Experiential Learning Exercise Research Articles

Students as game designers and developers: developing cooperative strategy board games to teach team leadership skills

Purpose The purpose of this manuscript is to highlight how gamification is transforming recruitment, retention and training to resolve employee engagement challenges in the ever-changing workplace. In collaborating with game industry experts and designers, the authors taught students team leadership skills by demonstrating how to design and play their own original cooperative strategy games. In doing so, students learn what gamification is and how it can be used to train our multigenerational workforce; how designing board games teaches team leadership skills (e.g. communication, conflict management, power, decision-making); and how to develop cooperative strategy game elements (player characters, roles and actions) that motivate engaging gameplay with successful learning outcomes. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the authors discuss the practical implications of a three-phase semester-long experiential learning experience, where game design demonstrates to students how employees can work collaboratively together in teams. Students’ developed storylines (i.e. strategic objectives) including motivation challenges, social media communication breakdowns, sabotage, global sustainability and other real-world challenges. In Phase 1, students learn about how companies are using gamification in training high-performing teams. In Phase 2, students play a cooperative strategy game Forbidden Island with their student teams. In Phase 3, students design (and play) their original cooperative strategy game, instructions booklet and build a facilitation guide. Findings Approximately, 400 students developed 48 original cooperative strategy games that can be used to teach team leadership skills. These student teams designed cooperative strategy board games – in which the entire team either wins or loses based on their control of valued resources and player actions as key decision-making points. The data and feedback indicate that the learning experience helped them practically consider team interdependence in making effective decisions, and in creating creative self-efficacy, resilience and self-confidence in their own leadership voice. In this manuscript, the authors focus on providing an overview and implementation plan for our semester-long experiential learning exercise. Originality/value This experiential exercise was implemented from 2019 to 2023 in different learning modalities (face-to-face, hybrid, 100% synchronous online learning) and during challenging times (prepandemic, pandemic and postpandemic learning environments). These varying experiences provided them with a challenge to persevere and learn about their own interpersonal skills and resilience in a creative engaging way with limited resources. Students developed 26 original games during 100% synchronous remote learning due to COVID. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no other business school is working with gaming industry experts and game designers to teach team leadership to this degree during pre- and postpandemic environments.

Building assertiveness and listening skills using dysfunctional peer project scenarios

Purpose This paper aims to provide an experiential learning exercise that develops student skills in assertive communication and listening in the context of dysfunctional group projects. It offers iterative planning, roleplays and reflection. Variations incorporate additional practice, interim debriefing or multiple partners. Design/methodology/approach A scaffolded approach introduces assertiveness and listening. Students prepare and discuss feedback scripts for two scenarios about problematic team members, articulate perceptions of blame (to call attention to bias) and identify listening tactics. They receive additional scenarios with complementary roles to analyze individually and then practice with new partners. In one, they are assertive, and in the other, they are the dysfunctional group member. Findings The challenges represented by the scenarios resonate with students. Many are shocked by the difficulty of speaking assertively with “problem” group members and find the iterative practice helpful. Practical implications Students avoid directly addressing problems caused by peers or request instructor intervention. This iterative activity helps them close the knowing-doing gap by practicing assertive communication, feedback and listening within the context of realistic group project situations. Social implications This activity develops learner confidence and capacity to handle similar situations. It incorporates valuable soft skills that are transferable to the workplace. Originality/value This activity draws on common problems caused by group members in college project teams. Learners develop scripts and listening approaches and practice assertive communication to achieve better group outcomes.

Teaching root cause analysis in healthcare management with Grey's Anatomy

AbstractOver the past 20 years, root cause analysis (RCA) has become one of the most widely used retrospective methods for detecting safety hazards in medicine and healthcare. Despite its wide use in management practice and growing popularity in academic research, there is currently a dearth of coverage of RCA in popular healthcare management textbooks and pedagogical publications. This paper addresses this gap by presenting innovative instructional materials and recommendations for teaching RCA in healthcare management. Using an episode of Grey's Anatomy TV show, this experiential learning exercise takes students through the steps of RCA and makes use of a range of RCA tools, including high‐level flowchart, fishbone diagram, “five whys”, corrective action plan, and others. The exercise, which was classroom tested and received positive student feedback, can be adapted to a range of healthcare management classes. Because RCA can have widespread, lifesaving consequences, healthcare management courses can significantly benefit from integrating this exercise into classroom pedagogies.

