Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory Research Articles

How does knowledge evolve using adaptive heuristics learning in an engineering game

In this paper, the primary focus is on the performers whose learning process originate by solving simple or complex problems and perceiving the performers interest in solving advanced problems from the knowledge obtained. An open-source puzzle like a game UNTANGLED is used in our study. The game is developed to unravel the mapping/placement problems in electrical engineering by using human instincts. Telemetry data for the two groups of performers who solved simple and complex puzzles in the first attempt is considered to investigate the Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory (KELT) and fathom the adaptive heuristics for building knowledge from experience. From analysis performed it is evident that a similar learning process is followed by both performers who played initial and complex puzzles in first attempt. Also, results illustrate that the players who first played initial level puzzles are more interested in playing next level puzzles than the one who first played complex puzzles. Results illustrate that 18% of players who solved easy in first attempt played advanced puzzles in consecutive attempts. Apparently, conclusions advocate that to develop an indelible appetite to deal with advanced/complex problems, STEM education teachers need to structure the lab experiments or teach the complex concepts by starting from simple projects/concepts to complex one. By making learners to try a greater number of low-level abstraction problems will engage learners’ interest in solving high-level abstraction problems. Similarly, educational game designers can develop a game environment introducing more intermediate levels, which gives enough experience to deal with difficult levels

Virtual learning for safety, why not a smartphone?

This article aims to examine the effectiveness of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) using Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) for chemical laboratory safety. A VLE model of a distillation column rig situated at the chemical engineering department, at the University of Nottingham (UK) was designed for the purpose of safety and hazard awareness training for first year laboratory students. The basic pedagogical ideas behind the model were to compare the effectiveness of passive learning used in traditional safety training with the way a VLE can deliver an active learning platform. Based on the collected experience, this article investigates issues that arose while correlating a VLE model with Kolb's ELT. Some of the drawbacks of the VLE model have been taken into consideration while designing a mobile game application for the purpose of laboratory safety training at the Research Laboratory of Energetic Materials at Pardubice University (Czech Republic). This is believed to offer more scope to develop constructivist learning using a smartphone. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 38: e12005, 2019

Primary and Secondary School Students Perspective on Kolb-based STEM Module and Robotic Prototype

The aim of this paper is to assess students' perceptions of their competency and interests in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) throughout Malaysia. These perceptions are obtained during and after they were engaged in using a STEM module and building a robotic prototype that was in line with the STEM teachers' specification, and was conducted at the National Science Centre, Malaysia. This activity was undertaken because the target ratio for the number of students enrolling in STEM programs is not met. The developed STEM module is based on four stages of the learning cycle in Kolb's experiential learning theory. The stages are Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualization, and Active Experimentation. These stages have five key educational activities which are watching videos, reading modules, assembling robotic components, drag and drop using blockly software and lastly playing a robotic game. The key element of the activities is the utilisation of a robotic prototype as the main component in increasing the students’ interest in STEM via games. This module was evaluated in both qualitative and quantitative case studies of students to inform teachers’ perceptions of the developed modules and robotic prototypes. Data were collected through two training events at a science exhibition at the National Science Centre and taken from two distinct groups, namely primary and secondary school students in range 11 to 15 year old. The evaluation comprised of five areas which were interaction, engagement, challenge, competency and interest. The results show that developed module and robotic prototype based n teacher’s perception received positive response from the respondents. It can efficiently raise students’ interest in STEM that meets the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025.

Experiential Community Health Assessment Through PechaKucha

Nursing education is a robust vehicle for change for community health nursing (CHN) in undergraduate programs. Nurses with a broad range of CHN competencies will be needed to meet the demands of community-based care in the coming years. To meet the changing curricular demands around CHN, an experiential learning opportunity presented itself with the use of PechaKucha to support students. This experiential approach to learning the Canadian Community Health Nursing Professional Practice Model & Standards of Practice using a windshield and walkabout survey resulted in the students presenting the findings through the PechaKucha method. Kolb's experiential learning theory served as the theoretical foundation. The experiential application of the Canadian Community Health Nursing Professional Practice Model & Standards of Practice helps to create interest in CHN and develop future competent and confident community nurses. By discovering CHN applications through experiential learning, students are in a better position to understand the scope and role of CHN practice. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(9):566-569.].

