Encouraging the development of higher-level study skills using an experiential learning framework

High school students often complain of boredom and are disengaged from learning. This qualitative action research study sought to make improvements in teachers' understanding of Kolb's experiential learning cycle, in particular, opportunities for student reflection, and how to increase usage of both constructs in high school classrooms to engage students and increase their agency. Participants involved in this research study were high school teachers in a public Massachusetts high school. This study was conducted in two cycles. During Cycle 1, research participants consented to interviews and focus groups centered around their level of understanding and pedagogical practices surrounding the experiential learning cycle and reflection. Action steps were designed, implemented, and evaluated in Cycle 2 to provide professional growth for the teachers involved, to ultimately impact their use of the experiential learning cycle in their classroom practice. To learn about the experiential learning cycle the educators themselves took part in three one-hour professional development sessions that mimicked the experiential learning cycle, representing an immersive approach to this professional development. Evaluating these Cycle 2 action steps consisted of member checking, classroom observations, writing analytic memos, and the coding of transcripts of interviews that took place at the conclusion of the Cycle. Findings included that teachers felt a greater understanding and appreciation of and for the experiential learning cycle, particularly reflection, and had a greater facility with implementing the constructs into their pedagogical practices. Implications for the organization were as follows: approximately 10-20% of the institution's teaching staff had greater awareness of how to integrate the experiential learning cycle into their daily lessons, thereby engaging students more meaningfully and increasing their agency. Additionally, teachers who participated in this study worked collaboratively and across disciplines to create sustainable change in their institution.--Author's abstract

IntroductionPeople experiencing homelessness (PEH) have poorer health than housed people but face barriers accessing care and being involved in research. As an often‐ignored group, their contribution to help shape research that is for and about them is essential, as it can strengthen the research proposal, in turn facilitating research and outcomes that are relevant to this vulnerable group.MethodsSix people with experience of homelessness attended a PPI consultation aided by Pathway, a UK homeless peer advocacy charity, which coordinates an ‘Experts by Experience’ group. We present reflections on conducting PPI with PEH that informed the development of a physiotherapy research proposal. Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle guided reflections across four stages: (1) describing the PPI experience; (2) reviewing and reflecting on the PPI experience; (3) learning from the PPI experience; and (4) planning and trying out learning.ResultsReflections highlighted the importance of: working closely with an advocacy organisation and leader to reach under‐served people; the diversity of experiences; using familiar venues, contingency and budget planning; flexibility and ‘allowing time; talking less; listening more’; planning for early and ongoing PPI, and the potential of mobile ‘one‐off’ PPI outreach models to reach vulnerable groups.ConclusionKolb's Experiential Learning Cycle aided team reflection on feedback from PEH, which helped refine and strengthen a physiotherapy research proposal. The project was unfunded. However, a reflective model helped maximize learning and impact including for future PPI and research. The novel application of Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle provided structure, facilitated reflection and enhanced individual and collective learning and may benefit capturing learning from PPI with other vulnerable populations.Patient or Public ContributionWe highlight how a PPI consultation with people with experience of homelessness helped shape a funding proposal. Additionally, the reflections of the experts by experience team leader are included.

This chapter critically explores the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into legal education through the lenses of critical pedagogy, experiential learning theory, and human-computer interaction. It argues that AI must not be treated as a neutral tool for enhancing efficiency but instead aligned with values of justice, equity, and democratic participation. Drawing on Freire's critical pedagogy and Kolb's experiential learning cycle, this chapter examines how AI can support interactive and student-centered legal education through simulations, intelligent tutoring systems, and adaptive assessment. It also highlights risks, such as algorithmic bias, epistemic injustice, and over-reliance on opaque systems developed without educator oversight. This chapter advocates participatory design, algorithmic transparency, and inclusive implementation strategies. It concludes by advancing practical recommendations for educators, curriculum designers, and policymakers to ensure that AI is deployed in ways that foster experiential, equitable, and justice-oriented legal education.

