The traditional boundaries of education are beginning to break down. The days when the teacher used to have the students sit in the straight rows and listen contently as she would lecture from her textbook and draw the occasional diagram on the board. We are moving from a time of text book learning, to resource based learning. Education is shifting from a period of formality to informality. Even more than ever before we will see students experiencing the material instead of memorizing it, then sharing their knowledge with their peers instead of handing in the exam to be marked. If this is what is occurring, what effects will this have on us as business educators? How and when will we be able to use experiential learning in Business Education? And finally, what benefits does that have for our students?
What is Experiential Learning?
Experiential Learning is, learning by experience. Lang and Evans (2006) suggests that “Experiential learning is an action strategy where the student is directly in touch with real things and people or is involved in activities that simulate real activities or people.” (P. 380) Students will come into contact with what it is that they are learning. “This learning occurs when students participate in the activity, critically look back on the activity to surface learning and feelings, draw useful insight from analysis, and learning is put to work in new situations. Lang and Evans (2006) (P. 380) For example, students are studying business plans in their Entrepreneurship 30 class and are told the sections that need to be completed and what is to be included in each of those sections. Finally, after the plan has been completed, most are presented to potential investors or the bank. There will be some level of understanding on the students’ side; however, it will not be the complete knowledge or full understanding that is needed. Experiential learning would suggest that you provide the students with the information needed, then have them design their own business plans followed by presentations, to community bankers and business people. After the activity has been completed, all of these students should be able to reflect on their experience and provide you with the knowledge gained. It is fair to say that experiential learning focuses more on the learner and is activity oriented. The Policies Commission for Business and Economic Education believes that “Business educators must implement effective instructional strategies to enable students to understand and apply global business concepts. Effective instructional strategies could include case studies, cooperative and individual research projects, guest speakers, role play, debates, simulations, surveys and critical thinking activities” Business Education Forum (2004). Five out of the nine suggested instructional strategies are experiential and active learning type of strategies. This suggests that we are focusing more on the experiential activities in order to get the curriculum across to the student. Overall “experiential learning can engage students in ways that are far superior to information delivered in lectures or read in the textbook.” Rader and Waggoner (P. 40)
The purposes for experiential education is two fold, students are coming into contact with what it is that is being studies therefore it is more meaningful to them. “It is reasonable to believe that higher order skills such and indeed intelligence, understanding and wisdom-develop through experience and reflection” Lang and Evans (2006) (P. 381) This being said schools should offer an increased amount of experiences in which their students will be likely to encounter in the real world.” Lee Lowery is a professor at Texas A&M University; he performed a study on traditional and team learning. What he found was that students excel better in team learning because it provides students with the opportunity to participate in active and experiential learning. Figure 1 shows the results of his findings. Notice that the traditional methods (reading and lecture) have a retention rate of 15%. Once you move to the middle of the spectrum (demonstration, discussion group, practice by doing and teaching others) the retention rates of the students are significantly higher. Students enjoy being involved in the curriculum material. They want to see it, and experience it. 
Figure <!–[if supportFields]> SEQ Figure \* ARABIC <![endif]–>1<!–[if supportFields]><![endif]–> Lowerey’s Findings
http://lowery.tamu.edu/teaming/morgan1/sld023.htm
The traditional methods of teaching such as lecture and reading are still needed in classrooms. There is no real experiential way to explain that debits are on the left and credits are on the right in accounting class; however, you can reinforce those points through simulations. Students will be able to remember much of the content after they have experienced it. The overall goal of education is to teach students, ensure that they understand and have them prepared for the next step of their lives. We must find the correct techniques to ensure that the content is understood.
Experiential learning is an essential component of all career and technical (business) education. Students must leave our business courses with the knowledge and skills that are directly transferable to either the business world or post secondary education. In some areas of the United States, real life learning has been used as a motivator for them to learn. Students become excited to put their knowledge to work.
How are we Able to Use Experiential Learning in Business Education?
How could experiential learning not be used in business education? We are in one of the most exciting subject areas full of flexibility and the ability to think creatively. Lang and Evans (2006) suggests that you could use activities such as games, manipulation of symbolic objects, conducting an experiment, making a model, creating an art object, making a product, writing, case study, fantasy, role playing, skit, improvisation, simulation, field project, field interview, field observation, field trip and work experience (P.385). These are all useful in the Saskatchewan business education classroom. As well as the eleven subjects Identified by the NBEA.
Simulations
One area that we as business teachers should be paying particular close attention to is simulations. Marcia Conner is a writer for Simulations and E-Games. According to her article and a recent IDC survey, by the year 2008 the use of simulations will quadruple. Simply a simulation is an instructional strategy that allows for learning through problem solving in a realistic environment. Students have to read, gather information, evaluate options, and make decisions, but they also have to implement the solution. McEwen (2003) “The use of performance-based simulation learning tools to educate the enterprise is growing rapidly due to the decisive success rates of specialized, interactive content that teaches leaders high-level business acumen in a real-world, risk-free setting.” Whitney (2004). The fact of the matter is that we are teaching students who will make mistakes. If we can provide them with an experience that they feel safe and comfortable in, one where they can make mistakes and it won’t affect a company we are succeeding. Simulations provide this. The student will gain the knowledge needed or set out for them to gain and if they make a mistake not a big deal they go back and correct it.
