Experiential learning beyond the mainstream curriculum

Abstract

JNUSTA: In your capacity as Vice Dean in the Office of Student Affairs (OSA), we know you are in the process of thinking through a more formalised way of providing students living in Halls of Residence a platform to experience forms of experiential learning/service learning. Could you share with us your view of how best to incorporate experiential learning from an OSA perspective?

KC: Kolb et al. (2001) refer to learning as “the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (Kolb, 1984:41). While Kolb draws parallels from works of Dewey (1938), Lewin (1951) and Piaget (1971) in terms of their perspectives on learning and intellectual development, he makes a clear distinction between these three major traditions and experiential learning theory. To Kolb, experiential learning is fundamentally different as the key emphasis in learning is experience; and arising from this emphasis, it describes how experience contributes to the learning process and how it has an impact on one’s (deep) learning. For experiential learning to be significant and effective, Kolb opines that participants must engage in what he calls reflective observation and active experimentation (1984). (Abstract taken from first paragraph of document)