Collab Lab

Name: Collab Lab 73: Experiential Learning – Connecting Higher-Ed and K-12
Start: 2026-02-12T17:30:00-06:00
End: 2026-02-12T20:30:00-06:00
Location: WE Energies STEM Center at MSOE

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Thursday February 12

Thursday February 12 @ 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Collab Lab 73: Experiential Learning – Connecting Higher-Ed and K-12

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Collab Lab 73 Recap & Notes
February 19, 2026

Last week’s Collab Lab brought together the folks who coordinate and support experiential learning at UWM, Marquette, MSOE, MIAD, and MATC together for a discussion focused on how we might connect experiential learning opportunities in higher-ed to those in K-12 with benefits to all sides. Goals We began the discussion but asking what we hope experiential learning can offer to students as well as educators, in higher-ed, or within K-12. While the group called out a few direct impacts– public service, skill development, exposure to new environments, the opportunity to make connections to material presented in the classroom, it was what might happen that seemed to offer a greater spark. The greatest value in experiential learning may come from the unanticipated impact, a passion is ignited in a student that sends them on an unforeseen journey, they gain insight into and empathy for the lives of others, they feel empowered to set a course for their own lives. More goals came out, even as the discussion moved on, in particular, that experiential learning opportunities could help pave a path of success, a livable wage, and meaningful work. Capabilities Our next point of discussion focused on the capabilities and opportunities that higher-ed and K-12 can bring to support experiential learning. It’s a long list. Context Sense of belonging Uniqueness of experience Opportunity to explore cultural interests Opportunity to co-develop learning experiences with educator, student, mentor, partner Resources/Facilities Network connections mentors community resources business/industry partners Alumni Career information K-12 educators within Museums Offices of community engagement within higher-ed Models of successful programs MKE Roots Labs/equipment not available in K-12 schools Structure/Process Opportunities to connect to community and employment Best practices: Self reflection use of artifacts as evidence of learning intake models to assess knowledge and skills assessment models Dual Enrollment MPS Learning Journeys program Service learning programs/requirements Credential stacking Internships Diversity funds Centers to connect college students with businesses MIAD Innovation Center UWM Center for Student Experience & Talent MSOE Create Institute As participants talked through this point, they also made note of what they would like to see put in place to support experiential learning, including: Having a passionate advocate or champion for a project in the community that can draw the attention and support of those who might create experiential learning opportunities to further the work. Look for ways to get employers involved, build relationships that that can lead to internship and employment opportunities. Look for what is in place already that can be brought to K-12 Take time to find where the gaps are and work to address them Make the work intentional– ask those you are working for what they want and need Create opportunities within these experiences to learn bout careers Build and extend relationships Localization of education/jobs & pathways What gets in the way While the capabilities and possibilities are many, there are always barriers. Discovery The ability to: find the right partners, where collaboration is mutually beneficial and builds value for both sides see the value in partnership with K-12, particularly for industry partners be aware of possibilities Friction Fatigue on teachers, companies, nonprofits to take on new work or engage for the duration Staff turnover Time required for planning vs doing Culture of institutions to deal with disruptive rather than incremental change Training required for partners and mentors Development level of students matched to opportunity for growth social emotional skills soft skills Pressures for academic success Institutional gatekeeping of knowledge and relationships Transportation for students Misalignment of academic calendars Misalignment of K-12 hours with availability of college students Lack of training for community partners to collaborate effectively with students Process and paperwork background checks Focus on test results/scores/metrics Long time horizons and relationships needed to make progress Demographic/generational chasms Roadblocks Priorities of institution or district Schools’ idea of their role and work, and the role of the educator limits ideas and new approaches Structure of school system for faculty to build relationships with the community/time to engage higher-ed, companies, local business. Lack of capacity staff, time, money Lack of courage to try/mind set & culture Lack of systems for K-12/Higher-ed collaboration within smaller firms/organizations Ability to get management buy-in Misalignment of investment in capital rather than talent pipeline Curriculum does not allow space Budget constraints/pressures Inflexible structures Both levels are under attack in terms of money content freedoms how to deal with AI Lack of trust Inadequate infrastructure to support collaboration with minimal friction Institutional rigidity/inability to adapt to change Opportunities Never wanting to end on a note of despair, we wrapped up the discussion by asking each table to pick a single issue and offer a suggestion for how it might be addressed. Bonus points for identifying an action someone could take this week to get things moving. Group 1 Issue: Getting the opportunity just to explore and and experience Change needed: Stepping of of the rigidity to embrace things that are invaluable, but de-valued Goals: Let students just be and explore without concern that there is a specific standard to be met Who needs to be involved: Sandra @ Greenfield has the freedom and transportation to get a group of students off campus; Students have a portfolio project to do as a graduation requirement; Marisa Riepenhoff from the Milwaukee Art Museum can offer a MAM behind the scenes program for Sandra’s students Where to start: An email to set it up! [5 bonus points awarded] Group 2 Issue: Within K-12, a lack of curiosity (play, passion, exploration) that links to career (purpose, exploration, thrivable way, stacked credentials, mentorship) Change needed: Fun & engaging educators, identify opportunities for play within industry, classroom is everywhere, instructor is everyone teachers are evaluated on the hope & joy youth/students experience not just standardized testing. Goals: Get everyone on the same page with a mission purpose, culture to increase hope and joy Who needs to be involved: classroom and community, industry (professionals & mentors); youth decision making & expression; evaluators, practitioners, administrators Where to start: more….

