Experiential Learning

At colleges and universities students are primarily exposed to academic learning. That is, they expand their knowledge through courses. In the United States, so much emphasis is placed on this type of learning that people often do not consider another important type of learning: experiential learning.


It doesn’t take any research to understand that experiential learning is learning based on experience. It occurs when an individual interacts with the surrounding environment, reflects about that interaction, and internalizes the meaning he or she takes from the situation. As this process requires an active learner, certain stipulations must be met by him/her. (1) The learner must be willing to be actively involved in the experience, (2) the learner must be able to reflect on the experience, (3) the learner must possess and use analytical skills to conceptualize the experience, and (4) the learner must possess decision making and problem solving skills in order to use the new ideas gained from experience (via Wikipedia).

The role of a college’s career development office is to promote experiential learning. In doing so, students can receive a dynamic education based on experience and academics. At Grinnell’s CDO, we emphasize the importance of internships for gaining experience. As consistent with the process described above, when students secure grinnellink internships or internship funding from the College, we ask that they not only keep a journal but also provide us with a reflection of their whole experience when they return to campus. As a result, students are encouraged to actively process their internship experiences. Hypothetically, students who come from Grinnell College will possess the skills necessary for the experiential learning process.

Why is experiential learning important? First of all, certain life truisms can only be learned through experience. For example, how can one learn proper conduct in an office environment without being exposed to it? Or, learning how to deal with unreasonable bosses or employees must derive from actual experience in which you were exposed to such people. This also applies to areas outside of the professional sphere including developing relationships (see what Freud and Kohlberg say about attachment), managing money, etc. Secondly, experiential learning can engage students in ways that other learning methods cannot. The process of experiential learning is predicated on creating an environment that the learner enjoys and will therefore be committed to learning from. Thus, experiential learning creates happy learners. Thirdly, experiential learning allows individuals to apply and to better understand concepts they learn through academics. In a way, it calls for the application of theory to practice. This is incredibly important at liberal arts colleges like Grinnell, where courses teach fluid skills, not crystallized knowledge.

In sum experiential learning is incredibly beneficial. All people engage in it at some point in their lives, but starting earlier is ideal. If you haven’t already, consider looking for an internship or some other opportunity for experiential learning. You will probably learn a lot from it.