The experiential education: beyond the classroom

Khoa Do
Curtin University of Technology

Keywords: study tour; assessment methodology; learning environment

The ongoing process of developing and improving the area of teaching, learning and assessment for universities is towards a healthy sustainable fostering of teaching and learning environments that enrich students and staff with meaningful experiences.

This paper will use a recent undergraduate research study tour program (REC: Research, Experience & Capture) to Malaysia; to discuss the significance of this specific teaching and learning method/environment. The discussion will focus on the sub theme of this conference: integrating learning, teaching and assessment, to enhance student learning.

The REC undergraduate research study tour program recognised the importance of identifying teaching and learning as two very distinct areas of focus that requires a particular level of detail with very specific needs to be identified and addressed. Therefore the design of the REC program identified:

1. Teaching: using Porth's three phrase model for designing and teaching study tour
2. Learning: applied learning theories (ways people learn)
3. Assessment: evaluating creativity in a research framework

The concept of the experiential education beyond the classroom is an invaluable teaching method and more importantly, this method provides a learning environment that fosters the galvanising of theory and practice. The learning experiences extend the theoretical framework being established in the classroom and knowledge (theories) is seen and applied in a physical context.

Knowledge (theory) is seen and applied, learning is direct, and feedback is customised.