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Theory to Practice: Incorporating Experiential Learning Methods

11/18/2023

 
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I asked the personal GPT that I created in ChatGPT, based on the data in my PhD dissertation, the question you see above. The response from the GPT is valid and high-quality advice to university instructors who would like to increase the use of experiential and applied learning methods in their courses.

​Prompt:
Provide three steps a university instructor could take to improve student learning through the use of experiential or applied learning methods.
 
Personal GPT Response Based on My Dissertation:
Incorporating experiential or applied learning methods in a university setting can significantly enhance student learning. Drawing from the principles of experiential learning theory, especially as outlined in the document "Experiential Learning in Teams" by Kolb et al. (2005), here are three steps a university instructor could take:
 
1. Design Real-World Projects or Simulations: Develop assignments that mimic real-world challenges relevant to the course subject. For example, in a business course, students could be tasked with creating a business plan for a hypothetical start-up, conducting market research, and presenting their findings. This approach aligns with the experiential learning model by Kolb et al. (2005), which emphasizes learning through concrete experience and active experimentation. Students engage with the material actively and contextually, rather than just theoretically.
 
2. Facilitate Reflective Discussions and Feedback: After completing practical projects or simulations, conduct structured reflection sessions where students discuss their experiences, challenges faced, and lessons learned. This step is crucial for transforming concrete experiences into meaningful knowledge, as highlighted in Kolb et al.'s work (2005). Encouraging students to reflect on their experiences and provide peer feedback helps them to develop critical thinking and analytical skills. It also mirrors the reflective observation stage of Kolb's experiential learning cycle, enhancing their ability to absorb and contextualize their experiences.
 
3. Incorporate Diverse Team-Based Learning: Arrange students into diverse teams for certain projects or activities. This approach facilitates learning from different perspectives and capitalizes on varied strengths and learning styles within the group, as indicated in the Kolb et al. (2005) study. By working in teams, students can learn to negotiate, collaborate, and integrate diverse viewpoints. The instructor should guide these teams through structured learning experiences, as teamwork and collaboration are key components of experiential learning. This method aligns with the emphasis on team development and the learning cycle modes outlined in the experiential learning model.
 
These steps not only align with the principles of experiential learning theory but also address different stages of Kolb’s learning cycle, such as concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation, thus providing a holistic learning experience.
#ExperientialLearning #AppliedLearning #TheoryToPractice #PaulMcAfee #UniversityAtBuffalo 

My First GPT

11/16/2023

 
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Personal GPT by Dr Paul McAfee
This is an experiment. Thank you to Dr Maylyn Tan at the Singapore Institute of Management for opening my eyes to the potential to create a personal GPT using the newest feature of ChatGPT.

Please give this GPT a try and provide your thoughts:

https://chat.openai.com/g/g-BgpVm7CTW-experiential-learning-theory-to-practice

I uploaded my PhD dissertation, which is about experiential learning in higher education. The research took place at the Singapore campus of a large public American university. As part of this experiment, I included a few articles in the GPT that I referenced in the paper. It is in this area where I want to experiment more. Having the articles that informed my research and conclusions available to educators who are interested in the fields of experiential and applied learning will provide greater depth than just my dissertation could provide. 

I am not sure if you will need GPT-4 to use the personal GPT. If you cannot access it directly, please let me know.

My plan is to add content to this that will help master's and PhD level students of education understand the concepts and conclusions in my research. The theoretical framework of my research will inform the design of a study abroad trip to Singapore for students at the Buffalo, NY, campus of the State University of New York University at Buffalo.
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If this idea - personal GPTs for education - works, I can see myself building these for each of the courses I teach. I would use open education resource (OER) text material along with the explanations and insights I include in my classroom sessions. This could dramatically change the way I teach, giving easier and more extensive access to the foundational academic information to my students. I use project-base, team-based, experiential learning methods. These personal educational GPTs could allow more time to work on the projects and to mentor and coach the students in their teams.
#ChatGPT #GenerativeAI #ExperientialLearning #AppliedLearning #PersonalGPT #UniversitAtBuffalo

September 12th, 2023

9/12/2023

 
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Our University at Buffalo School of Management students in the Project Management course here at the Singapore Institute of Management campus are starting to work on their team-based, project-based activity. They will work in teams throughout the semester to apply formal project management processes for a real-life project.
This team is starting to plan a spring 2024 University at Buffalo study abroad program. I am organizing a three-week trip to Singapore to study Entrepreneurship after the spring semester ends. The undergraduate students will be from the schools and departments at the University at Buffalo campus in Amherst, New York.

