Experiential Learning

The changing landscape of education

The education system in the world has become transformed. It was a teacher-centred method, where the students had to be grateful and take all the words of the teacher as law. Today, it is student-centred and more discussion-oriented. The teacher provides the viewpoints but students have the right to question and the teacher stresses the importance of experiential learning. Experiences teach you the value of life, so learn accordingly. If you learn that there is a mountain, you may not necessarily see one has changed to see a mountain, feel it, and then learn that this is indeed a mountain.

My experiential learning is based on being a professor in higher education in the field of Business and Management and I reflect from it.

Experiential learning is considered to be:

Innovative,

Application-based,

Entrepreneurial

leadership skills

Innovative

At a brainstorming meeting, I said that experiential learning must be introduced in the higher education system as it is an innovative creative method of learning. People thought I was joking when I said that the students should be on the campus but not always in the class.

“What will the students do”, I was asked. I said that “they will have a drama society, a reading society, and a hobby society.” “What will this society do? “, “They will form a club and hone their skills”, I said.

Experiential learning is innovative and if they form clubs, they will excel in various activities and build their overall personality. The educational institution will have a creative and stimulating environment and more active involvement of students.

Application Based

Allow the students to go for internships and real situation projects. Where a student joins a company, for a sales campaign of a new product or goes to a bank and learns even small things like how to help customers to open their accounts or solve small problems relating to their bank accounts:

This technique will go a long way in applying work concepts to their theoretical learning. They will understand the concepts better and link it with the real time work experienced.

Entrepreneurial

Leave the students alone and they will learn more. Every student becomes a thinking person as institutions organize more activities and leave the organization work to the students to inculcate the spirit of entrepreneurship amongst them. They are given an opportunity to incubate their ideas, organize programmes and also study about entrepreneurs. Also, celebrate entrepreneurs week to become entrepreneurs from meagre resources at their disposal.

The students learn by bringing in new ideas, learning from existing entrepreneurs, case studies, brainstorming their ideas taking appreciation and criticism both in their stride, and going above it through enriching sessions.

Leadership skills

Some say that leaders are born and others say that they are made. from my experience, I learnt that some students who were shy became alert and turned into leaders of some sorts. In group discussions, remarkable changes were noticed and class participation also improved.

Discussions and ideas put forward do bring about independence and the will to learn to adapt to each other. The qualities of leadership are imbibed through role play and group dynamics.

In conclusion, I would like to focus on the benefits of experiential learning:

#1 The students become innovative which helps in challenging them to work up the ladder in study and research and take up new opportunities.

#2. Their study is outcome-based by applying the techniques of work to thei learning.

#3 Education is not exam based but entrepreneurial in nature through new skills and examples

#4 It helps to transform lives and provides a chance to capitalize on opportunities by learning and adapting to each other resulting in creative work.

This will also transform the education system and take it to new heights of learning and research through outcome-based education without the pain of memorizing word by word for examinations and into independent new thinking models.