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Collab Lab 71: Recap & Notes
November 25, 2025

Our November Collab Lab explored how TRUE Skool’s work to to envision and develop a new campus for their programs could be leveraged as an opportunity to engage youth throughout the process and help them build the skills, and relationships useful to pursue careers in architecture, construction, real estate and related professions. Some Background The idea for the Collab Lab was the result of several threads coming together. TRUE Skool has been thinking about new space for their programs, that would get them out of lower level space within The Avenue. While TRUE Skool wants to remain downtown, a location broadly seen as accessible to all in an otherwise highly segregated city, it also wants greater visibility for their programming and the work their students do. In 2023, Wisconsin Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (Wisco NOMA) launched it’s first Project Pipeline Camp — a 3 day design workshop for middle and high school students interested in architecture. The work students did there focused on space planning for TRUE Skool. Wisco NOMA has run Project Pipelines Camps each summer since then, expanding to offer camps in Madison and Milwaukee for each of the last two years, always with the participation of a number of students from TRUE Skool. In parallel, TRUE Skool as continued working with its students to explore what a new campus might look like. This spring, with support from Community Design Solutions (CDS), TRUE Skool students participated in a design challenge to envision what spaces within a new campus might offer. Conversations over the summer with Wisco NOMA and TRUE Skool highlighted how aligned goals could build to a much larger opportunity. Wisco NOMA has wanted to connect students participating in it’s camps to further opportunities during the school year. TRUE Skool wants to see students engaged as active participants in realizing it’s vision of a new campus. Those conversations led to the idea of Future Builders– putting together a network of individuals, organizations, and programs that engage youth in architecture, construction, real estate, and related professions, that could use TRUE Skool’s vision for a new campus as an opportunity for collaboration, that could offer students a connected series of opportunities over an extended period of time. The first effort on this front was the Future Builders Studio, a weekend design camp earlier this month, focused on a new campus for TRUE Skool, in collaboration with Wisco NOMA, leveraging practices and curriculum developed with CDS, and Project Pipeline. It’s a lot of threads coming together, but its simpler to think of it as aligned efforts operating at three different levels: The What: A Future TRUE Skool Campus — TRUE Skool’s new, permanent home The How: TRUE Skool Legacy Project — An overarching, youth-engaged effort to envision, design, and realize TRUE Skool’s future and document its story. The Who: Future Builders Network — Individuals and organizations ready with expertise, programing, or resources to engage young people in real world projects that prepare them for careers in the building professions. Our discussion focused on the how and the who. Discussion We began the discussion with a brainstorming exercise to identify existing programs and resources that touch some aspect of what TRUE Skool might need to take on between conceptual design and opening a new campus. It’s a long list: Understanding the ecosystem BLEST Hub’s Ecosystem Mapping project Exploration of potential operating models Genera8tor Lubar School Bader Institute for Nonprofit Management Existing spaces/organizations that could serve as models/inspiration Coworking spaces Milwaukee Maker Space Reflo Trust for Public Land Discovery World Milwaukee Public Museum First State Black Holocaust Museum Juxtaposition Arts (Minneapolis) Hip Hop Architecture Avis-Elsmere (Detroit) Defining Humanity Data Resources City of Milwaukee Property Data Data You Can Use Architecture & design UWM Community Design Solutions MATC’s Architecture Program MIAD Real estate & local economic development Marquette’s Real Estate Program Downtown Bid ACREs program Northwest Side CDC LISC CARW WCREW NAIOP Mandel Group Construction ACE Mentorship AGC Resources in higher education UWM Center for Student Experience & Talent Experiential Learning Service Learning Marquette Trinity Fellows Youth Engagement City on the Hill Milwaukee Youth Council Journey House Boys & Girls Clubs Mentoring HPGM Mentor Milwaukee Potential Funders Northwestern Mutual Zilber Bader Baird Milwaukee Tool Potawatomi Generac Alliant Energy We Energies Harley Davidson Foundation Key Opportunities From here we moved on to explore the roles partners might play and areas that will be key to advancing the project. As each discussion group shared their thoughts, three things stood out: In order to engage students from conceptual design through construction, TRUE Skool needs a plausible model for how a new campus would be funded. Regardless of the funding model, TRUE Skool would benefit from greater visibility of both its offerings and approach. There are other organizations and facilities within and beyond Milwaukee that could inform the design of spaces within a new campus, potential synergies with other partners who might share space or facilities with True Skool, and/or potential funding models to support development of a new campus. Operating Model While TRUE Skool has a strong vision for what they would like a new campus to offer and represent within the community, pulling together funding to lease, acquire and build out that space will require a plausible operating model for that new space. It is the understanding that the project could come to fruition that allows students to see that they are working on something real. It also provides a greater incentive for those who could support or engage students in aspects of this effort– it allows the work they might do with young people to be cast as supporting something much bigger. Visibility TRUE Skool and its students have been doing some really interesting work in Milwaukee over the past 10 years. Yet even among the people who came for the discussion, many were unfamiliar with everything TRUE Skool has been involved with and how they approach working with young people. TRUE Skool’s desire to get out of the more….

