Why Experiential Learning?

Learning results from what the student does and thinks and only from what the student does and thinks. The teacher can advance learning only by influencing what the student does to learn.

Herbert A. Simon

Learning results from what the student does to learn. Any effective teaching begins with a consideration of how students learn instead of how we teach. By understanding how students learn, instructors could 1) see why certain teaching approaches are or are not supporting students’ learning, and 2) generate, refine and apply teaching strategies that are more effective in fostering students’ learning. 

The following advantages of experiential learning are built upon research-based principles of how people learn. Understanding how learning works will help you see why experiential learning supports students' learning, please click HERE or the Quick Link on the right for more information.

Why Experiential Learning?

Experiential learning transfers information to learning. Kolb (1984) explained that “learning is a process, whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience”. In experiential learning, a meaningful experience, which is often created upon authentic, real-life task/problem (or relevant to real-life) is essential for students to apply their knowledge and skill to solve the problem. Such application increases the likelihood for students to transfer their learning to new contexts. However, having students just go through the experience does not necessarily result in learning. In order to transform information into learning, students need to be given chances to reflect and assimilate their learning experience to create new insights/ learning.

Authentic (or relevant to real–life) tasks motivate students. At the center of experiential learning course is “experience”. Research suggests that authentic, real-life (or relevant to real-life) experience is essential in motivating students. Students tend to engage more easily in real-world tasks because these tasks enable them to contextualize their learning for the otherwise abstract and irrelevant concepts / theories and their applicability to real-life situations. Some real-life tasks (such as community – engagement project / solving a problem faced by a company) also provide intrinsic value for students to become more motivated. When supported by targeted feedback and reflection opportunities, real–life tasks can prepare students to transfer their learning to new contexts and equip them with the competencies for real-world success.

Experiential learning develops students’ mastery of skills and knowledge. Mastery refers to the attainment of a high degree of competence within a particular area. Students who develop mastery in any knowledge / skill, need to develop the various component skills, practice them for multiple times till they can integrate and apply the skills automatically and appropriately. Experiential learning emphasizes on “doing”, which means students are constantly asked to connect and apply conceptual theories with practice, and as such, it increases the likelihood of building students’ mastery in knowledge and skills. Instructors are also encouraged to give students chance to reflect and revise their action, this is important for foster mastery because it prevents students from repeating the similar mistakes and work inefficiently.

Experiential learning fosters change and thus learning. All learning involves change, no matter it’s in knowledge, beliefs, behaviors or attitudes. As Charles Handy (1989)’s quotation states, “If changing is, as I have argued, only another word for learning, then the theories of learning will also be theories of changing.” When we learn something, we often add in or change our prior knowledge/beliefs, resulting in a “new” knowledge/beliefs. But such a change only happens when learners are being challenged and taken outside of their comfort zones, and given the opportunities to reflect on their learning experience. In experiential learning, instructors are encouraged to embed reflection/ critical reflection to provide chances for learners to reflect on what happened, how it happened and why.