TI 0999 - Foundations in Experiential Learning

Course Description

Description

The Foundations in Experiential Learning (EL) Badge is comprised of three workshops and a capstone project for a cohort interested in exploring EL as a means to facilitate student collaboration and enhance engagement. Each workshop will provide tools and insights to help participants consider how the EL cycle and assessing student learning through critical reflection can fit into the EL activities they teach.

You will learn to:

• Identify an EL activity
• Generate a list of learning outcomes (LOs) that considers Kolb’s EL cycle
• Craft reflective prompts that consider Ash & Clayton's DEAL model
• Assemble an assessment assignment for their EL activity
• Employ some of the principles of authentic assessment to design or populate a rubric to discern student learning of the EL skills or competencies
• Utilize the tenets of critical reflection of EL to produce a brief video/audio/text-based reflection of their learning in this badge'

Sessions

EL Foundations I: Aligning Learning Outcomes with Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle

In Foundations I, participants will explore how to align EL learning outcomes (LO) with Kolb’s (1984) EL cycle. Starting with the general question of “How does the EL cycle differ from a more traditional learning cycle?” and moving into “What do I want students to know?” and “How do I want them to know it through an EL activity?”. Participants will be guided through the process of developing and aligning course learning outcomes with Kolb’s EL cycle. This workshop will show how meaningful EL starts with an understanding of the different phases of the EL cycle.

You will learn to:

• Define the four parts of Kolb’s experiential learning (EL) cycle
• Create or adapt learning objectives that consider Kolb’s EL cycle
• Identify, revise, or design an EL activity using course learning objectives and Kolb’s EL cycle.

EL Foundations II: Defining Critical Reflection and Designing Effective Reflection Prompts

In Foundations II, participants will generate critical reflection prompts according to Ash & Clayton’s (2009) DEAL model for student reflection. Effective critical reflection is the essential element for ensuring meaningful EL and provides a bridge between students doing something and students learning from that doing. In this workshop, participants will explore the DEAL Model for critical reflection which aligns reflection prompts to course learning outcomes. Examples of various critical reflection style assignments and rubrics will be reviewed to encourage participants to think about how to design their own critical reflection assignments that meet overall course or program objectives.

You will learn to:

• Differentiate reflective prompts according to Ash & Clayton's (2009) DEAL model for student reflection
• Generate reflective prompts relevant to your contexts using Ash & Clayton’s DEAL model
• Examine a variety of reflective style assignments
• Consider how to populate a reflection rubric for your teaching practice

EL Foundations III: Using Authentic Assessment in Experiential Learning

In Foundations III, participants will examine the principles of authentic assessment and determine some to apply to their EL activities. EL often emphasizes learning objectives (LO) like problem-based learning, metacognition, and collaboration. These outcomes require assessment methods that can discern how students have acquired the LO, the EL skills and competencies. In this workshop, participants will explore the principles of authentic assessment and apply some to their EL assessment plans for their classes or programs. Participants will also engage in hands-on exercises to develop or refine an assessment rubric for their own EL activities.

You will learn to:

• Define the principles of authentic assessment
• Describe these principles in relation to EL assessment in your context
• Design your own EL reflection rubric based on some key principles of authentic assessment that matter most to their context
• Articulate the value of applying authentic assessment principles to student reflection on EL

Capstone Project

Upon completing all three EL Foundations sessions, participants will create a critical reflection artefact of their learning across these three sessions, comprising the EL badge as text, video, or an audio recording equivalent to 150-250 words or 2-3 minutes audio media.

Criteria for Completion

• Registration and participation in all three sessions
• Completion of a capstone project

For questions about this program please contact: tiprograms@ucalgary.ca 

Please note: Registration will close within 1 week of the course start date. Participants will be contacted with relevant course information via email – as well as enrolled on D2L – once the course begins.