Experiential learning refers to learning through experience or doing. In experiential education, learners use their experiences to develop new skills, new attitudes, or new ways of thinking. Experiential learning transforms the learning design from a teacher-centric approach (in which teaching is largely transmissive and students may remain unmotivated) to a semi-structured approach that requires students to cooperate and learn from one another through direct experiences related to real-world problems.
Here, at SAGE University, the role of a teacher is to facilitate rather than direct the students’ progress. Experiential learning is considered a holistic educational philosophy that holds an individual’s life experience, education, and work, which plays a vital role in learning and understanding new knowledge.
Recently experimental learning gained more traction in the higher education sector. In the 21st century, universities considerably recognized experimental learning to include the generation of students’ competence in self to directed learning, citizenship, eco-sustainability, and employability, and traditional knowledge, skills, and attitude with specific disciples are driving this shift.
Universities must prepare their students to be contributing members and leaders of their local, national, and global communities as well as to be able to apply their knowledge to real-world problems. It is also necessary for higher education institutions to engage more closely with business and the community; the declining job market and increasing competition among graduates across most disciplines and an increased understanding of learning also play a role. Embedding experiential education into programs has been found to increase student recruitment, retention, and completion rates. Studies have shown that students are more likely to continue their education at postgraduate levels.
Experiential methodology removes each subject's boundaries and connects the various subject in a signal domain. Traditional learning methods do not reflect the real world, but experiential learning creates an interdisciplinary learning experience connected with real-world learning. Also, “experiential learning is associated with the constructivist theory of learning” in which “learning process outcomes are mixed and often unpredictable.”
Dr. Deepak Kumar Sondhiya
Associate Professor
Coordinator Academic
School of Sciences
