Wilfrid Laurier University has never done experiential learning halfway. When Orbis launched its co-op module, Laurier was the first school in Canada to go live with it. When the platform evolved into what is now Symplicity Outcome, Laurier was there. And in 2017, when the institution launched the Laurier Experience Record, a first-of-its-kind comprehensive record capturing both curricular and co-curricular experiential learning, they built it alongside Orbis from the ground up.
Today, Laurier's Outcome installation, which staff call "Navigator," supports thousands of students every single day. It is not a supplementary tool. It is, as Associate Director of Operations and Experiential Learning Katherine St. Louis puts it, "the backbone of what we do."
A Partnership Built From Day One
Laurier launched Outcome in 2009, and the relationship was collaborative from the start. Both Katherine and Executive Director, Experiential Learning & Career Development Colleen Myronyk have worked in the system since that first year, with Katherine involved in the initial design and configuration before the platform was even called Outcome. Together they describe a partnership with Symplicity built on mutual investment.
"As Orbis was developing the software, we contributed ideas and suggestions to make the software a better product, while also meeting Laurier's needs," Katherine says. "I feel that our students and employers have benefitted, while Orbis created a product to support career development and experiential learning across North America."
75,000 Experiences. One System.
Navigator supports the full arc of every student experience at Laurier. In any given year, more than 75,000 experiences are captured across curricular and co-curricular activities. For co-op students, that means everything from applying to jobs and interviewing to completing work term evaluations. For students in course-based experiential learning, it means finding placement opportunities, tracking hours, and submitting reflections. For students who work or volunteer on campus, it means setting learning objectives, attending workshops and reflecting on the competencies they develop. For anyone booking a career advising appointment or searching for jobs, Navigator is the front door.
The system also extends into professional faculties. Social work and education programs use dedicated modules to manage practicum placements, connect with community partners, and post opportunities for students.
Helping Students Articulate What They Learned
These experiences form a student's Laurier Experience Record which captures both curricular and co-curricular experiences from a student's time at Laurier. To help students articulate what they learn in these experiences, students self-identify competencies they develop using Laurier's Competency Framework. Students share their Laurier Experience Record on their LinkedIn profiles, as validation for graduate school applications and with employers.
"It's the reflection piece through the system that allows students to realize what competencies they actually achieved," Colleen explains. "When it's time to write their resume or update their LinkedIn profile, they have much more tangible things to share and a way to articulate it."
Support That Shows Up
When Laurier needs system support, they reach out to their Symplicity Client Manager.
"Linda is fantastic," Katherine says. "She's highly responsive and collaborative in helping us solve problems and think through how functionality might work in our use case." The technical team has been equally reliable. "Brad and Tom have been a great team to work with, solving mission-critical issues when needed and supporting data projects and new integrations."
What's Next
Laurier is looking ahead to expanded data analytics inside the system. With 75,000-plus experiences captured annually across multiple modules, the opportunity to tell that story more easily is significant.
Having an easy way to extract data that illustrates a student's journey across four years or what industries are engaging with our institution, will help us report to senior institutional leadership and strengthen what we bring to employers and students.
A Relationship Worth Pointing To
For any institution exploring experiential learning technology and wondering what a long-term, deeply embedded implementation really looks like, Wilfrid Laurier is the place to start.
It is hard to argue with the results. Over 15 years and hundreds of thousands of student experiences later, Navigator is not just part of how Laurier operates. It is how Laurier tells its story.