Teaching Clinical Precepting: A Faculty Development Workshop Using Role-Play.

Precepting is when a medical educator listens to a learner's presentation and must teach and assess the learner while rendering safe patient care. A popular framework for this type of educational encounter is the one-minute preceptor model, which can work for learners at all skill levels. This workshop was created to develop skills of all teaching faculty, regardless of medical specialty, in precepting. The workshop is based on Kolb's experiential learning theory. A PowerPoint presentation delivers the core abstract concepts. The PowerPoint allows for discussion of participants' prior precepting experiences, including both challenges and successes. The workshop ends with role-plays for participants to practice their skills and a facilitated debrief to aid individual reflection. Twelve role-plays were created for use in the workshop; these were then reviewed by someone in the matching specialty to enhance authenticity. Participants completed a survey after the workshop to evaluate the session. This presentation was delivered 26 times to 392 participants at 16 different teaching hospitals. Twenty-one different medical specialties and subspecialties were represented. Ninety-seven percent of participants stated they would use the information presented in the workshop often or daily. There were conflicting comments about the role-plays. The negative comments centered around (a) personal difficulty participating in the role-plays and (b) the role-plays not being related to the learning. Discussion and role-play can be an effective way to instruct educators in use of the one-minute preceptor as a framework for teaching.

Playing styles based on experiential learning theory

In recent years, researchers have reported positive outcomes and effects from applying computer games to the educational process. The preconditions for an effective game-based learning process include the presence of high learning interest and the desire to study hard. Therefore, educational video game design has to tailor gameplay to the style of the playing learner, i.e. to the psycho-cognitive abilities, attitudes, and skills of the individual player, in order to foster the player's motivation and creativity. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to draw a parallel between learning styles and styles of playing video games, and to investigate the correlations between these types of constructs. The article presents a new family of playing styles based on Kolb's experiential learning theory that is appropriate to be used for educational video games. This family is composed of four playing styles: Competitor, Dreamer, Logician, and Strategist, and corresponds to Honey and Mumford's learning styles based also on the theory of experiential learning, namely Activist, Reflector, Theorist, and Pragmatist. To measure the four playing styles, a 40-item questionnaire was designed. In order to verify the consistency, validity, and reliability of that questionnaire as an accurate tool for recognizing the four suggested player styles, a pilot study was conducted. The article reports the results obtained from the study, along with their analysis and applicability.

Integrating Video Simulation Scenarios Into Online Nursing Instruction.

As nursing programs continue to expand online, innovative pedagogies that support online teaching and learning practices grounded in theoretical constructs are needed. Video simulation scenarios and VoiceThread technology were used to create a model of online instruction that promotes active student participation and aligns with course objectives and content. Kolb's experiential learning theory serves as the framework for this project. The integration of multimedia in the course gave students a collaborative experience where they can apply their knowledge to the simulation scenarios. Inclusion of the vignettes was found to be effective in addressing specific areas of curriculum while stimulating student engagement. Increased use of online delivery for nursing education necessitates course designs that promote student interaction and foster community. Teaching and learning practices that include technologies and are supported by theoretical constructs promote best practices for online instruction. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(4):245-249.].

6A Pain Management Education for Nurses: Simulation vs. Traditional Lecture, a Comparative Parallel-Group Design Study

Managing pain requires a unique skill set combining knowledge and psycho-social skills not often taught to post-licensure nurses. Education using standardized patients (SPs) in simulation exercises to portray hospitalized patients with pain may fill this gap. The purpose of this mixed methods research was to compare SP simulation (experimental) versus traditional lecture/PowerPoint education (control) on nurses' pain knowledge and patients' pain experience, measuring differences between nurse groups on pain knowledge test scores and patients' reported pain experience. Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory informed this study. Method: comparative mixed methods, parallel-group design.