Role Playing
Role playing allows students to improvise behaviors and skills that illustrate specific business situations and get immediate feedback from the instructor. McEwen (2003) Other ways that teachers have been using active and experiential learning include Mark Lehman. He teaches internal control and fraud prevention through role play. He found that high school and introductory university textbooks provided only an introduction to the world of fraud and internal control. He took it upon himself to create this exercise. His lesson was published in the Business Education Forum in October 2001. The benefits of this activity were
“Students learn first hand the negative impact of fraud on business organizations. By applying internal control concepts to correct the weaknesses present in the candy company’s accounting system, students learn how fundamental internal control procedures are effective in preventing and detecting fraud. Second, students learn more about the role of the accountant in business today” Lehman 2001 (p.67)
Students are provided with different roles and are to commit various types of fraud throughout the role play. Some include a disgruntled warehouse manager who was recently passed up for a promotion and to get revenge he stole inventory. Another one includes a positive role, a trustworthy sales rep. They have not been instructed to steal candy or cash and are people of honesty. Among other numerous fraudulent roles.
Cooperative Education
Another way to exhibit experiential learning is through cooperative education. “Cooperative education experiences help students attain the knowledge, values, and skills necessary for success in the workplace and starts students on a journey of professional and intellectual development. “ Foley (2001) (P. 45) In Saskatchewan, accounting, entrepreneurship, and career and work exploration have a work study option connected to them. Bruce Foley wrote about creating a successful cooperative education program in the December 2001 issue of the Business Education Forum. He notes that cooperative education programs can be very hectic and time consuming however the students gain much from them. Involved in the Co-Op program is the teacher, student and the workplace mentor. The hardest part of the whole program is training the workplace mentor and meeting the student’s needs with the particular job. “Mismatching the student and a lack of mentor training can lead to a very negative experience for the student” Foley (2001). Mentioned above were what the students should get out of a cooperative education program but they should also be able to gain the “Value of intellectual and professional development”. (P.44)
In Rochester, New York they have the school to career mentoring initiative. This program is based on 5 major components recruitment, screening, training, matching and evaluation. (P. 44, 45) Students and school records are checked while at the same time mentors provide references. Once all that has been completed the mentors and students are sent to an orientation where expectations and guidelines are provided to them. Mentors and students are then matched based on interests, needs, and preferences. At the end the student is then evaluated on his/her performance.
Experiential Learning in Marketing
A business and marketing instructor at Desert Vista High School developed three experiential learning activities in his marketing class. One of them had to do with World Market Day. Students were to research and create a poster, develop a marketing plan, implement the marketing plan, open the business for a secret shopper so he or she can evaluate the business. What the students ended up doing was opening a restaurant and inviting administrators to come in and serve as customers and evaluators. Another activity had to do with ‘The Taste Challenge’. Students were engaged in a one week activity where they had to solve complex problems by implementing marketing principles and conducting their own market research. The students had selected two products for marketing research and developed a taste test and a survey as well as an analysis graph. The students had to have the teacher approve the items, they then set up a station and had students go around and try the items. The marketing students then collected their data and presented it to the class. The last activity that this teacher came up with was the Hospitality Project. It is a two-to four week project where students developed a fictional resort or hotel and had to market it. The campaign included the company name, hotel or resort name, target market, hotel or resort structure design, location; staffing/management; services offered; marketing mix; and pricing of rooms and services. They also made a physical structure of their hotel. They then presented them to their class. Overall, these projects increased students self esteem, enthusiasm, and interest in future careers of marketing. The projects increased the visibility of business education in the school and provoked interest from other students. Waggoner and Rader (2005)
Case Studies
Case studies are stories that have an educational message. McEwen (2003). A teacher in California decided that she would present the students with a case study that regarding a person who committed fraud. She then had the students develop an appeal, having them use the concepts that were taught to them in class. She then had a mock trial; she had some people that were witnesses, jurors, judge, bailiff, lawyers and court clerks. Each student was then given a role and were required to act throughout the mock trial. After the trial was finished students then had to write a reflection stating whether they agreed with the jury or not and why.
Games
It is virtually impossible not to find a game on business education. There are tons. Regardless of what you are looking for, there are games that cover every topic in business education. If you can’t find one, create one. There are some principles involved in gaming in order for it to be successful. Lang and Evans (2006) suggest the following principles.
· An activity for the game or role play is to be done to achieve a purpose or one or more learning activities.
· Active Involvement is needed if students are to learn the optimum amount from an activity.
· The activity needs to be followed by debriefing that focuses in the decisions made the effects of the decisions , and the effects of commitment for the future
· The process, to be most successful should foster commitment by individuals
These principles could be used for simulations and role playing as well.
Lang and Evans outlined numerous types of activities that could take place when using the experiential strategy. For the most part there proof has been provided that each of those can work in business education.
It is true that an experiential strategy causes more work in the areas of preparation however, as far as classroom teaching goes; most of your day is spent answering questions regarding the activity. Most of the concepts that you would like the students to learn have been presented to them either through the activity or before the activity is to be completed. A large amount of the teacher’s time will be spent on debriefing as well (what it is that you wanted the students to learn and highlighting of key points). Evaluation is a concern to some teachers who use experiential education, but, if you mark the work that was to be done or the reflections, your evaluation is solved.
Overall, experiential education is a more exciting way to teach subject matter. Students’ attention is retained, they are involved and there will be better understanding of the content. In some cases, real life learning is a motivator for some students, they will respond better when you contextualize content and allow them to experience it. Throughout, there have been many examples of when and how you could use this strategy in your classroom, and how it will affect the students. Business Education is an extremely flexible subject area open to many new and creative ideas. The more creative the teacher is, the more creative the student will be.
Tell me I will forget, Show me and I may remember, involve me and I will understand.
~Horace
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March 5, 2008 at 3:27 pm
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