The program learning goals, which currently are in draft form, will include:
Trip Learning Goals
On completing this summer course, students will be able to:
1. Synthesize learning from academic coursework, site visits, and cultural immersion activities, to reflect on personal and professional growth and to articulate the value of study abroad experiences for career development and global citizenship.
2. Develop cross-cultural competence and communication skills through interactions with residents, business professionals, and other members of the Singaporean community.
3. Critically evaluate the role of cultural stereotypes and biases in cross-cultural interactions and develop strategies for bridging cultural differences and building successful partnerships and collaborations.
4. Describe and compare the cultural norms and values of Singapore and the United States, including differences in communication styles, social etiquette, and cultural expectations.
5. Identify the key sectors of Singapore's economy, including finance, technology, manufacturing, and tourism, and assess the opportunities and challenges for American companies operating in these industries.

MGO 330 Entrepreneurship & Small Business Learning Goals
On completing this Entrepreneurship course, students will be able to:
1. Develop, compose, and interpret business plans.
2. Develop entrepreneurial instincts.
3. Refine communication and presentation skills.
4. Develop team skills.

Students in this photo have granted permission to share the photo.
​
​#ExperientialLearning #AppliedLearning #ProjectBasedLearning #Singapore #Entrepreneurship

Advice from one of the new AI gurus, Ethan Mollick, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

3/29/2023

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Advice from one of the new AI gurus, Ethan Mollick, from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

https://oneusefulthing.substack.com/p/how-to-use-ai-to-do-practical-stuff

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #ChatGPT #Chatbot #DALLE2 #TechnologyInTeaching #TippingPoint #DisruptiveInnovation #HigherEducation #AppliedLearning #OpenAI  #Bing #Microsoft #MicrosoftOffice #MicrosoftBing #Google #Bard #GPT4 #EthanMollick

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Image Source: https://oneusefulthing.substack.com/p/how-to-use-ai-to-do-practical-stuff
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Hannah Makes Me Smile - Project-Based Learning Benefits

6/28/2022

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Enjoy Hannah energy, and discover the benefits of applied learning in the form of Project-Based Learning.
Click the link for the video: https://vimeo.com/500466152/b6a3ecfa5f

Hannah makes me smile. She was in the first course that I taught. In 2012, I was teaching a Business Leadership course in Hanoi for Keuka College. 

Last year, I recorded Hannah talking about the benefits of experiential learning, especially Project-Based Learning, which is the method I used. Students worked in teams for the full semester to apply what I was teaching them. I asked some of my previous students if they would let me record interviews of them explaining the value they received from participating in my Project-Based Learning courses. At the time, I used these recordings to help my new University of North Carolina Asheville students understand why I was teaching them with these methods.

Hannah mentions a company she works for. It might be hard to hear. The company is Hyundai. Hannah also talks about the real estate investment business she started and continues to run.

#ProjectBasedLearning  #ExperientialLearning #Hanoi #KeukaCollege #UNC #UNCAsheville #UniversityOfNorthCarolina #StrategicManagement #Marketing #Leadership #AppliedLearning
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Skills Students Need - Importance of Experiential Learning

5/26/2022

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McKinsey: These are the skills you will need for the future of work. This graphic appears in the article on Page 3 as Exhibit 1.
My recent research has explored the contrasts between teaching using exclusively lectures and exams and teaching using experience associated with the material students are learning. This is important because I believe that students learn and remember what they do better than what they read, cram, and regurgitate on exams. I believe that students need to internalize what they are learning so that they will be able to apply this to their future lives and careers.

The broadest term for this is experiential learning. Governments globally have recognized that education should evolve to teach the skills and competencies students will need - in addition to teaching the basic academic content. Here are two examples:
  1. Canada establishes a Pan Canadian Global Competencies Framework for Education: http://www.ibe.unesco.org/en/news/canada-establishes-pan-canadian-global-competencies-framework-education
  2. 21st Century Competencies - Singapore Ministry of Education: https://www.moe.gov.sg/education-in-sg/21st-century-competencies

In 2021, McKinsey published an article listing 56 foundational skills students should develop to prepare for their lives and careers. The article, titled "McKinsey: These are the skills you will need for the future of work," is available online at https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/06/defining-the-skills-citizens-will-need-in-the-future-world-of-work/. The introduction states:
"To future-proof citizens’ ability to work, they will require new skills—but which ones? A survey of 18,000 people in 15 countries suggests those that governments may wish to prioritize."

As a teacher, I continuously search for ways to help my students develop at least some of these skills while they are learning the academic material in my courses. Students whose prior education comprised almost exclusively lectures and exams become frustrated with the activities that require them to develop and employ these skills. By the end of a semester, some students finally get what they were doing and benefit from their work. Sadly, many students are so resistant that they don't understand. Yet all of these students will enter the workforce, where they will need these skills.

Understand why you teach the way you do so that you can explain it to your students.

Tell your students why you teach the way you do.

