Experiential learning is a philosophy and methodology in which educators purposefully engage with students in direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills, and clarify values (Association for Experiential Education, para. 2). Experiential learning is also referred to as learning through action, learning by doing, learning through experience, and learning through discovery and exploration. Experiential learning is a philosophy and methodology in which educators purposefully engage with students in direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills, and clarify values (Association for Experiential Education, para. 2). Experiential learning is also referred to as learning through action, learning by doing, learning through experience, and learning through discovery and exploration.

 

 

Importance for Faculty and Students’ Learning

 

 

Following quotes wonderfully elaborate the significance of experiential learning:

I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.
Confucius, 450 BC

Tell me and I forget, Teach me and I remember, Involve me and I will learn.
Benjamin Franklin, 1750

There is an intimate and necessary relation between the process of actual experience and education.
John Dewey, 1938

 

Student Roles in Experiential Learning

 

Qualities of experiential learning are those in which students decide themselves to be personally involved in the learning experience (students are actively participating in their own learning and have a personal role in the direction of learning). Students are not completely left to teach themselves; however, the instructor assumes the role of guide and facilitates the learning process. The following list of student roles has been adapted from (UC-Davis, 2011 and Wurdinger & Carlson, 2010):

  1. Students will be involved in problems which are practical, social and personal.
  2. Students will be allowed freedom in the classroom as long as they make headway in the learning process.
  3. Students often will need to be involved with difficult and challenging situations while discovering.
  4. Students will self-evaluate their own progression or success in the learning process which becomes the primary means of assessment.
  5. Students will learn from the learning process and become open to change. This change includes less reliance on the instructor and more on fellow peers, the development of skills to investigate (research) and learn from an authentic experience, and the ability to objectively self-evaluate one’s performance.

 

Integrating Experiential Learning (EL) in Teaching

 

Primary role for instructors is to identify a situation which challenges students through problem-solving, cooperation, collaboration, self-discovery and self-reflection. At the same time, decide what the students should learn or gain from the learning experience. Below are some primary points to consider when integrating experiential learning in your own teaching:

Plan: Once the EL experience has been decided upon, plan the experience by tying it to the course learning objectives and determine what students will need to successfully complete the exercise

Prepare: After the planning has been completed, prepare materials, rubrics, and assessment tools and ensure that everything is ready before the experience begins.

Facilitate: As with most instructional strategies, the instructor should commence the experience. Instructor should refrain from providing students with all of the content, instead, guide students through the process of finding and determining solutions for themselves.

Evaluate: Success of an experiential learning activity can be determined during discussions, reflections and a debriefing session.

 

Experiential Learning Projects

 

 

In Course Experiential Learning & Presentation to Corporate Managers

 

Projects are given to the students based on the conceptual framework learned in a course. Students connect themselves in an organization and trace the practical processes and try to relate the theory with practice. Students work in a group for this exercise and draft work is reviewed by the faculty concerned and guidance is given to the students for exploring various aspects in further depth. Students make interim presentation in the class. Corporate Managers/Executives who supervised students in the project are also invited in the class for the final presentation to evaluate their project work. Students also learn from   cross company discussions which are held during the evaluation process.

 

Eureka Fair – Experiential Learning Projects

 

As part of the experiential learning system being incorporated at IoBM It is our pleasure to announce that the MBA students of Technology, Innovation & Strategy course have applied all their learnings into building tangible innovations. 17 such new product development prototypes have been developed. A display of the same under the title of “Eureka Fair” will be arranged to give a chance to our students to gain confidence in their innovation capabilities and motivate other students to do the same.

Muhammad Ekhlaque Ahmed the lead of Capstone Experiential Learning Project is invited as a guest adjudicator at the Eureka Fair and help in making this effort more productive. It will bring some meaningful insights from the industry and aid in building better academia-industry linkages. The Fair is due to be held on 23rd April 2016 from 10am – 1pm at the IoBM Korangi Creek Campus. A list of projects with their brief synopsis is below

 

Eureka Fair Exhibition – List of Projects

 

 

Section A Projects – Supervised by Ms. Juveria Baig

 

Project Title Key Features Industry Served
Witricity A device that transfers the power wirelessly at home, offices at any place where the wiring is installed. It will provide the facility to relax people from those tensions of improper wires, low quality wires, burnt, and short circuit as our new UPS and power pack will be free from wires as it will transfer power through electromagnetic waves with Receiver chip on appliances. Electrical Appliances / Home Power Management
Everee Everee helps the user rediscover the city they love. It is an application that turns a smartphone into an awesome discovery device to gives the user offline notifications as they roam around the city. The user gets to know about the most appetizing food places, the trendiest shopping stores and the most lively entertainment spots in the city. Entertainment / Discovery
Self Rescue Floating Device Assists a wearer to keep afloat in water. This device allows individuals to swim comfortably on their stomach and to float on their back. It will greatly increase users’ confidence and will be a life saver in case of drowning. The main function of this device is to break the barrier between compressed air chamber and its Surrounding chambers, thus the air will rush out and expand into floating device. Sports / Marine / Medical
Grow-Pen

Connect life to our general usage products. Focus is towards stationery and specially pencil. The pencil would look the same but it at the rear end of the pencil, below the rubber pad, a seed would be inserted. The purpose of inserting a seed inside a pencil is that when we are done with the pencil, rather than throwing it away, we plant it in our own garden or any nearby fertile place. This is how a pencil can give life to a tree.

