
as it is a part of the reflective process.
• You can open your ELP by discussing why you chose your activity.
Keep this portion very brief (2-3 sentences)
• Is it to achieve a learning goal? Is it because an event is about a topic you are
passionate about? Did you have to conduct research before beginning your
experience?
Temporal Progression
• Organize information including temporal progression of events. [2
marks]
• You should be organizing your reflection so it is easy to follow, as if it is a story.
• It should be organized so we know what happened at the start, throughout
and at the end of your activity.
• Use transition words to help carry the reader.
Important Aspects of the Experience
• Summarize the main points and key themes of the experience. [2
marks]
• Highlight 2-3 important points that occurred while engaging in your ELP.
• What was eye-opening or an important realization during your experience?
Connection to Academic Theory
• Connect to course content or reference external sources (cited in APA).
[2 marks]
• Were you reminded of something you learned in this course? Does it connect
to something that was mentioned in one of the lectured? Did you conduct
some research to find a shocking fact?
• Make sure it connects to a sustainability topic/theme that also ties back to
your specific activity.
Personal Thoughts and Feelings
• Discusses personal point of view or biases that underlie the personal
thought or feeling in detail. [2 marks]
• Were you shocked to discover a piece of information? Why? What is your
personal opinion towards the topic? How does participating in the ELP make
you feel? Do you believe there are biases that impact how you view a topic?
• E.g. you had misconceptions about the recycling system but after engaging in
in the ELP, you are now more aware and feel educated on how to dispose of
products appropriately.
Cause-and-Effect Relationships
• Identifies the relationship between two events, where one event is the
cause of the other. [2 marks]
• If a certain action caused a certain response, desirable or undesirable, reflect on
the events and the relationship between them.
• Ex. A lack of maintenance in pipelines can cause an oil spill. As a result, this
could have an adverse affect on ecosystems, hurting food supplies for animals.
• Explains the significance of the cause-and-effect relationship to a
sustainability theme. [2 marks]
• What about the identified cause-and-effect relationship ties back to
sustainability? Why was it significant for you to reflect on?
• E.g. A pipeline leak impacts the environment and neighbouring communities as
it …
Relating to Other Connections/Drawing
Connections
• Draws a connection to a greater societal impact associated to the
experience/theme. [2 marks]
• Ex. You have a backyard garden and reflect on the big picture of this activity. You are
fortunate to have the green space to grow as many vegetables possible but think
about others in the city.
• Considers the challenges or barriers that society may have. [2 marks]
• Ex. Those who live in condos and apartments don’t have green space to grow their
own product at home.
• Proposes a possible solution or opportunity to combat challenge. [2 marks]
• Ex. Cities and municipalities can build public green spaces to encourage residents in
buildings to have a garden beyond their kitchen.
*This rubric component is worth the most.
Feel free to support your thoughts with
external research if necessary.
Planning and Future Practices
• Generates one or more ideas for personal future practice that relates to the
theme of experience and would be significant to adopt going forward. [2
marks]
• Ex. You know in the winter months, you can’t continue growing your garden, what
are some possible practices to continue reducing your footprint in regards to food?
• What are some other ways to be sustainable in relation to the theme of topic?
• Explains possible benefits and/or challenges associated to proposed future
practice. [2 marks]
• Is there a benefit to adopt those practices? What might be challenging for you if you
adopt that future practice into your lifestyle going forward?
Additional Requirements
• The photo shall be of good quality and is taken by the student
themselves. [1 mark]
• Included a list of 3-5 learning goals that is stated at the beginning of
the paper [1 mark]
• The reflection is written in essay format, and is clear of spelling and
grammar mistakes. [2 marks]
• Do NOT use headers
Important
Notes
• To earn the full 2 marks, you must explain in
detail to demonstrate your learning.
• Notice the bulk of the marks come from:
• Cause-and-Effect Relationships
• Relating to Other Connections/Drawing
Connections
• Planning and Future Practices
• Word Limit: 1200 words (This is a hard limit.
This excludes works cited and your learning
goals). We will stop reading your work after
this word count.
• TurnItIn is enabled. Submit original work.
Check List
❑Did you complete an approved activity that is done THIS semester?
❑Did you attach a selfie of you completing your activity?
❑Did you state ALL 3-5 learning goals at the top of your reflection?
❑Did you write an essay format reflection (with no headers)?
❑Did you cite your work within your writing and include a works cited?
❑Did you proofread your writing?
❑Did you clearly connect back to all components of the rubric?