Educational Technology

EDU 800 Week 1 Annotated Bibliography

Ilyas, S., Siddiquah, A., & Batool, T. (2023). Challenging factors in the practices of experiential learning for students’ professional development at higher education. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6(12), 1894-1904.

The researchers argue that learning is nurtured by the occurrence of experience that enables the student to create new knowledge and applies it in new settings with the assistance of experiential learning. The purpose of the article is to explore different perspectives of faculty members about the challenging factors in the practice of experiential learning for higher education students’ professional development. The researchers’ sole question was to identify those perspectives enabling them to identify trends to provide recommendations for future experiential learning applications. The main topics unveil the need for a conducive environment, the promotion of creative thinking, the need for self-assessment, the lack of communication, the lack of research exposure, and discouraging attitudes.

The scholarly article (confirming reliability) is a very useful source because it provides, perhaps the most relevant objective perspective regarding the practical application of Kolb’s experiential learning model (ELM). The goal of this source is two-fold, first informing students to keep experiential learning as their prior goal of education and utilize it in improving the essential skills needed for professionalism. Secondly, the research may also be beneficial for teachers in developing such activities and strategies in which the incorporation of experiential learning might be possible to enhance learning.

The article enlightened me and fits into my research because ELM is the primary model used in the U.S. Army and at The U.S. Army Inspector General School (TIGS) where I work. As the Quality Assurance (QA) Director for my institution, I am responsible to ensure the model’s implementation by staff and faculty as prescribed by the Army’s QA Program. Additionally, its compliance is an accreditation requirement to which we are inspected every three years. The research assists me in shaping my argument that will evaluate commandants and deputy commandants (leaders) of each Army formal school (37 in total) and measure their knowledge of experiential learning and its application. The research (even though a small sample size) will allow me to inform them of its findings and provide sound recommendations. For me, the article is just the tip of the iceberg to my exploration of the ELM towards the end-state of eventually becoming a novice subject matter expert.