 

Stationery / Arts & Crafts / Horticulture
U-Pass A university access card that encompasses all facilities that a student requires on and even off campus. This card will help in security checks, gaining access to buildings, mark attendance, borrow/return library books, purchase food at different food points on campus, trace medical record and much more. The card will also be used to pay tuition fees, transport fees, gain gym membership, ATM withdrawals etc. Hence, this card is one solution for all your university problems. Education / Entertainment
Green Thumbs A website and mobile app for people who seeks gardening solutions for their homes, offices, businesses, events etc. The website/app will also provide a platform for gardening enthusiasts to come together and work collaboratively in easy greening solutions for the urban dwellers in Karachi to start with and then other major urban cities in Pakistan. Horticulture
VBA VBA (Virtual Brand Ambassador) is an AI based personalized brand ambassador and shoppers’ assistant that can be used for in-store promotions and customer service. Advertising / Customer Service
Dopa-Me A wearable device that can elevate the mood of the wearer through safe electrical/sound impulses that would result in taking the user in a psychedelic state of awareness. This in turn will result in heightened awareness of surroundings and self and therefore in improved productivity, memory and attitude. Medical

 

Section Z Projects – Supervised by Mr. Abdul Basit

 

Project Title Key Features Industry Served
Electric and Power Peg Backup Charger A device that captures the energy given off by human body just by just walking or cycling, funneling and automatically volts into ones dead cell phone battery. It has the capability to bring the device back to life or extending talk-time/ usage time into the great beyond. The device will make use of the kinetic energy from the movement of one’s body. Through the system in the device the kinetic energy will be converted into mechanical energy. Their battery attached to the device will save that energy and that can be used to charge their devices. Medical / Pharmaceutical
Donation Website A donation website that make donation easier. U just have to go online and donate no need to visit camps. We will visit you and pick from your doorstep that needs to be delivered. Social Service.
Doctor Discoverer A portal which allows the user to find a doctor through a simple interface. It caters to the entire Karachi population who has access to internet. The website is easy to use and has a search option along with filters which would churn out the best possible results Medical
E-Aspirin This product is designed for patients suffering from chronic migraine, headaches, tooth ache, sinusitis or any other kind of pain in the facial area. It provides instant relief to all kinds of headaches by stimulating the SPG nerves with a minor shock. The device is almond sized and is surgically implanted beside the upper jaw. It comes with a remote control which, when placed on the same side of the face as the neurotransmitter device, cause it to pass the current. Medical / Pharmaceutical
Navigare GPS Smart Sole Navigare is the most ground-breaking product enabling GPS tracking technology in shoe soles, designed to help protect children from abduction considering the law and order situation of the country, also there is always a risk of children getting lost in public places as they tend to wander around. These innovative soles feature the latest GPS tracking technology embedded in the shoe soles with location coordinates sent to a central monitoring station. The premise of this technology is to provide you a map of where your loved one is at any time of the day through the mobile application. This can also be used for people suffering from Dementia, Alzheimer’s, Autism etc Security
Health AID App A health Aid App that consist of basic information related to disease its symptoms, its reason for occurrence, its prevention, diet plan for specific diseases and conditions, medicine plan etc. HEALTH CARE/  E-COMMERCE
Shafaaf (Filter Bottle) A large percentage of people who regularly drink bottled water assert that it is better than drinking tap water. The key job is to provide people with safe and clean drinking water anytime, anywhere by our filter mechanism fit for 1 Led in 1 liter handy bottle. That is people can fill tap water in the bottle and when the person drinks the water from the bottle the water will be purified through carbon filter fitted in straw. Health Environment Drinkware Drinking Water
Virtual ED An online educational app which will revolutionize how children learn at school. Instead of using traditional books and copies, all the educational material will be available in digital format Education
Virtual Clinic Develop a Virtual Clinic which may provide an Online platform to doctors where they will come online and interact with the patients and give them prescription via Skype. The Doctors shall provide their services from remote stations and we may have a compounder at Clinic who shall be educated with the basic information of medical equipment to perform as support for both patient and doctor. The idea is for the underdeveloped areas of city and specifically for the rural areas where having a doctor is a blessing. Medical