CURRICULUM, CLIMATE AND COMMUNITY: A MODEL FOR EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Experiential learning is an effective pedagogical tool for engaging students as they construct conceptual and practical knowledge in real life situations. This session will describe a model of experiential learning that moves beyond the learning cycle of experience, reflection and theory development, to view learning through the additional lenses of the curriculum, climate and community in which the student is engaged. The experiential learning model was developed at Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada under the auspices of the Senate Learning and Teaching Committee, by faculty representing a broad range of disciplines. The model takes into consideration application, analysis, evaluation and creativity in experiential learning to promote transformational intellectual growth in the undergraduate experience.

The proposed interactive session will provide an opportunity for educators and learners to look through the four “lenses” of the experiential learning model - Learning Cycle, Curriculum, Climate and Community. The presentation will convey how experiential learning activities engage students in critical thinking, problem solving and decision making in contexts that are personally relevant and connected to academic learning objectives. The model has been captured in an interactive video which will be used as a tool to facilitate participant conversation, discussion, evaluation and action. Participants will discuss the model’s potential for enabling effective and creative learning in their own institutions of higher education.

Although the model has been developed as an experiential learning tool, many of the theories and practices represented are applicable to all methods of teaching; in other words, they could be considered universal best practices in teaching and learning.