Defining Experiential Learning

Experiential learning is the process of learning that supports students in applying their knowledge and conceptual understanding to real-world problems or situations, and is more specifically defined as “learning through reflection on doing”.
Kolb’s (1984) cycle of experiential learning integrates the following components:

• Knowledge – where the concept, facts, and information are acquired through formal learning and past experience;
• Activity – where the application of knowledge to a real-world setting happens; and
• Reflection – where knowledge and activity are analyzed and synthesized by the student, in order to create new knowledge (Indiana University, 2006)