Sexual Violence Prevention and Response in Curricular, Partnership-Based Experiential Learning Opportunities

Whether you are designing an EL opportunity with prevention in mind or navigating a situation involving an incident, the SVPS Centre is available to support you at any stage. 

If a student discloses an experience of sexual violence to you, or if you are informed about an incident of sexual violence involving a student (e.g. by another student or by an Experiential Learning partner), you are encouraged to contact the SVPS Centre. The SVPS Centre offers consultation virtually and in-person, and can provide guidance on next steps. You are not expected to manage these situations on your own – support is available.

It is also important to take care of yourself when responding to disclosures. These situations can be difficult to navigate, and you are encouraged to check in with yourself and seek support as needed, including through the SVPS Centre or U of T’s Employee and Family Assistance Program.

A Toolkit for Staff & Faculty

Recent research in Canada indicates that 1 in 2 post-secondary students have been subjected to at least one instance of sexual harassment in an experiential learning opportunity, and that nearly 70% of staff and faculty members supporting experiential learning at post-secondary institutions were aware of at least one example of sexual harassment involving an experiential learning student.1 Research also demonstrates that while faculty and staff may initially feel uncomfortable responding to incidents of sexual violence, appropriate training significantly increases confidence and ability to respond supportively to disclosures of sexual violence and harassment. 2,3

This toolkit aims to provide staff and faculty with foundational knowledge and practical tools to prevent and respond to sexual violence in experiential learning (EL) settings. It was co-developed by the Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre and the Office of the Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning.

While some learnings may apply broadly, this resource primarily aims to support the following types of curricular, partnership-based experiential learning opportunities:

Students walk outside of the Instructional Centre (IC) on the UTSC campus on a sunny day.

Why Sexual Violence Prevention in EL Matters

During experiential learning opportunities, unequal power dynamics can create situations where students are more vulnerable to sexual violence.4,5 Students may also experience diverse barriers to disclosing that they have experienced an incident of sexual violence. In experiential learning, key barriers include fears around both the real and perceived impacts to a student’s academic progress and/or career success. 6,7

  • Academic Progress: Students may worry that they will have lower grades, fail a course or will not be able to meet program requirements if they disclose that an incident of sexual violence (including sexual harassment) occurred during their experiential learning opportunity. These fears can be exacerbated by concerns around delaying their anticipated graduation timeline. Some students may also hesitate to disclose because they do not want to be perceived as difficult or demanding.
  • Career Success: Students may be working with prospective employers and future colleagues within their field during an experiential learning opportunity. They may have fears of retaliation if they disclose incidents of sexual violence or choose to formally file a report. Students may also be concerned about losing their placement or work-term opportunity, receiving poor references, and jeopardizing future employability.

There are additional elements that may influence the way a student navigates situations of sexual violence, including cultural, social or economic factors.8,9,10 For instance, some students may experience feelings of shame or self-blame as a result of values and beliefs that they have been taught about sexuality and sexual violence, which will in-turn influence their decision to seek support. Someone’s status in Canada may also be a factor in how they choose to process and heal from an incident of sexual violence. For example, an international student may have concerns about the financial implications of potentially extending their studies, uncertainties around their ability to remain in Canada and continue their studies or pursue work post-graduation, and concerns surrounding their eligibility for accessing on- or off-campus support services.11

Faculty and staff facilitating experiential learning opportunities play a key role in proactively sharing information about how to recognize sexual violence and sexual harassment in EL settings, and how to access supports. They should be prepared to guide students to appropriate support services (such as the Sexual Violence Prevention & Support Centre) should they receive a disclosure from someone seeking a referral.

Primary Resource

Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Considerations When Offering a Partnered Experiential Learning Opportunity

If you lead or support partnership-based experiential learning, there are some actions and questions you may want to consider prior to students engaging in the opportunity.

Remember: The University of Toronto has a Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment that applies to all members of the University community. The Policy outlines the steps that the University will take to address Incidents of Sexual Violence, including the supports available to the people involved. It also articulates the education, resources, and accommodations that can be provided to someone who has been affected by Sexual Violence.

Additional Tools 

Checklist: Preparing Students for Partnered EL

Learn more about how to best prepare students before they engage in a partnered EL opportunity.

Setting Expectations: Working with EL Partners

Learn more about considerations to keep in mind when identifying and working with prospective EL partners.

Additional Resources

Citations

  1. De Costa, B. and St-Gelais, A. (2023). Sexual Harassment in Experiential Learning: A Price Students Shouldn’t Have to Pay. Possibility Seeds’ Courage to Act: Addressing and  Preventing Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions in Canada.  https://possibilityseeds.ca/experiential-learning-project/  ↩︎
  2. Jones, C., Chappell, A., & Alldred, P. (2021). Feminist education for university staff responding to disclosures of sexual violence: A critique of the dominant model of staff development. Gender and Education, 33(2), 121-137. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2019.1649639  ↩︎
  3. Sales, J., & Krause, K. (2017). Schools must include faculty and staff in sexual violence prevention efforts. Journal of American College Health, 65(8), 585-587. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2017.1349133 ↩︎
  4. Bowman, C. G., & Lipp, M. (2000). Legal limbo of the student intern: The responsibility of colleges and universities to protect student interns against sexual harassment. Harv. Women’s LJ, 23, 95.  ↩︎
  5. Mennicke, A., Kulkarni, S., Ross, T., Ferrante-Fusilli, F., Valencia, M., Meehan, E., & Crocker, T. (2021). Field Note—Responding to the #MeToo Era in Social Work: A Policy for Sexual Harassment in Field. Journal of Social Work Education, 58(4), 817–824. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2021.1943582  ↩︎
  6. De Costa, B. and St-Gelais, A. (2023). Sexual Harassment in Experiential Learning: A Price Students Shouldn’t Have to Pay. Possibility Seeds’ Courage to Act: Addressing and Preventing Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions in Canada. https://possibilityseeds.ca/experiential-learning-project/  ↩︎
  7. Wood, L., & Moylan, C. (2017). “No One Talked About It”: Social Work Field Placements and Sexual Harassment. Journal of Social Work Education, 53(4), 714–726. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48542813 ↩︎
  8. Hunt, S. L. (2022). Sexual harassment and assault during field research. Political Science & Politics, 55(2), 329-334. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096521001645   ↩︎
  9. Smith, K. N., & Gaston Gayles, J. (2018). “Girl power”: Gendered academic and workplace experiences of college women in engineering.” Social Sciences, 7(1), 1-23. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/7/1/11  ↩︎
  10. Wood, L., & Moylan, C. (2017). “No One Talked About It”: Social Work Field Placements and Sexual Harassment. Journal of Social Work Education, 53(4), 714–726. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48542813 ↩︎
  11. De Costa, B. and St-Gelais, A. (2023). Sexual Harassment in Experiential Learning: A Price Students Shouldn’t Have to Pay. Possibility Seeds’ Courage to Act: Addressing and  Preventing Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions in Canada.  https://possibilityseeds.ca/experiential-learning-project/  ↩︎

Further Reading

The toolkit for staff & faculty on Sexual Violence Prevention and Response in Curricular, Partnership-Based Experiential Learning Opportunities was made possible by the research of scholars in the field. Read more by visiting Citations and Further Reading.