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Experiential learning

Discover how to embed experiential learning into your curriculum.

What is experiential learning?

Experiential learning is an educational approach where students learn by doing and reflecting on their experiences. In practice, this means providing students with concrete experiences – such as projects, fieldwork, placements, simulations, or other active exercises – and guiding them to connect those experiences back to academic theory through discussion or reflection.

Originated by educational theorist David Kolb (1984), experiential learning describes a cyclical and iterative process comprising of four stages which relate to four abilities considered essential for effective learning:

  • 1. Concrete experience - engaging in a task or situation

    Learners engage in real or simulated activities relevant to the subject matter (e.g. conducting an experiment, executing a project, solving a case, or engaging with a community). Learning occurs through direct involvement in tasks that mirror real-world applications of knowledge.

  • 2. Reflective observation - thinking critically about the experience

    Learners take time to reflect on the experience, analysing what happened, why outcomes occurred, and how the experience relates to theoretical concepts. This could be through discussions, journals, presentations or debrief sessions. Such reflection should be guided so that learners are supported to derive general principles or abstract ideas from their concrete activities.

  • 3. Abstract conceptualisation - making sense of what happened using theory

    After reflecting, learners connect the experience to academic concepts or frameworks. They formulate or refine abstract ideas, hypotheses, or models – essentially drawing lessons or principles from the experience. This stage links the practical with the theoretical, reinforcing understanding of course content in context.

  • 4. Active experimentation - applying new insights into future situations

    Learners are then encouraged to apply their new insights or test out their refined ideas in another context or future scenario. This might mean tackling a new problem, adjusting their approach in the next project, or iterating on their work. This iterative aspect ensures the learning is ongoing and dynamic (often described as the “experiential learning cycle”).

Why use experiental learning?

Because students actively practise what they are learning and see its relevance, this approach can help to:

  • deepen students’ understanding and improve knowledge retention
  • develop transferable skills like problem-solving and collaboration
  • boost engagement and retention
  • support reflective practice and develop lifelong learning.

Strategies for implementing experiential learning

Successful experiential learning requires designing an academically rigorous and structured learning experience that is also flexible enough to allow students to explore. Below are some implementation strategies and tips, along with references to further guidance and examples:

  • Start with clear objectives and alignment

    Begin by identifying the specific learning outcomes you want students to meet and then design an activity or experience that naturally aligns with those outcomes. Ask yourself: “What real-world experience would best teach or reinforce these concepts?”

    Ensure the experiential task is relevant to the course content by explicitly connecting the activity to academic theory in your instructions or later debrief.

    Remember, the experience should be a vehicle for learning the intended content/skills, not an add-on. Designing with a clear purpose also means you’ll have a sound basis for assessment, should you choose.

  • Integrate reflection throughout

    Build in structured opportunities for students to reflect on their experience before, during, and after the activity. This could take many forms including class discussions, reflection journals, debrief worksheets, short reflective essays, or even creative formats like blogs or video diaries.

    Encourage students to analyse what happened, why it happened, and how it connects to course themes or theories. You could do this by introducing students to Kolb’s experiential learning model, which will give students a clear structure and help them understand your pedagogical approach.

    Building such reflection into an assessment (e.g as part of a portfolio assignment), can help to motivate serious reflection and gives insight into each student’s learning. Remember that reflection also helps students process any emotional or interpersonal aspects of the experience, which is important for challenging or novel activities.

  • Provide support and preparation

    Ensure that students are prepared to succeed in the experiential activity. Prior to the activity, this might involve:

    • scaffolding the activity, bearing in mind that first-year students might need more structure (step-by-step instructions, narrower scope), whereas final-year students can handle more ambiguity and independence
    • teaching specific skills beforehand, such as research methods before a field project or communication strategies before engaging with external partners
    • clarifying expectations and roles, such as guidance on professionalism and collaboration 
    • engaging with partners (e.g. employers or community organisations) well in advance to ensure logistics and mutual expectations are agreed well in advance
    • preparing the context for the activity which could include ensuring equipment is available and working, scheduling a site visit
    • anticipating challenges, for example by undertaking a trail run and planning contingencies (e.g. if weather ruins a field trip or a partner withdraws).

    • During the activity, your role is facilitator and coach. When faced with complex projects or open-ended problems students might feel uncertain so provide guidance through check-in meetings, scaffolding resources, or interim feedback to keep them on track without hand-holding the entire way.

    • If assessing the activity, ensure students know from the start how their experiential work will be assessed.

  • Consider whether/how to assess experiential learning

    Plan how you will assess student learning from the experience. Common approaches include reflective essays, portfolios, project reports, presentations, or performances/demonstrations of skills. For more examples, see guidance on authentic assessment approaches, through which students demonstrate their learning in ways that are meaningful and applicable outside academic contexts.

    Consider assessing the process as well as the product; for example, part of the grade could come from peer evaluations of teamwork or the quality of participation in discussions. 

    If the experience is extensive (like a work placement or major project), you might scaffold assessment with multiple checkpoints (e.g. proposal, progress report, final deliverable, reflection).

  • Encourage collaboration and active participation

    Most experiential learning designs leverage social learning – students working in teams or with others.

    When implementing group-based experiential projects:

    • be intentional about group formation (e.g consider how to ensure diversity of thought and experience)
    • set roles or guidelines to promote equitable participation (perhaps rotating roles in a project team, or using peer evaluation as part of grading)
    • brief students on effective teamwork and provide tools for collaboration (like shared documents or lab space).

     

    For in-class activities:

    • break students into small groups for manageability, and consider simulations or role-plays to drive engagement (see, for example, this World Café approach which uses a role-play of a professional discussion and actively involved every student in problem-solving dialogue)
    • if some students are hesitant to take part (common in active learning), you might assign specific tasks to each (note-taker, presenter, etc.) or highlight that effort and participation are valued over “getting it right.” The goal is to get everyone doing something and learning from each other
    • consider virtual experiential learning options like online simulations, virtual field trips, or remote industry projects – these can still embody learning-by-doing, just in a digital format.
  • Take advantage of institutional resources and examples

    There is lots of support available.

    Careers, Employability and Entrepreneurship:

     

    Educational Enhancement:

    • ask your Academic Developer for advice on curriculum design and delivery
    • review our support and guidance pages for more insights into a range of experiential teaching and assessments models
    • explore Learning Matters for examples of great practice from across the institution.
  • Start small and iterate

    If you’re new to experiential teaching, you don’t need to overhaul an entire course or module at once. You can start with a small experiential activity or a single module component and see how it goes. For example, you might add a one-day field trip, a week-long mini project, or a simulation exercise within a traditional lecture course.

    Piloting activities on a small scale will let you work out the kinks. Gather feedback from students – what did they enjoy or learn the most? What was confusing or challenging? – and use that to refine the experience for next time.

    Also, share your experiences with colleagues; you might find collaborators to do cross-department experiential projects or simply get moral support and ideas.

Further resources

Experiential learning case studies

References and additional reading

See more from Teaching methods