Engaged Learning
Apply NowCultivating Engaged Scholars
At Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University, we are working to infuse opportunities for engaged learning throughout the student experience. Unlike most universities, we are constantly experimenting with new ways to provide students with meaningful engagement with the community, experiential learning and cross-disciplinary inquiry, to provide a unique, innovative and truly Franciscan educational experience.
Service-Learning
Service-learning—an educational experience in which students learn from and reflect upon participation in meaningful community service— is required of all students, reflecting the University’s Franciscan values. Service-learning is successfully used at the University in both traditional and clinically-based classroom settings and has earned national recognition. The University provides service-learning opportunities to students through relationships with over 120 community partners in 17 different parishes.
Gerontology
As a university initiative, we’re dedicated to providing students with the opportunities and resources needed for a top-level gerontological education. We aim to create invaluable learning relationships and experiences at FranU. With several programs for our students and faculty, we make an impact on our campus and beyond.
Simulation Environment Teaching Hospital (SETH)
Our Simulated Environment Teaching Hospital, known as SETH, is a 19,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art clinical simulation lab where students practice their clinical skills and interprofessional collaboration in a safe, controlled environment. Simulations are conducted in multiple labs that imitate various clinical settings and utilize lifelike mannequins and standardized patients (volunteers trained to mimic real patients). The goal of SETH is to foster interdisciplinary learning that will improve students’ critical thinking and applied thinking skills while also reducing errors in a clinical context.
Every spring, in collaboration with local disaster preparation experts, the University holds a campus-wide disaster simulation.
Cutting-Edge Learning Technology
Anatomage Table
Funded by a grant from the Louisiana Board of Regents, the Anatomage Table, a virtual gross-anatomy simulation device, teaches students about anatomy without the use of an actual cadaver. The Anatomage Table is used to enhance the anatomical and physiological content of students’ learning and offers an expansive library of digital human cadavers that show images of the body similar to what is seen in an X-ray, Medical CT, CBCT or MRI scan. We are one of three institutions in the state of Louisiana to own an Anatomage Table.
Anesthesia Skills and Simulation Lab
This 1,800-square-foot lab adjoins the nurse anesthesia classroom and recently underwent major renovations, including a new control room with advanced audio/visual equipment. It features high-fidelity simulators, GE Healthcare Aisys anesthesia machines, ultrasound devices and a variety of task trainers for procedures such as intubation, central line placement and nerve blocks. Exclusively for nurse anesthesia students, the lab supports hands-on learning throughout the program, including a dedicated 16-week Skills and Simulation course in the fourth semester.
Physical Therapy Gymnasium
The University recently upgraded its modern physical therapy gymnasium designed for hands-on learning and clinical skill development. This space features state-of-the-art rehabilitation and exercise equipment, allowing students to practice therapeutic techniques in a realistic setting. The gym is used by Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) students throughout their programs. In addition to the gym, classrooms are equipped with advanced educational technology for multi-modal instruction, including the use of plasticized cadavers for Anatomy, as well as advanced audio/visual equipment.