An Experiential Learning Essay Text

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Experiential education describes a didactic model which is based on the assumption that only a direct and practical examination of the learning content allows for a effective and meaningful learning. David kolb’s ‘experiential learning cycle’ is a concept within this approach which describes the ideal relation between experience and future action. According to this model learning is a circular process with the subsequent elements: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualisation and active experimentation. This essay is aimed at reflecting my personal process of learning, acquisition of skills and career development in a specific learning situation that i experienced throughout the unit ‘human resource development’ hrd during semester 2, 2009 at swinburne university of technology.

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It follows the elements of the experiental learning cycle in order to evaluate my ideas and learn about further actions. I met my facilitation partner andrew in front of the library for our first meeting. Since it was a windy and cool day he suggested to look for a warmer place where we could discuss our ideas. I agreed and followed him to an empty class room in the en building where we sat at a table together. The sound of the booted up laptop was a relief for me because it was the sign that we could actually begin with our work. We started to brainstorm different topics which were eligible for our facilitation session.

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Andrew described all of his ideas in detail and he used a lot of english or specific australian expressions i did not know. But nonetheless, i did not want to ask him every single time i did not know a word because i thought he might be annoyed. After having collected a few ideas on a sheet of paper, we went over the list again in order to make a decision for a topic. For me it seemed clear that we were going to pick the behavioral interview topic but andrew wanted to evaluate all the other ideas as well. That was why we balanced a few reasons for and against various themes and we both expressed our personal opinion. But whereas i always clearly stated which idea i like and which one not, i did not really understand andrew’s point of view because he found positive aspects about every single topic. After a while i said in order to start with an acutal session plan, we should make a decision soon.

Although he seemed a bit irritated he agreed and we finally worked out to pick the behavioural interview topic. I had a look on my watch and noticed that i had to go to a class in five minutes. We decided to collect quickly some tasks that had to be done for the facilitation session and divided these tasks. After that we arranged another meeting for the following week and then i had to hurry up to my other class leaving andrew behind in the room. In thinking back on the meeting, i started to realize to what extent my behaviour and reactions had an impact on this situation. Due to the fact that i was feeling cold in our meeting room i did not take off my jacket and fold my arms around myself. For andrew this type of body language probably looked like i would be uneased or introverted.

In addition i did not bring my laptop with me which might have also seem to him like i am uninterested or i do not want to play a part in our meeting. I also considered my discomfort concerning the language barrier to have an influence on the meeting. Resulting from that i lost the plot several times during our conversation which is why i could not give andrew appropriate feedback to everything he said.

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Moreover, i think that our discussion was heavily influenced by our different way of decision making and accordingly by our manner to express our personal opinion. Maybe i was a little bit too brisk in bringing our meeting forth? should i have given andrew some more time to think about his personal view instead of calling for a fast decision? in thinking back of the situation, i really feel like our communication was disturbed at that moment. In addition to that i feel like my lack of time at the end of the meeting caused even more discrepancy.

Since i did not tell andrew in advance that i had a class immediately after our meeting he was most likely surprised about my sudden rush. It might have been better for our group work to leave the room together or even go and have a coffee together so that we could get to know each other on a more personal basis. Excerpt out of 13 pages scroll top the experiential learning essay is an option by which students may petition to receive credit for college level learning gained through adult experiences which have occurred outside of the formal classroom. The 8 12 page essay demonstrates acquired theoretical knowledge and its practical application as measured against a parallel college course. Essays are assessed on campus by content area, expert evaluators, who also are instructors for the parallel course. Students provide letters of validation for their experience and demonstrate in essay form the learning acquired in keeping with the kolb model for experiential learning.

The kolb’s model requires students to identify their concrete experiences, make observations and reflections, identify college level theory and principles from the literature, and explain evidence of application or transfer of learning. Before composing the essay, students will need to obtain authorization from their academic counselor, the director of prior learning assessment, and a faculty evaluator. Direct any questions you have regarding the approval process to the director of prior learning assessment at 414 410 4092 or [email protected].

For information about assessment standards, documentation requirements, writing instructions, pla fees and due dates, download the experiential learning essay institutional handbook. If you want to write an experiential essay to be evaluated toward elective, interdisciplinary or general education course credit, view the list of approved experiential learning essay topics and their sub topics below. Select the topic that you’d like to write about, and you’ll find the sub topics that are required for each essay. The essay descriptions listed below could duplicate the courses indicated and/or any other coursework completed. Please contact [email protected] to verify there is no duplication with your chosen topic before writing an essay. Essay topics must be submitted within 90 days of topic approval to qualify. the personal experience used in writing the essays must have occurred after high school or after the date a ged certificate was granted.

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University of phoenix wants to help you earn credits for your expertise and life experience. By completing an experiential essay on an approved topic, you may be able to earn college credits that can be applied to a bachelor’s or associate degree. Specific university and state credit limitations may exist for the prior learning assessment pla. Before you begin, please contact your academic advisor to confirm credits can be satisfied with an experiential learning essay.

    select an approved topic from our experiential essay list essays must be written and submitted in our essay template and follow these guidelines: they must be written in the first person.