Traditional pedagogical models in undergraduate business education often face challenges in effectively bridging the gap between academic theory and real-world professional practice. This article examines the increasingly significant role of subject competitions—such as business case analyses, marketing challenges, and entrepreneurial startup contests—as a high-impact experiential learning tool. It posits that these competitions are not merely extracurricular activities but essential components of a modern, dynamic business curriculum. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of how these competitions cultivate a synergistic blend of hard and soft skills crucial for graduate employability. It explores the development of analytical, financial modeling, and strategic planning skills, alongside critical soft competencies including teamwork, leadership, communication, and resilience under pressure. Furthermore, the article proposes a structured framework for the formal integration of competitions into the business curriculum, addressing potential challenges such as resource allocation, faculty workload, and ensuring equitable student access. The proposed model emphasizes faculty mentorship, process-oriented assessment rubrics, and co-curricular support systems to maximize learning outcomes over the singular goal of winning. By mapping the mechanics of competitions to established learning theories, such as Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle, this paper argues for a paradigm shift where subject competitions are recognized as a core pedagogical strategy. The findings suggest that such integration can significantly enhance student engagement, deepen theoretical understanding, and produce graduates who are better prepared for the complexities of the contemporary global business environment. This article offers valuable insights for academic administrators, faculty, and curriculum designers seeking to innovate business education.

<p class="p1" style="margin-bottom: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size:16px;margin-bottom: 0px; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">This study addresses the gap between higher education apparel programs and industry requirements for fashion professionals. Recognizing a lack of soft skills and technical design proficiency in graduates, the research introduces a reflective component within a hands-on consulting project with a small retail business. Following Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle, the study emphasizes all four stages of transformative knowledge acquisition. The consulting project focused on proposing product expansions for a small retailer and incorporated visits, analyses, and interviews. Reflective journal entries guided students through comprehensive reflection processes. The project's effectiveness was evident in improved soft and technical skills, increased confidence in product development, and enhanced knowledge in collection development processes. The findings suggest that structuring active learning projects according to the experiential learning cycle, with reflective practices, contributes to closing the knowledge and skills gap between academia and industry, fostering students' industry readiness.</span>

ABSTRACTWithin the Information Systems domain, employers are often dissatisfied with graduates’ competence of the necessary technical skills in the area of integrated business processes. However, teaching complex concepts related to integrated business processes—such as the 5S lean philosophy—is particularly challenging. In this article, we describe how Kolb's experiential learning cycle was used to design a direct‐experience project to support students’ learning of the 5S lean philosophy. We also share the results of our inquiry into the effectiveness of the project in maximizing students’ learning of and ability to apply the 5S lean philosophy. Based on the results of this study, students’ knowledge of categories of waste and lean tools and knowledge of 5S steps significantly increased.

Effective doctor-patient communication is fundamental to safe, high-quality health care and is a core competency across undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. Communication skills training (CST) has traditionally relied on workforce-intensive methods such as role-play and standardized patient encounters, which face increasing pressure from rising student numbers, constrained faculty capacity, and growing clinical workloads. Digital technologies offer scalable, flexible alternatives, yet the extent, educational design, and strength of evidence supporting digital CST remain unclear. This study aimed to comprehensively map the digital technologies used for CST in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, examine the reported outcomes in the context of educational theory, and identify gaps relevant for future research and clinical practice. This scoping review followed Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and is reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. Four electronic databases (Medline, Embase, CINAHL, ERIC) were searched from inception to January 5, 2026. Eligible studies examined any digital technology used to support active, 2-way CST for undergraduate or postgraduate medical learners. Passive learning approaches were excluded. Data were synthesized descriptively. To support structured interpretation of heterogeneous outcomes, interventions were mapped to Kolb's experiential learning cycle to examine learning processes and to Kirkpatrick's evaluation model to assess depth of educational and translational impact. A total of 11,179 records were identified, of which 121 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most studies were published within the past decade (92/121, 76%) and were conducted in North America and Europe (93/121, 76.9%), with 58.7% (71/121) of studies focusing on undergraduate learners. Recording-based tools (51/121, 41.8%), live stream platforms (33/121, 27%), and virtual patient simulators (32/121, 26.2%) were the most used digital technologies. General communication and history taking was the most frequent topic taught. Only 28.1% (34/121) of studies used validated objective outcome measures. Educationally, digital interventions overwhelmingly supported early stages of experiential learning (120/121, 99.2%), with almost no progression to abstract conceptualization or active experimentation. Outcome evaluation was similarly limited in depth; most studies assessed outcomes at Kirkpatrick Levels 1 and 2. Few studies evaluated behavior change in clinical practice (6/121, 5%) or patient-level outcomes (1/121, 0.8%). A small but growing subset of studies incorporated artificial intelligence, primarily within virtual patient simulators, showing promising but methodologically limited evidence. Although digital CST interventions show promise for supporting early-stage learning outcomes, the evidence is constrained by weak study designs, inconsistent use of validated measures, and minimal real-world evaluation. Current technologies support only initial phases of experiential learning, with no evidence of progression to competency development or translation into improved patient care. For educators investing in digital CST, these technologies should be integrated thoughtfully within broader curricula rather than treated as standalone solutions, accompanied by evaluation extending to clinical outcomes. Future research that prioritizes robust comparative designs evaluating whether digital training meaningfully improves clinical communication and patient care is warranted.

