Experiential Methods

14 Pages Posted: 21 Oct 2008

See all articles by James G. Clawson

James G. Clawson

University of Virginia - Darden School of Business

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Abstract

This note introduces the concept of experiential methods in teaching. Intended primarily for a doctoral seminar on pedagogy, the note would also be appropriate for instructors wishing to examine their teaching style or to use experiential methods in their teaching.

Excerpt

UVA-PHA-0052

EXPERIENTIAL METHODS

Experiential teaching methods are those that rely on data generated during the exercise/learning experience rather than on data prepared in advance as with lectures and cases. Experiential methods engage students in experiences that simulate or approximate social phenomena that occur elsewhere. They include games such as “Starpower,” “Gazogle” (UVA-OM-0887M), “Global Markets” (UVA-OB-0356), “Sub-Arctic Survival,” and the “Organization Game” as well as computer simulations like “Markstrat,” “Cogitate,” and “Wise.” Those and other exercises are available worldwide for instructors to purchase and use.

By engaging students in simulations of business situations, experiential methods generate their own data rather than using data already collected by someone else. Unlike case method, where the case provides the relevant information, and unlike the lecture, where the instructor provides the information, experiential methods establish a platform for students to generate their own information, analyze, and use it. What you analyze and learns from is not the written introduction to the exercise, but what happens in the exercise itself. In this sense, the increasingly common outdoor exercises (often called “ropes courses” because many include rappelling or rope-bridge construction and use, etc.) also fit into the category of experiential exercises. As you use an experiential method over and over again, you will begin to see common patterns of events and will be able to anticipate what the data might be, but for the participant, the experience is usually a fresh one; the events of the exercise are not captured anywhere except in the participant's observations.

. . .

Keywords: pedagogy, diversity in the classroom, diversity issues

Suggested Citation

Clawson, James G., Experiential Methods. Darden Case No. UVA-PHA-0052, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1283346 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1283346

James G. Clawson (Contact Author)

University of Virginia - Darden School of Business ( email )

P.O. Box 6550
Charlottesville, VA 22906-6550
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.darden.virginia.edu/faculty/clawson.htm

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
40
Abstract Views
673
PlumX Metrics