Nation, Reed and Swank (2014: 312) looked into “the question of how and why experiential learning methodologies might be modified” because of the difficulty “to deliver instructionally sound real-life experiential learning experiences”, and in order “to identify the experiential learning methodologies which would be most practical for a large online university” programmes. A fundamental principle of andragogy (adult learning theory) is that adults learn best when the learning is ‘just-in-time’, or relevant to current tasks or challenges. Learning is therefore most effective if opportunities for practical application in real-life situations exists.
Nation, Reed and Swank (2014: 312) say that “Experiential learning is most simply defined as learning by doing, as opposed to” other forms, such as reading, listening or viewing. They emphasise action, doing, discovery and exploration; but caution that care should be taken to ensure that learning conditions are fertile.
An abundance of academic literature contains reasons for engaging students in experiential learning. However, Nation, Reed and Swank (2014: 313) report that faculty found upon reviews of online undergraduate and degree programmes, “that most traditional forms of student engagement in experiential learning (e.g., service-learning, using community as learning laboratory, apprenticeships, and other face-to-face interactions) would not be feasible due to the scope and scale of the online program, as well as the diverse lifestyles, employment situations, geographic locations and other responsibilities of the primarily adult online learner population”.
Because of increasing numbers of students engage in online learning—experiential learning need to change—say Nation, Reed and Swank (2014: 312). Although case studies are considered a valuable learning-tool and are widely used; case studies are not deemed an effective substitute for experiential learning. Nation, Reed and Swank (2014: 314) advance that “real projects should form the core of the experiential learning opportunities”. Real projects that could “lead to necessary adaptations and successful change for both individuals and organizations”.
Nation, Reed and Swank (2014: 314) report about an investigation into experiential learning methodologies towards supporting best practices in university teaching, and found that “participative activities designed to improve skills in critical thinking and problem solving through practical application” are best to achieve active participation in the learning process. Experiential learning “connect academic content to the professional world, increase learner involvement, and to increase learner appreciation of a particular subject” say Nation, Reed and Swank (2014: 315) produced exhibit 1 below, namely a comparison of adopted experiential methodologies (on the right) to two sets of experiential learning characteristics identified by Gentry (1990) and Kolb & Kolb (2005) respectively.
The literature review by Nation, Reed and Swank (2014: 317) include experiential simulations in the virtual classroom, which highlight the importance of defining what learning is needed when considering a simulation as well as the associated constraints. Other best practices for the virtual classroom, according to Nation, Reed and Swank (2014) include games and simulations, which could infuse fun and engaging students in creative problem solving and decision making.
Nation, D., Reed, L. & Swank, A. 2014. Innovations and future directions for experiential learning for a large business degree program. Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 41, 312-320. Electronically accessible from https://journals.tdl.org/absel/index.php/absel/article/viewFile/2133/2102
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