The course "Art Education for Preschool Children" is integral to preschool education, essential for developing the comprehensive skills of future educators. However, current teaching models often reveal gaps between theory and practice, limited student engagement, and inadequate development of core competencies. This study introduces a curriculum reform framework grounded in John Dewey's "learning by doing" and David Kolb's experiential learning cycle theories to address these issues. The framework aims to enhance pre-service teachers' artistic literacy, practical teaching skills, reflective abilities, and innovation. It comprises a tripartite experiential learning system: "art form experience—children's artistic behavior experience—art education process experience." A progressive teaching model, emphasizing "learning by doing, reflecting while learning, and innovating through reflection," is implemented via diverse methods, including scenario simulations, field observations, and reflective journals. Moreover, a reformed, multifaceted evaluation system prioritizes process-oriented assessment to comprehensively and dynamically assess students' learning outcomes and competency growth. The findings demonstrate that this reform initiative effectively bolsters students' learning initiative, facilitates the translation of theoretical knowledge into practical skills, and significantly enhances pre-service teachers' core competencies. This study not only delineates a systematic reform trajectory for the "Art Education for Preschool Children" course but also furnishes valuable insights for pedagogical innovation in other practice-oriented teacher education programs.

PurposeResearch on the nature of blended learning and its features has led to a variety of approaches to the practice of blended learning. The purpose of this paper is to provide an alternative practice model, the TSOI hybrid learning model (HLM) to enhance the blended learning experiences in science education.Design/methodology/approachThe Piagetian science learning cycle model and Kolb's experiential learning cycle model are used to structure the theoretical framework of this model. This HLM which is research evidence‐based represents learning as a cognitive process in a cycle of four phases: Translating, Sculpting, Operationalizing and Integrating. A major feature is to promote active cognitive processing in the learner for meaningful and engaged learning proceeding from inductive to deductive and also addressing the learner's individual learning style. Thus, it is inclined towards constructivism.FindingsThe paper provides students' responses in terms of blog and wiki.Practical implicationsAn application of this HLM to enhance blended learning experiences in science education is illustrated with an authentic example on understanding multimedia learning design in an e‐learning environment for pre‐service teachers. Outcomes, feedback and implications will be discussed in the context of blended learning in science education.Originality/valueThe HLM contributes as an alternative practice model to a new paradigm shift in designing and enhancing blended learning experiences.

Effective clinical teaching is essential in physician education, yet faculty members rarely receive formal training in clinical teaching. Formal models for training clinical educators are often tedious and require significant time and effort. Instinctive clinical teaching allows clinicians to seamlessly integrate and promote effective teaching into their clinical practice. The approach is guided by similarities between the components of Kolb's experiential learning cycle-concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation-and the elements of the patient care process-history and physical, initial assessment, differential, hypothesis, final diagnosis, management, and follow-up. Externalization of these clinical thought processes allows for inclusion of learners and promotes effective clinical teaching.

Family caregiving for dementia patients is a challenging task, with profound effects on caregivers' physical and mental well-being. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of Kolb's experiential learning theory on the caregiving burden and psychological status of caregivers for dementia patients. This study enrolled 110 caregivers of nursing dementia patients. These caregivers were divided into two groups: a control group (n = 55) and an intervention group (n = 55). The control group received routine care, while the intervention group received nursing based on Kolb's experiential learning theory in addition to routine care. Changes in caregiving burden and psychological status were compared between the two groups before and after the intervention. The results showed that after the intervention, the intervention group's caregivers had significantly lower scores on the caregiver burden inventory dimensions and total score compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Additionally, the intervention group's self-assessment scores on the self-rating anxiety scale and self-rating depression scale were also lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05). Kolb's experiential learning theory has a positive impact on alleviating the caregiving burden and reducing anxiety and depression among family caregivers of dementia patients.

