The History and Archiving of Oberlin's Experimental College
Location
PANEL: Intersectional Perspectives on Education
CELA A019
Moderator: Mary Rose
Document Type
Presentation - Open Access
Start Date
5-1-2026 4:30 PM
End Date
5-1-2026 5:30 PM
Abstract
The Experimental College (ExCo) is a student-run academic department that sponsors for-credit classes taught by Oberlin students, staff, and community members. ExCo offers courses outside of the typical curriculum and provides students the opportunity to develop skill in teaching and push the boundaries of education.
ExCo began in the fall of 1968 as part of the national Experimental/Free College movement. During the Civil Rights Movement, students demanded that their colleges teach diverse courses, centering underrepresented histories and topics. When those institutions refused, students decided to teach about it themselves. Most Experimental Colleges slowly disappeared, but Oberlin's ExCo still remains, even as ExCo courses have since been incorporated into the college curriculum or inspired the creation of college departments (including Africana Studies and GSFS) .
As an ExCo Committee member, I approached the Archives about preserving ExCo's history and donating our records. Together, we created an experiential learning project where I not only researched ExCo's history but also prepared its records for research and use. Using archival ethics and standards, I processed 19 boxes of documents into 11 linear feet, developed an itemized spreadsheet, and organized the files chronologically. These files included catalogs, course proposals, syllabi, letters, etc., that illustrate student life and interests across almost 60 years. The newly organized records will serve as a tool for understanding academic, cultural, social, political, and intellectual trends of Oberlin college students and community. This project also serves as an example of student-centered participatory archiving, which allows us to narrate our shared history.
Keywords:
Community history, Experiential learning, Archival science, ExCo
Recommended Citation
Fiedler, Abby, "The History and Archiving of Oberlin's Experimental College" (2026). Research Symposium. 11.
https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/researchsymp/2026/presentations/11
Major
Psychology; Musical Studies
Project Mentor(s)
Ken Grossi, Oberlin College Archives
Emily Rebmann, Oberlin College Archives
2026
The History and Archiving of Oberlin's Experimental College
PANEL: Intersectional Perspectives on Education
CELA A019
Moderator: Mary Rose
The Experimental College (ExCo) is a student-run academic department that sponsors for-credit classes taught by Oberlin students, staff, and community members. ExCo offers courses outside of the typical curriculum and provides students the opportunity to develop skill in teaching and push the boundaries of education.
ExCo began in the fall of 1968 as part of the national Experimental/Free College movement. During the Civil Rights Movement, students demanded that their colleges teach diverse courses, centering underrepresented histories and topics. When those institutions refused, students decided to teach about it themselves. Most Experimental Colleges slowly disappeared, but Oberlin's ExCo still remains, even as ExCo courses have since been incorporated into the college curriculum or inspired the creation of college departments (including Africana Studies and GSFS) .
As an ExCo Committee member, I approached the Archives about preserving ExCo's history and donating our records. Together, we created an experiential learning project where I not only researched ExCo's history but also prepared its records for research and use. Using archival ethics and standards, I processed 19 boxes of documents into 11 linear feet, developed an itemized spreadsheet, and organized the files chronologically. These files included catalogs, course proposals, syllabi, letters, etc., that illustrate student life and interests across almost 60 years. The newly organized records will serve as a tool for understanding academic, cultural, social, political, and intellectual trends of Oberlin college students and community. This project also serves as an example of student-centered participatory archiving, which allows us to narrate our shared history.