Household construction knowledge acquisition in post-disaster shelter training

The incorporation of safer building practices into shelter after disasters continues to plague recovery efforts. While limited resources are one potential cause, evidence from case studies suggests that poor adoption of safer construction may stem from a knowledge deficit. Despite these shortcomings, previous research has done little to examine the current state of construction education and training in post-disaster shelter and housing, and there is lacking evidence to support how households acquire new knowledge of construction practice. Examining nineteen shelter projects in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan, training methods were categorized using Kolb's experiential learning theory poles. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was then used to analyze the impact of these methods on community construction knowledge. Findings reveal that households acquired knowledge either through a combination of formal training methods that encompassed reflective observation, active experimentation, and concrete experiences or alternatively through observation of on-site construction activities.

Playing style recognition through an adaptive video game

Playing style recognition is crucially important for style-based adaptation of digital games. Unlike traditional ways for measuring of styles by means of self-reports, automatic style estimation incorporated into a video game appears to be a more efficient and ecologically valid method. The article presents a model for in-game recognition of four playing styles (Competitor, Dreamer, Logician, and Strategist) based on the Kolb's experiential learning theory. The model applies multiple linear regression over task performance metrics as explanatory variables and coefficients found first by a heuristic approach relaying on experience and observation knowledge of domain experts and, next, estimated by the least squares method. Experiments with the model implemented within an affectively adaptive video game demonstrated the benefits of emotion-based dynamic difficulty adjustment over playing outcomes and proved its validity as an accurate instrument for automatic estimation of both the four playing styles and the learning styles of Honey and Mumford.

Artrepreneurship and learning in ethnic markets

Many scholarly studies point to the growing cultural diversity in the marketplace and subsequent cultural learning mechanisms adapted by marketers and consumers. This research advances the theoretical and instrumental understanding of cultural learning mechanisms adopted by a specific form of entrepreneurs called ethnic artrepreneurs. Using interview data with 16 ethnic artrepreneurs, the study finds that ethnic artrepreneurs' learning is cyclical in nature consisting of interconnecting stages. Following, Kolb's (1984) experiential learning theory, the study labels and discusses emerging themes as per four stages: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. The study represents an attempt to identify artrepreneurship as a strategic resource for marketing in ethnic markets.

“Think before you type”: the effectiveness of implementing an anti-cyberbullying project in an EFL classroom

ABSTRACTCyberbullying takes place when the Internet is used purposefully to cause harm or discomfort to a specific person or group of persons. Because of the fast growth of digital technologies, cyberbullying is replacing physical bullying and becoming a prevalent social problem around the world. This study outlines the author’s efforts of integrating David Kolb's experiential learning theory, project-based learning, and a critical approach to language education to engage a group of Taiwanese college English-as-a-foreign-language students about the issues related to cyberbullying and the importance of healthy Internet behaviors. The results indicated that the 9-week project work heightened students’ awareness of cyberbullying and other social issues and enhanced their language skills. Students also held an overall positive attitude toward the project work. To conclude the article, several research directions are suggested to continue this line of inquiry.

Integrating Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory into a sport psychology classroom using a golf-putting activity

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this article is to describe the integration of Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) within an undergraduate sport psychology course. According to Kolb, experiential learning occurs through a continual process within the four-stage learning cycle: Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Conceptualization, and Active Experimentation. In the course, we used golf-putting tournaments to promote experiential learning during a 15-week semester. Between tournaments, we delivered lectures and facilitated laboratory sessions to discuss and practice sport psychology theories (e.g., Achievement Goal Theory) and skills (e.g., goal-setting, imagery). This article provides a detailed discussion of the structure of golf-putting tournaments, course design, and the use of reflective practice within a sport psychology classroom.

Uncover it, students would learn leadership from Team-Based Learning (TBL): The effect of guided reflection and feedback

