Learning is centred on the experience of the student. Designed tasks should be relevant and appropriate to your students and their individual contexts. Chapman, et al (1995) defines six characteristics that define an experiential learning activity:

Consider these characteristics when designing experiential activities to ensure that tasks address each of the stages of the cycle. This will provide a stable experience for learners to engage with, along with opportunities for reflection in order to construct new ideas and apply them in practice.

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) promotes an environment where theoretical and practical skills are applied in a real-world context. Learners are expected to facilitate, collaborate and implement a solution to a problem based on prior knowledge and experiences. The scenarios are guided by an educator but provide a level of ambiguity so that learners build connections between the task and wider environment. Students engage iteratively through a diverse range of activities to collaborate, discuss and learn in a personalised way (Paniagua & Istance, 2018).

Service-based learning addresses the genuine needs of the community. With this approach, learners carry out tasks that not only provide a service in the community, but also have an impact on their own learning. For example, this could include working with local charities to manage the conception, promotion and running of events. Alternatively, the institution could act as the community - with students leading on projects to address innovative challenges to benefit colleagues and peers.

Experiences outside of the classroom provide valuable opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in practice. Internships and other work-based experiences allow learners to integrate their academic studies with work in their chosen field. Bandura (1991) highlights the impact of internships and work experience on a learner’s self-efficacy. Incorporating experiential learning into the curriculum in this manner has also been shown to impact heavily on the students’ knowledge and satisfaction (Patricia & McCarthy, 2006).