Magnetic tower: Within and between-team collaboration experiential exercise

Despite collaboration being integrated into business education, challenges remain in preparing students to collaborate in modern organizations. This challenge is partially due to educators primarily focusing on within-team collaboration while, due to increased work complexity, organizations have moved to multiteam systems which also require between-team collaboration. Therefore, we developed the Magnetic Tower, which integrates within and between-team collaboration in an experiential learning exercise. In this exercise, teams implement within-team collaboration aspects such as communication, coordination, balancing members’ contributions, and mutual support as well as between-team collaboration aspects such as boundary spanning, knowledge sharing, and integration to successfully complete the project.

SELLING ON VALUE: USING THE PURPOSEFUL CHOREOGRAPHY AS THE BASIS OF AN INNOVATIVE SALES ROLE PLAY

ABSTRACT Few academic disciplines make as frequent use of experiential learning exercises as marketing and sales. This is particularly true in selling courses, where a sales role play often serves as a culminating exercise in which students are tasked with building rapport with a buyer, uncovering buyer needs, overcoming objections, and closing a sale. However, we contend that this typical sales role play can be extended by tasking students with the need to perform independent research to speak convincingly about the concept of value. In response, we describe an innovative role play based on the purposeful choreography, which tasks students with presenting a compelling, and novel, business case to a buyer. Moreover, we highlight opportunities and challenges for sales professors who are interested in adopting this role play into their advanced selling courses.

Experiential learning beyond the textbook in operations management

This study explores the creation of an experiential learning exercise (ELE) to simulate a generic operations management scenario. Through the case study, students are provided the opportunity to gain tacit understanding of learning curves by doing tasks and observing tasks. The students’ tacit understanding is captured through learning rates. The findings support students learn through repetition and by observing others.

Teaching Note—Self-Care in Social Work Education: An Experiential Learning Exercise

ABSTRACT Self-care is an essential social work practice skill that should be taught in social work courses. This teaching note describes the evaluation of an assignment for BSW students (N=48) designed to teach self-care skills. The purpose of this project was to 1) understand students’ conceptualization of self-care and 2) determine if this assignment expanded the breadth and depth of students’ understanding and practice of self-care. These goals were accomplished through an analysis of students’ self-care strategies, using a priori self-care domains, and a thematic analysis of responses to open-ended questions about learning. The most common self-care strategies focused on emotional (43.3%), relational (34.9%), and physical (22.5%) well-being. Learning themes included understanding self-care, awareness of personal self-care, and strategies to use learning in the future. Implications for social work programs include emphasizing the intentionality of self-care, clarifying the scope of self-care, considering negative coping, and facilitating the development of self-care practices.

Experiential learning exercise: Designing a pirate community using the cultural web

The purpose of this experiential learning design article is threefold: firstly, to provide an opportunity for icebreaking or community building using a team-based activity, secondly, to apply Johnson and Scholes’ cultural web framework in a performative, open space learning context of the historic pirate culture, and finally, to connect the learning experience to job hunting, specifically helping students assess their fit with potential employers. This group exercise requires participants to use and integrate a variety of concepts from marketing and strategy, and then subsequently reflect on their performance with an after-action review. The exercise is likely to be most appropriate for advanced undergraduate and master’s classes, however, it has also been used successfully for community engagement on a foundation year. It would appear to be particularly useful for professional development, management, leadership, and organisational modules where a lean-in, experiential-oriented pedagogy is deployed.

From Smart Cities to Wise Cities: Studying Abroad in Digital Urban Space

This article analyzes the impact of experiential and inquiry-based learning exercises in a 2019 Toronto study abroad course on smart cities for first-year students. The course treated the city as a text to be read, analyzed, and unpacked. Students engaged with the disciplines of urban studies, critical race and ethnic studies, and surveillance studies in order to assess Toronto's smart city initiative while exploring firsthand how technology and urban planning currently structure the lived experiences of Toronto's inhabitants. Ultimately, students came to understand how data analytics order, pattern, and structure the complexity of urban life in ways that can be inclusionary and exclusionary, democratic and autocratic. They gained an appreciation for why a range of stakeholders with disparate social and economic power perceive smart city initiatives differently, and they theorized what it might mean to live in a wise city that accounts for history, ethics, and power.

Treatment Satisfaction With Couplelinks Online Intervention to Promote Dyadic Coping in Young Couples Affected by Breast Cancer.