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Collab Lab 70: Recap & Notes
October 18, 2025

Our tenth season of Collab Labs kicked off last week with a session co-hosted with Adriana Vázquez, Director of Education & Public Programs, and Maisie Buntin, Outreach Programs Coordinator for the Milwaukee Public Museum. Every year, the Milwaukee Public Museum hosts its annual BioBlitz, a 24-hour event where scientists survey the biodiversity in a park or natural area. Our session focused on a nagging issue for Adriana and Maisie– BioBlitzes don’t happen during the school year, so the museum misses opportunities to engage school audiences. The Museum is working to adapt this big event into smaller, student-driven “mini-BioBlitzes” to be held at schoolyards, community organizations, and more. The Collab Lab provided an opportunity to explore that idea with educators and potential collaborators. Discussion Our conversation covered how attendees currently engage with students or community on biodiversity or other environmental topics, and what is missing from that engagement, how MPM mini BioBlitzes might play a role in addressing those gaps, and what’s needed to make that work. Over the course of the evening, several broad themes emerged. The need to build hands-on, real-world learning into school culture Getting students excited and connected to the content can be a challenge: Students need to see illustrate real-word relevance to lessons When schools have even just one teacher or admin motivated to provide these hands-on, real-world experiences, students show more interest and excitement Giving students the opportunity to work on something real, present their work and ideas to an authentic audience are key motivators, environmental justice and civic engagement– focus on a local park or site, are useful entry points, particularly for those that aren’t (yet?) “Nature Nerds” How can we do better to “operationalize” this type of learning – turn it from one person’s project into school culture and expectations? Make it easy for teachers to take on the work: cover their time to participate in training provide funding and resources to implement effectively explicitly tie to standards engage community resources to support efforts within K-12 empower older students to support the work of younger peers start with the easiest entry points for teachers and build out from there Scaffolding – build capabilities to participate across grade levels. As examples, for mini-BioBlitz, kindergarteners do a color walk, elementary might look at various stages of categorization (ex. # insects, # plants, # of birds, etc.), up to high school (working with dichotomous keys, doing biodiversity index, etc.) Biodiversity education is largely missing from afterschool/out of school programming. Teens Grow Greens offers a model for how that can be done. Data collection and interpretation is a possible unexplored avenue of BioBlitz engagement Using data from mini-BioBlitzes, at different locations, or from MPM full BioBlitz, Potential alignment with AP exam topics re: data collection and analysis Incorporation of GIS provides could provide additional entry points for exploration Tap expertise who may know of similar projects in other parts of the country Curate and interpret data as an asset within the school Integrating technology into this work Identify apps/tools like iNaturalist that schools might leverage Opportunities for students to create digital tools As focal point for conversations around AI and how teachers are being asked to incorporate teaching about it – this could be an avenue to illustrate appropriate use of AI (ie. for species recognition) Going beyond science Tie in the arts (conveniently, the theme for our March Collab Lab) Representation/social justice/environmental justice, e.g. how is biodiversity/access to biodiverse habitats correlated with socio-economic status? Connect to student identity and background What’s Next We’ll have a chance to explore these topics further in our December and April Collab Labs with The Society for Conservation Biology North America (SCBNA), whose 2026 conference will be in Milwaukee. SCBNA has some upcoming webinars exploring the value of scientific assessments to communities and policy makers. You can find the schedule and registration information here. In November we will take on another project in the works, to explore how TRUE Skool’s planning for a new campus might serve as through line to connect K-12 students to programming, expertise, and experiences over the course of that effort– from planning and design, through site acquisition and construction. Thanks A big thanks to Adriana and Maisie for working with us to pull the session together and facilitate the conversation. Thanks also the MSOE’s STEM Center our host for another season of Collab Labs.Thanks also to Leah Rosenbaum from STEAM Milwaukee who was able to join us for the session. She notes that STEAM Milwaukee has a number of resources in their lending library for teachers who want to dive deeper into environmental explorations. These include sampling nets (not pictured on the website) as well as 8 microscopes and a set of Vernier probes. Leah also mentioned Dear Data, as offering examples of both the simple ways data can be shared (via hand drawn annotated diagrams on postcards) and the range of ways data might be presented to illuminate an area of focus.