Context: Little is known about best practices for teaching and learning leadership through Team-Based learning™ (TBL™) with medical students. We hypothesized that guided reflection and feedback would improve shared leadership and shared leadership capacity, and enhance team decision quality in TBL teams. We used the Kolb experiential learning theory as the theoretical framework.Method: The study was conducted at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Three TBL sessions with 206 students (39 teams) participated in the study. Using a quasi-experimental design, one batch received guided reflection and feedback on their team leadership processes (n = 20 teams) and the other received only TBL (n = 19 teams). Observers measured shared leadership using a checklist. Shared leadership capacity was measured using a questionnaire. Scores on a team application exercise were used to assess quality of team decisions.Results: Evidence did not support our first hypothesis that reflection and feedback enhance shared leadership in TBL teams. Percentages of teams displaying shared leadership did not differ between intervention and control groups in sessions 1 (p = 0.6), 2 (p = 1) or 3 (p = 1). The results did not support the second hypothesis. We found no difference in quality of decision making between the intervention and control groups for sessions 1 (p = 0.77), 2 (p = 0.23), or 3 (p = 0.07). The third hypothesis that the reflection and feedback would have an effect on shared leadership capacity was supported (T = −8.55, p > 0.001 adjusted on baseline; T = −8.55, p > 0.001 adjusted on gender).Discussion and conclusion: We found that reflection and feedback improved shared leadership capacity but not shared leadership behaviors or team decision quality. We propose medical educators who apply TBL, should provide guided exercise in reflection and feedback so that students may better understand the benefits of working in teams as preparation for their future roles as leaders and members of health care teams.

Implementation of a State Legislative Fellowship for Doctor of Nursing Practice Students.

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students need to be effective health policy leaders and contribute their expertise to legislative discussions. Nursing faculty have unique opportunities to prepare future DNP health policy leaders through legislative experiential learning opportunities. Yet, the creation of legislative fellowships can seem challenging. This article describes a state legislative fellowship based on Kolb's experiential learning theory and explores ways faculty can support DNP student preparation.

Animating eco-education: To see, feel, and discover in an augmented reality-based experiential learning environment

An antagonistic relationship is traditionally seen as existing between eco-education and technology, with conventional instructional approaches usually characterized by a commentator guiding students in field learning. Unfortunately, in this passive learning approach, the discovery of rich ecological resources in eco-environments to stimulate positive emotions and experiences is often condensed into a “sightseeing”. Therefore, precise and systematic guidance focused on providing a rich learning experience is needed in field learning and eco-education. Based on Kolb's experiential learning theory, the current study develops an eco-discovery AR-based learning model (EDALM) which is implemented in an eco-discovery AR-based learning system (EDALS). In a field experiment at a botanical garden, 21 middle school students constitute three groups participated in a learning activity using different learning types and media. Quantitative results indicate that, compared to the human-guidance-only model, EDALS successfully stimulates positive emotions and improved learning outcomes among learners. In post-activity interviews, students indicated they found the exploration mode provided by the proposed system to be more interesting and helpful to their learning in school. The use of attractive technologies increase students' willingness not only to learn more about the environment, but also to develop a more positive emotional attachment to it.

Ambulatory Morning Report: A Case-Based Method of Teaching EBM Through Experiential Learning

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) skills are important to daily practice, but residents generally feel unskilled incorporating EBM into practice. The Kolb experiential learning theory, as applied to curricular planning, offers a unique methodology to help learners build an EBM skill set based on clinical experiences. We sought to blend the learner-centered, case-based merits of the morning report with an experientially based EBM curriculum. We describe and evaluate a patient-centered ambulatory morning report combining the User's Guides to the Medical Literature approach to EBM and experiential learning theory in the internal medicine department at Baystate Medical Center. The Kolb experiential learning theory postulates that experience transforms knowledge; within that premise we designed a curriculum to build EBM skills incorporating residents' patient encounters. By developing structured clinical questions based on recent clinical problems, residents activate prior knowledge. Residents acquire new knowledge through selection and evaluation of an article that addresses the structured clinical questions. Residents then apply and use new knowledge in future patient encounters. To assess the curriculum, we designed an 18-question EBM test, which addressed applied knowledge and EBM skills based on the User's Guides approach. Of the 66 residents who could participate in the curriculum, 61 (92%) completed the test. There was a modest improvement in EBM knowledge, primarily during the first year of training. Our experiential curriculum teaches EBM skills essential to clinical practice. The curriculum differs from traditional EBM curricula in that ours blends experiential learning with an EBM skill set; learners use new knowledge in real time.