BackgroundThis study evaluated participant satisfaction with “Couplelinks,” an online psychological intervention designed for younger couples coping with breast cancer. The program included six experiential learning exercises (plus one optional module), psychoeducational information, and support from a personal mental health professional.ObjectiveThe primary objectives were to examine participants’ perceptions of: the online intervention’s structure and content; the value of including a professional facilitator; and benefits and drawbacks of the program.MethodsA treatment satisfaction questionnaire comprised of Likert indices and open-ended questions pertaining to treatment satisfaction was completed by 26 patients and 27 male partners (N = 53) approximately 1–2 weeks following the intervention which occurred in the context of a randomized controlled trial. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize satisfaction ratings and generalized linear models with fixed effect for gender were used to test for differences in male-female outcomes. A thematic analysis was undertaken in order to understand, organize and summarize the qualitative textual feedback.ResultsParticipants reported an overall satisfaction rating of 4.3 out of 5 (SD = 0.54) with patient satisfaction ratings being higher than that of male partners’ (p = 0.01). The majority of participants considered the facilitator’s role to be necessary 4.6 (SD = 0.60), and found the program to be convenient 4.1 (SD = 0.81) despite some participants struggling to keep up with the modules. Subjective data revealed participants valued the convenience and flexibility of the online intervention and appreciated the program’s involvement of both partners. Participants also reported that including a professional facilitator humanized the intervention, served as motivation to progress through the program, facilitated insight into their relationship, and was reassuring. Experiential gains noted by participants included that the program: helped couples to open channels of communication; prompted them to designate quality time for one another; evoked feelings of unity and togetherness; and inspired new insight in the relationship.ConclusionSuch feedback supports the feasibility and acceptability of the Couplelinks program while offering directions for improvement of online couple-based interventions in cancer.

Reimagining an Experiential Learning Exercise in Times of Crisis: Lessons Learned and a Proposed Framework

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has forced marketing educators to innovate and adapt their existing teaching methods. This article presents and discusses an experiential learning exercise called the market-immersion project (MIP) and how it was adapted to suit online teaching. The MIP was an integral part of the course on the “bottom-of-the-pyramid (BOP) and rural markets,” which had to be pivoted as a photoessay exercise due to the limitations of not being able to venture out for a physical immersion. The design, implementation, and grading are elaborated for both exercises, and lessons are identified for marketing educators. Building on the lessons from two experiential learning exercises and using Kolb’s experiential learning theory, a six-step model of short-term field immersion is proposed. The proposed framework could be useful for marketing educators who want to use experiential exercises, including field-based exercises, in their courses in the postpandemic scenario. Finally, implications for theory, marketing education, limitations, and future directions are presented.

Enjoy Your Favourite Book as a Movie: Using an Experiential Learning Exercise to Improve Student Understanding of Brand Extensions and Marketing Plan Preparation

Marketers frequently use brand extensions to introduce new products and services. However, educators have limited resources to simulate the challenges of this strategy in classrooms. Using the scenario of a book being turned into a movie, we describe an experiential learning activity that guides students through the many stages of developing a brand extension. In this project, they also have the opportunity to put themselves in the shoes of a marketing manager in the preparation of a thorough plan for expanding an established brand to a new target market. The outcomes of its implementation in a marketing course, as well as the implications for marketing educators, are reviewed.

A Test of Student Grade Satisficing by Experimentally Inducing Time Stress

Scholars studying scholastic achievement in higher education find that students have specific course grades in mind that satisfy their desires for academic performance. When students believe that they are on-track to achieve those grades, they divert resources to other endeavors. This paper tests a resulting hypothesis: Students balance higher grades on easier assignments with lower grades on more difficult ones. After experimentally inducing time stress by assigning students to participate in an experiential learning exercise, those busier with volunteer work did balance their higher grades on the easier, experiential assignments, against lower ones on the course exams. Additionally, the time stress produced a strong interaction effect. Among the busier students, the time stress reduced their course grades (those not related to the experiential learning), while among the less busy, those grades increased. Instructors should be aware that some course activities are less linked to learning than others. The educational consequence of student grade satisficing is that when instructors offer more credit for easier activities, which are less linked to student learning, they may be reducing learning overall. The role of grade satisficing in reducing students’ acquisition of knowledge is an under-explored topic, but it has powerful implications for student learning.

Flutuar para crescer: nutrir as raízes da prática socialmente inclusiva e justa com estudantes de terapia ocupacional.

Abstract Models of practice and theoretical frameworks that seek to deemphasize impairment and focus on the implications of societal attitudes, norms, and culture are significant and relevant to the practice of occupational therapy. As an underpinning of client-centered practice, there is a need to highlight and embrace the intersection of impairment-deemphasizing theories and move from conceptual understanding to true application of those theoretical models in practice. This article describes the inclusion of the Salamander Workshop; an experiential learning activity designed to facilitate the development of students’ therapeutic self-awareness and initiate a starting point for incorporating social frameworks into authentic practice. Student reflections conceptualize the discussion about professional growth and development against the backdrop of disability experiences, social change, and empowerment. The article begins with an introduction to how the profession of occupational therapy and disability studies interconnect. This is followed by a description of both the occupational therapy education program where the experiential learning activity took place, and details of the workshop itself. The final two sections of the article articulate and discuss student reflections of the experiential learning exercise and conclude by framing the discussion within the larger context of occupational therapy pedagogy. The Salamander Workshop facilitated an opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the lived experience of others, while enhancing their own self-awareness, which in turn may translate to their growth and development as inclusive practitioners.