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Collab Labs Return for Season 10
September 18, 2025

When we started Learn Deep 10 years ago, we recognized the need to get those with a vision for what education in Milwaukee could look like in the same room– K-12 educators, those working in industry, higher-ed, nonprofits, or government. Not just to flesh out that vision, but to build the relationships that are central to brining that vision to life. Collab Labs give participants a chance to connect across silos, find others who share their passion, and where discover where goals can align to support much richer opportunities for both students and teachers. Our 10th season of Collab Labs begins on Thursday October 9th with #70: Schoolyards as Science Labs, with Adriana Vázquez and Maisie Buntin from the Milwaukee Public Museum as our cohosts. For the 2025-26 season will be back at MSOE’s STEM Center, our home over the past four years. We look forward to another year of lively discussion, new and deepened connections, and the possibilities that arise when inspired educators are able to collaborate with the peers and partners to take on something big.

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Collab Lab 67: Recap & Notes
March 19, 2025

Last week’s Collab Lab served as a follow on from our November’s session on Place Based Engagement. At that session and in follow up conversations, Joe Kaltenberg, MKE Parks Manager with the The City of Milwaukee noted that input from students, residents, property owners, and other stakeholders can offer the department not only a clearer picture of the roles the playgrounds and parks oversee play in those neighborhoods, but also a richer vision of the roles they could play. That prompted us to use Collab Lab 67 to explore how and where K-12 students might engage at different points in the City’s playground redevelopment process as a means to foster community input and engagement in those efforts. During the discussion participants identified three areas where engaging K-12 students could offer a rich experience for students and support key areas of the City’s process — stakeholder mapping, storytelling, and design. Stakeholder Mapping Stakeholder mapping allows the City to understand who uses, cares for, or is concerned with a particular playground or park, and who ought to have input or otherwise be involved as part of the redevelopment process. The work to identify stakeholders, their relation to a playground or park, the issues they see and the goals they have, is an opportunity for K-12 students to gain a much broader perspective on civic engagement. It’s a chance to understand who in a community cares about what happens on a specific site, the reasons behind that and where they may conflict and align with goals others may have. Storytelling For a park or playground to be of the neighborhood in which it sits, the City needs to hear the stories of those who use, care, or are impacted by a park or playground, and what takes place there. Storytelling offers methods to understand where stakeholders are coming from and communicate those hopes, fears, and dreams to a broader audience. Collab Lab participants noted that a storytelling event focused at or on a particular site would allow K-12 students to collect stories from a variety of stakeholders. It would also serve as a way to draw attention to that site as a candidate for redevelopment. Ideation Involving students in the design of a playground or park, where they can see their ideas take shape and have an impact on the community is a wonderful idea. Yet, as Collab Lab participants noted, unless the process were constrained to proposals for the arrangement of pre-selected components, it is unlikely that they would ever see their designs implemented as envisioned, and even in this scenario, be able to recognize their contributions to what was put in place. More importantly, this approach fails to leverage the fact that these are students. We shouldn’t be asking them to act as engineers, we should be asking them to dream, to think outside the box, and challenge the assumptions of engineers. Here the request of students ought to focus on how they or others experience a playground or the features or equipment under consideration. We ought to be asking them what adults involved in the process fail to see or understand about how a park or playground is experienced by those who use it. We need to probe behind suggestions for features that would never be implemented to understand the problem a student sees that an impossible feature solves. Constraints A common set of constraints cuts across all three of these areas for engagement. Central among them is the ability of teachers to effectively engage their students in this work: Finding the time to do so Establishing connections to curriculum standards Synchronizing school calendars with the City’s, particularly when the seasons and weather can further constrain the time students can spend on-site The availability of community partners to support student efforts The ability of teachers to collaborate across classroom or school boundaries for shared success The proximity of parks in the City’s pipeline to teachers and students ready to take on this work The Collab Lab did not provide an opportunity to dive into all of these issues, but we were able to identify a strategy in one area. Most schools, particularly at the middle and high school level draw students from well beyond the neighborhood in which the school sits. Thus, while a park or playground may be near a school, many students will have limited exposure to it or be able to access it outside of school hours. For any of the opportunities noted above, this limits the ability to rely on students themselves as stakeholders, storytellers, or users of their own designs. What we can do is ask students to work at a higher level, to be the mappers of stakeholders, the collectors of stories. We can ask them to be the designers who can communicate what the users of a park or playground that is near their school want from it or hope that it could become. Where do we go from here The work to organize teachers, students, and community stakeholders to participate in the planning process would be a lot for MKE Parks to take on. While useful to have that input, it’s not really something for them to take on. We’re exploring with Joe a different approach– developing a framework that, recognizing the timelines and constraints faced by each of these participants, allows them to work outside of a City managed process while offering their input and results of their work at the most useful points in the process. We plan to spend time between now and the end of the school year to understand what this framework would need to look like to make this work for educators. If you are interested in participating in that process, let us know.