Agro-based Food Handling and Processing is a fundamental course in the Diploma in Agropreneurship (AT113), equipping students with food handling and processing and entrepreneurial skills. One of the key assessments requires students to develop a food product innovation project. However, students often struggle to fully develop and complete assessments aligned with academic and industry needs due to inconsistent guidance, time constraints, limited documentation, and a lack of student initiative. To address these challenges, this paper explores the integration of a progressive guidance and task framework of the food product innovation project into the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) AGB296 Agro-based Food Handling and Processing course through the UFUTURE platform. The framework’s structure aligns with the course topics (introduction, harvesting, post-harvest handling, food preservation, processing techniques, packaging, and branding), allowing students to apply theoretical knowledge and hands-on skills in line with Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle. The progressive framework consists of five key stages: S1: Product Idea Development; S2: Raw Material Exploration; S3: Handling and Processing Activities; S4: Product Features, Uniqueness, and SDG Alignment; and S5: Packaging and Marketing Strategies. Each stage is supported with clear video guidelines, progress-based activities, and a reflective feedback mechanism that facilitates continuous interaction between students and the lecturer. The MOOC platform provides structured guidance, flexibility, and equitable access to feedback, offering a more effective and engaging alternative to traditional classroom assessment. This approach enhances the quality of student learning and innovation by mirroring real world product development processes, thereby preparing students to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of the food industry and agropreneurial development.

Clinical experiences provide an opportunity for nursing students to integrate theoretical knowledge into practice, and analyze their learning using a theoretical model. Students do not take this opportunity unless it is intentionally included by the facilitators. These observations from the second cohort of medical surgical nursing students with their facilitators, regarding their clinical training period in selected sub-specialties at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) aimed at developing students' analytical and observational skills while developing clinical skills. The study involved nine medical surgical nursing students who were in different subspecialties at CHUK from 7th January up to the 20th February, 2019. Informed observational approach and concomitant reporting were used to validate their learning and gain clinical experience. The students used Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory to analyze their experience, with the focus on innovative skills. All medical surgical nursing students reported that they improved their knowledge and skills during clinical practice, while broadening their outlook. Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory is useful in validating and bridging theoretical learning to clinical practice.

The study examined Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory through a psychometric analysis and revision of Honey and Mumford's Learning Style Questionnaire (LSQ) using a sample of 185 middle/senior managers in the UK and Eire. Kolb's theoretical two bipolar-dimension orthogonal structure emerges, although it is made up of pairs that are not Kolb's configurative opposites but ones suggested by other scholars. The authors' principal finding is that no single measure can bear the weight of all of Kolb's constructs. The revision of the LSQ supports two psychometrically sound, orthogonally related, bipolar-style dimensions. Indirectly, this construct can give rise to four descriptions, based on their quadrants, that Kolb usefully treats as types. Unrelated to any measure is a four-stage process that the authors define as an ideal dynamic schema.

This integrative research review aims to examine the application of Kolb’s theory of experiential learning through the use of simulations within virtual learning environments. It will first cover the framework of experiential learning as stated by Kolb, a learning theory that is finding new life within the context of simulations, role-playing games (RPGs), massive multiplayer role playing games (MMORPGs) and virtual environments. This analysis was conducted by making use of combined research strategies that focused specifically on both qualitative and quantitative reviews that utilized Kolb’s experiential theory of learning (ELT) within the context of the application of computer based simulations in virtual environments used to facilitate learning. The review was guided by three principle questions: From the year 2000 to 2016, which research studies that examine the use of simulations to facilitate learning, use experiential learning theory as its foundational theoretical approach? Of the works that were selected, which studies were computer based simulations in virtual environments and demonstrated firm connections between Kolb’s ELT and the results of the study? And lastly, within the final group of studies identified what patterns emerge through the application of Kolb’s ELT within the context of computer based simulations in virtual environments?