Teaching flexible leadership via an experiential learning exercise: A simulation and self-reflection

This paper outlines an experiential learning exercise designed to improve business students’ ability to apply flexible leadership. The exercise is a two-step process for which students complete a simulation and then write a self-reflective essay. Two mixed-methods studies were conducted to investigate the overall learning experience and changes in students’ ability to apply flexible leadership. The findings showed that students perceived the simulation as being satisfying and engaging, realistic and immersive, easy to use, and valuable for teaching work-related skills. After completing the simulation and self-reflective essay, students’ perceived ability to apply flexible leadership improved significantly, and they also showed improved self-awareness of their use of flexible leadership.

Designing an Experiential Learning with Simulations and Games to Improve Education in an Undergraduate Engineering Major

This paper illustrates an experiential learning exercise that is designed to be played in an engineering undergraduate program. The author uses simulation that creates an active and experiential learning environment in which individual teams make decisions based on imperfect information and conflicting goals. The simulation allows players to control certain aspects of the information flow relevant to the market, to develop relevant business strategies and communication skills, and to establish understanding of ethical values that are relevant to business environment. The simulation was designed to allow engineering students to advance and practice business skills that are essential for engineers to stay successful in an increasingly competitive business environment. The objective is to extract maximum learning from the experience using an experiential learning model. This paper contributes to the literature on designing active learning with the use of games and simulations while utilizing the Kolb experiential learning model.

CBT WITH YOUTH IN UNCERTAIN TIMES: INTERVENING EFFECTIVELY WITH FLEXIBILITY AND CREATIVITY

This clinician-friendly Workshop aims to equip attendees with portable tools that are ready to use in their practices during the peri- and postpandemic periods. Participants will learn a conceptual framework upon which to base brief cognitive-behavioral interventions for youth and their caregivers in multiple settings. The Workshop will employ a variety of teaching and learning methods. These procedures will include didactic material, demonstrations, sanitized case material, and experiential learning exercises. Further, the instruction will be augmented by including numerous techniques to propel attendee engagement, such as music, video clips, linking visuals with texts, and eye-catching infographics. Attendees will be provided with helpful handouts and clinical materials. Workshop participants will learn a simple scheme for conceptualizing patients during these uncertain times, several handy metrics for planning and tracking treatment, and many cognitive-behavioral procedures. When clinical care is delivered effectively in a flexible, creative, and equitable manner, young patients are better served during uncertain times.

The Monty Hall problem as a multifaceted experiential learning exercise in quantitative business courses

AbstractPopular game shows offer educators the opportunity to develop active‐learning exercises that provide students with a real‐world connection to analytical reasoning and methods. We describe a classroom assignment developed for quantitative business courses based on the Monty Hall Problem (MHP), a probability puzzle with ties to the long‐running television game show Let's Make a Deal. Through a holistic view of the MHP, we provide instructors with various avenues to use the MHP as a comprehensive experiential learning exercise with multiple opportunities for individual and class discussions and exercises. Instructors adopting our multifaceted approach to the MHP will expose students to myriad analytical tools including probability, decision trees, and Monte Carlo simulation as well as to cognitive biases that can affect the decision‐making process. Among the unique contributions of our work is its focus on the commonly held MHP assumptions. Specifically, we challenge students to articulate conditions inherent to the MHP solution and assess their appropriateness in context. By relaxing one or more of those assumptions, and observing differences in solutions, students become attuned to the importance of knowing and assessing conditions that underlie all quantitative decision‐making tools.

An Experiential Approach to Teaching Inventory Cost Allocation Methods in Accounting

In order to gain a better understanding of the Inventory Cost Allocation Methods, that represents the more commonly taught subject at university level around the world, the creative use of experiential learning exercises was employed. Undergraduate students commonly lack industry experience so role playing was used in teaching the topic to students at a North American University. Factors affecting students’ grades were analyzed. Results indicate that experiential approach was the most significant factor contributing to learning and success as measured by grade scores. Exam scores were higher when students took part in the experiential approach and gained confidence in their learning. This research provides valuable insights for research scholars and institutional educators of undergraduate accounting students.

Teaching Legal Elements of Commercial Real Estate Leases to Business Undergraduate Students Through an Interactive Experiential Learning Exercise

Teaching Legal Elements of Commercial Real Estate Leases to Business Undergraduate Students Through an Interactive Experiential Learning Exercise