Collaborative Experiential Learning Model

An entrant to engineering has to undergo many fundamental courses in the first year of curriculum. Basic electrical engineering is one amongst these courses. The traditional way of teaching the course was teacher-centric and aid used for teaching was chalk and talk. Less emphasis was given for student interaction. Traditional style of teaching rarely gives students the opportunity to apply their newfound knowledge to actual situations, resulting in a serious time lag between students learning and applying new knowledge. As a result many students have trouble determining the relevance of what they are being taught, and thus lacking any obvious need to learn and fail to engage in the learning process. To provide an opportunity for collaborative experiential learning to reinforce the theoretical concepts imbibed in students we proposed a model on collaborative experiential learning which concentrates on the beginning of instruction referring to Fink's Model containing Knowledge of subject matter, Design of Course, and Course management. In particular, the Teacher-student interaction is adopted which is an umbrella term that refers to all the different ways teachers interact with their students. For better interfacing, Kolb's experiential learning theory based on a four-stage learning cycle is applied. In addition to the above in teaching learning process learning style of an individual is important to undergo different learning cycle. The three main types of learning styles are, auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. Whenever the task is given for an individual the above learning styles can be adopted, meanwhile if the task is for a team with different learning style of a student then we need to focus on style of learning. The three styles of learning are active learning, cooperative learning and problem based learning. The proposed model is applied to the course on Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering, Apart from the regular classroom teaching we used principles of instruction to select, plan and develop an activity based on Industry visit to enhance students learning. To realize the impact of learning happened through the industry visit pertaining to topics like actuators and/or sensors, the written examination was conducted and feedback at two intervals, before and after the industry visit was taken. Individual question wise inferential statistical analysis using paired t- test was performed and inferred that the activity improved the knowledge and exposure level of a student.

Learning from Primary Health Care Centers in Nepal: reflective writings on experiential learning of third year Nepalese medical students.

BackgroundMedical education can play important role in cultivating the willingness among the medical students to work in underprivileged areas after their graduation. Experiential learning through early exposure to primary health care centers could help students better understand the opportunities and challenges of such settings. However, the information on the real experiences and reflections of medical students on the rural primary health care settings from low-income countries like Nepal are still limited. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the learning process of the medical students through their reflective writings based on Kolb’s theory of experiential learning.MethodsThe students wrote their experiences, observations and reflections on the experiential learning from the primary health care centers on individual logbook as part of their community posting assignments. We analyzed the data of 50 logbooks through content analysis using Kolb’s experiential learning cycle as a theoretical framework.ResultsThe students’ reflections are structured around the four main learning stages of Kolb’s experiential learning theory. Each learning stage consisted of different categories. The first stage consisted of concrete experiences on rural health and learning by doing. The second stage included their reflective observations on primary versus tertiary care, application of theoretical knowledge and role of supervisors. In the third stage, the students developed and refined their concepts on self-development, understanding reality, compassion and sense of responsibility. The final stage, active experimentation, included their immediate future plans, suggestions to improve curriculum, plans after becoming a doctor and suggestions to improve policies.ConclusionThis study provided important insights on different stages of experiential learning of medical students on primary health care in low resource rural settings. Reflective writing of experiential learning could be an important step to address the gaps in medical education for resource constraint settings like that of Nepal and other low-income countries.

Nursing students’ experiential learning processes using an online 3D simulation game

The growing use of game-based simulation in healthcare education reflects the opportunities afforded to learners by serious games, which simulate real-world situations and enable students to emulate the roles of healthcare professionals in a safe and engaging learning environment. As part of a design-based research project to design, test, and evaluate an online 3D simulation game for use in game-based simulation in healthcare education, the present study applied Kolb's experiential learning theory to investigate nursing students' experiential learning processes during a 3D simulation game. The data, collected from eight nursing students, comprised audio and video recordings from gaming sessions and focus group interviews. The results indicate that in 3D simulation game, patient-related experiences were supported by audiovisual authenticity, the authenticity of scenarios, and interactivity. Feedback triggered students to reflect on their own learning processes. Students conceptualised knowledge by applying nursing theory, and they internalised procedures that can be used in real life. They also had an opportunity to experiment by exploring and making decisions in the gaming environment. One of the main issues arising from these findings is that 3D simulation games used in game-based simulation should share familiar characteristics of leisure games to ensure an engaging learning experience.