Cultivating curiosity: Cari Din says experiential learning connects us to who we are

For Dr. Cari Din, curiosity is the secret sauce in any experiential learning that happens in post-secondary education. 

Din, or “Curious Cari” as she’s been called, encourages her students to embrace their confusion and get curious, because that’s when they’re about to learn something unforgettable.

Din, a professor (teaching) in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary, wears her curiosity as a badge of honour. As the new academic director of experiential learning in the Office of Signature Learning Experiences (starting in July 2026), she wants to help students see that they can make a difference and support instructors at UCalgary to facilitate learning opportunities.

“I am profoundly curious about how to help folks discover experiential learning in their world and make it their own,” says Din, BA'97, MSc'01, PhD'13.

As a pillar of Ahead of Tomorrow, UCalgary's strategic plan, experiential learning is integral to the university’s strategy to “increase access to impactful and future-focused education for students.” 

In 2025, the UCalgary experiential-learning framework was updated with an expanded definition: learning by doing, being, connecting and reflecting. This definition resonates deeply with Din’s own teaching philosophies.

“When we are learning in a community of peers, a community we care about or a community we're interested in, connection profoundly strengthens experiential learning. And identity work happens when we knit together learning with something we are interested in, or care about. That makes learning transformative.”

Din sees the best learning as connecting us to who we are. Learning is personal, and it’s skill learning versus “stuff learning.” She’s driven to have experiential learning in every course at UCalgary. 

For her, experiential learning is the most exciting and memorable learning — both as an instructor and in her own student experiences.

“Where is the experiential part of student learning in the work we do, and in the work we're proud of?” is the question on Din’s mind as she prepares for her new role.

She’s seen with her own eyes the ways experiential learning helps students and supports their growth as citizens of the world. 

“I believe profoundly in the influence of experiential learning on not only what we can do, but who we become and how we contribute to our communities,” Din says.

The Office of Signature Learning Experiences is seeking three more academic directors to join Din in supporting transformative signature-learning experiences for UCalgary students. Faculty that are passionate about undergraduate research, global learning or entrepreneurial thinking are encouraged to reach out directly to the office for more information.