#ExperientialLearning #21stCenturyCompetencies #SoftSkills

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Project-based learning in action

11/20/2021

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​Kolb, D. A. (2015). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. FT press.
​I am wading through a total of 71 lengthy end-of-semester analysis and reflection papers for my two UB Singapore MGO 403 Fundamentals of Strategic Management course sections. The reflection portion encourages my students to engage in the David Kolb (2015) Reflective Observation and Abstract Conceptualization stages of experiential learning. The other two stages are Active Experimentation and Concrete Experience. The students engaged in these all semester long by working in teams and a complex global strategic management simulation. Although there is a fair bit of flattery in this section of one student's paper, it is consistent with what many other students wrote in their reflection passages.

"MGO 403 has to be one of the most innovative courses that I have taken during my 4 year tenure in the University of Buffalo. While it still contains similar elements of various other courses that are related to management, such as a structured system of quizzes based on chapters from the textbook, it introduced the element of the BSG simulation which is something that can be applied to any real world management situation. Not only did it introduce elements of teamwork but it also gave us an avenue to deep dive into the inner workings of a company, which we had to make important decisions for, in the short run as well as the long run. Some of the other highlights from this course was the Plastico assignment which made us analyse the team structure, management and general problem solving aspects of business. The whole exercise was meant for us to understand and critically think about a simulated business environment, which could take place in any day to day operations of a business. The other highlight is also this individual assignment which makes us write about a company and the very real life problems faced by the same due to the Covid-19 pandemic."

​#ExperientialLearning #ProjectBasedLearning #UniversityAtBuffaloSingapore

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Recent UNC Asheville Graduate lydia nielsen Discusses the value of project-based-learning

9/30/2020

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University of North Carolina Asheville 2020 graduate Lydia Nielsen talks about the value of project-based learning with her marketing instructor, Paul McAfee.
Lydia Nielsen, a spring 2020 University of North Carolina management graduate, was on a Promotion Management marketing project team that produced an actionable Playbook with promotion recommendations for the local non-profit OM Sanctuary (https://omsanctuary.org/).

Since graduating, Lydia has used the Playbook she and her team created for job interviews. Listen as Lydia explains the value that Project-Based-Learning is bringing to her after graduation. Click here to listen to Lydia's story: ​vimeo.com/456229272

#unca #uncasheville #management #project-based-learning #pbl #experientiallearning #highereducation

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Education at a Crossroads

8/16/2020

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As an instructor in higher education, I have experience teaching seated, hybrid (online and seated), and online only courses. With online courses, I have taught asynchronous and synchronous classes. The difference is that synchronous online classes meet live and offer students the opportunity (if taught well) to interact with their instructors. Asynchronous courses do not meet live. Students watch videos, read posted links and materials, and take assessments. Give me a choice, and I will teach students in a classroom where we can truly interact. Currently, our choices as instructors are severely limited.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought higher education to a crossroads. The New York Times article linked below explains the challenges educators face. My personal view is that the changes that occur over the next year will affect the way we teach permanently, and importantly, the financial situation of colleges and universities. To reduce tuition for online courses will require dramatic reductions in fixed costs and ongoing operating costs. I teach capstone Strategic Management courses at several universities. This is the year when the effective application of Strategic Management principles will be critical to the survival of our higher education systems.

Here is the New York Times article:

As Colleges Move Classes Online, Families Rebel Against the Cost

"Schools face rising demands for tuition rebates, increased aid and leaves of absence as students ask if college is becoming 'glorified Skype.'"

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/15/us/covid-college-tuition.html


#highereducation #onlineeducation #tuition #educationcosts
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Image Source New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/15/us/covid-college-tuition.html
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"ICE: Foreign Students Must Leave The U.S. If Their Colleges Go Online-Only This Fall" (NPR)

7/7/2020

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This newly implemented requirement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may be one more financial nail in the coffin of many colleges and universities, at least if foreign students decide to drop out of their U.S. schools because they are not allowed to remain in the U.S. This could be an added financial stressor for schools.

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To the extent that students leave American campuses to return to their countries, this also will hurt the economies surrounding those campuses - lost rent, grocery spends, and incidental purchases.
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https://www.npr.org/…/ice-foreign-students-must-leave-the-u…

#education #highereducation #foreignstudents #college #university
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Source Getty Images, downloaded from https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/07/06/888026874/ice-foreign-students-must-leave-the-u-s-if-their-colleges-go-online-only-this-fa
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced a new set of rules for foreign students in light of the coronavirus pandemic. International students cannot enter or stay in the U.S. if their college offers courses only online in the fall semester.
Eva Hambach/AFP via Getty Images
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    Paul McAfee

    My experiential learning Activities blog includes examples from my international teaching experiences. The Research blog includes studies I have read and comments on others' research, as well as my own.

    Read about examples from my teaching college business courses in China, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam, relating to both experiential learning and project-based learning.

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