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Collab Lab 66: Recap & Notes
February 21, 2025

Our discussion at February’s Collab Lab focused on engaging families. As we explored goals we have for family engagement we considered: Who we include as “family” in “family engagement” Who family engages with Where/When it happens Who benefits/how While parents, siblings, and caregivers of students are obvious starting points for who to include as family, the discussion quickly broadened to include a much broader group. The extended families of students, individuals and families in the community which surrounds a school, those who may work or own businesses in the community around the school. In no small part, this expansive view family reflects a deeper goal — that the school is not simply a place where students and teachers spend the day, but that it is deeply embedded in the life of the community. This broader approach to engagement changes the way one thinks about who the school and it’s families engage with. It’s not just about caregivers connecting with their student’s teachers. It’s about giving those families a chance to connect with each other, individuals and organizations who support their school, and in particular. It looks to move past one way communication, simple reporting out of what a school thinks families ought to know. It looks to build the relationships and trust that allow disengaged families to engage and for the community to come together not just to support the work of students and their families, but to support each other. It changes as well, where engagement might take place. It moves beyond family coming to school. It’s the school coming out into the community. This expansive view of engagement only works if all participants see benefits, and they see that their contributions to the school community, as students, teachers, family members or neighbors are valued. What do members of the school community need to engage? As we moved the discussion to what’s needed to engage, the word “dignity” came up early. Again, not just dignity for caregivers, but dignity for students, teachers, and members of the broader community who schools do or seek to engage with. For caregivers, this means recognizing both the time, financial, and other constraints and obligations they work face, but that they have something to of value to offer, that they are partners in the education of their child. Often it comes down to the simple things– if we are asking for something more of any of the participants, what burdens can we remove? A time that works for those we want to engage with Providing food at events that may overlap with meal times Helping with transportation Activities for children that may need to come when a caregiver is there for an adult conversation Most importantly, don’t waste someone’s time. This means not asking teachers, caregivers, or members of the broader community to participate in engagement activities they don’t value or benefit from. The process starts with how we invite the engagement. Are we asking for engagement because we see a caregiver or a student as a problem or the one that needs to solve it, or are we asking for engagement to work together for a better outcome. In the end, it comes down to recognizing that members of the broadly defined school community each come with a different set of goals. Effective engagement doesn’t mean that everyone needs to share the same set of goals. It requires that we acknowledge the goals they do have, understand where they align, and find something useful to work on together that allows everyone to come out ahead. It’s how trust is built. A special thanks to our featured guests, Amber DuChateau — Art Teacher at the Milwaukee Academy of Science Aubrey (Ellickson) Fulsaas — Environmental Educator, Schlitz Audubon Nature Center Bernie Traversari — Director of Operations and Programs, Society for Conservation Biology North America & STEM Education Consultant Additional thanks to Bernie for his help facilitating the session. Bernie joined us to record a debrief of the session that you can find on inspirEd. As always, we’re appreciative of MSOE for letting us make use of the NM Lab in the WE Energies STEM Center every month. Up Next Collab Lab 67: Connecting to Community Thursday March 13th, 5:30 to 8:30 pm at MSOE’s STEM Center Actively using some form of PBL with your students and looking for ideas or encouragement from others? Consider joining your peers in the inspirED Community.

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Collab Lab 73: Experiential Learning – Connecting Higher-Ed and K-12