ARTICLE ON KOLBE'S EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING MODEL

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JULY 15, 2013

Applying the Kolb Experiential Learning Model (ELM) to Distance Learning

By: Eric T. Moore in Online Education

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I began my teaching career as a resident (classroom) instructor teaching Army officers about leadership. My teaching techniques are based on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model (ELM) that involves the following steps: (1) Concrete Experience, (2) Publish and Process, (3) Generalize New Information, (4) Apply, and (5) Develop.ⁱ ELM, which has worked very well for me in the classroom, directly emphasizes that adults learn when they:

• Discover for themselves
• Take responsibility for their learning
• Have a venue to receive experience and feedback
• Understand why the lesson is beneficial to their personal and/or professional livesⁱⁱ

When I retired from the military and transitioned to distance learning instruction, I wondered if it was possible to apply Kolb’s ELM to an online curriculum and still facilitate a valuable adult learning environment for 32 geographically dispersed students. Here are some techniques that I currently use to apply Kolb’s ELM in online teaching.

In my distance learning class, we meet routinely online every two weeks. During each synchronous session, the students will usually brief a practical exercise that they have developed together since the previous session.

1. Concrete Experience: After listening to the previous practical exercise and providing feedback, I take time to introduce the next lesson through the use of a specific experience. The Concrete Experience Step personally involves students in the lesson and demonstrates the potential value. I present open-ended questions or conduct a brief exercise that allows each student to enter the affective domain (growth in feelings or emotional areas)ⁱⁱⁱ through personal involvement and interaction with classmates.
2. Publish and Process: Before ending this online session, we move to the Publish and Process Step where I obtain their reaction and ask them what they have learned from the open-ended question or exercise related to the upcoming lesson (Concrete Experience). This allows the students to potentially see the importance of the material that they are going to study over the next two weeks. Remember both the Concrete Experience and Publish and Process Steps occur before the students have actually reviewed the upcoming lesson. If this is relatively new material or a number of students lack existing experience, I may begin the Generalize New Information Step (lecture, demonstration, etc.) and provide recommendations for specific study. I’ll provide practical exercise guidance, review upcoming assignment instructions, and answer any questions before ending the session.
3. Generalize New Information: During the next two weeks, the students are now responsible for reviewing the lesson material. This officially begins the Generalize New Information Step and is where students will enter the cognitive domain^iv . Instead of classroom lecture and demonstration, students use computer-based instruction, assigned readings, and case studies found on Blackboard, our learning management system. I am always available through e-mail, phone, or Defense Connect On-line (DCO), which is the Department of Defense’s online chat and web conferencing service. However, the responsibility is with the student to review and learn the material.The next two steps can be delayed or conducted sequentially based on delivery methodology or specific lesson block learning objectives.
4. Apply: After the students review the material, we move to the Apply Step (or assessment). The students will collaborate via e-mail, telephone, or DCO and complete a practical exercise that measures their ability to accomplish the learning objective. I am still available to provide further guidance and assistance, however, they are now applying what they have learned to gain experience or improve upon existing experience. To support and reinforce the practical exercise preparation, I post discussion board questions to quickly conduct a “check on student learning” and allow students to further share ideas and interact with each other and me. Further, in addition to large group practical exercises and discussion board questions, I use a number of other venues such as individual and group writing assignments, small group presentations, tactical simulations, etc. After two weeks, we come back together online and the students continue with the Apply Step by presenting their practical exercise or briefing. As required, I may revisit the Generalize New Information Step (lecture, demonstration, socratic questions^v , etc.) to highlight any major points the students do not fully understand.
5. Develop: After the presentation, I now use the Develop Step to inquire as to how students feel they can use this material in the future and its value to their professional and/or personal lives. I provide verbal feedback immediately and written feedback later in the week.

In sum, with student-centered learning and instructor involvement, I found I am able to apply the Kolb ELM model to an online course that fully facilitates a valuable adult learning environment.

LTC (Retired) Eric T. Moore is currently an Interdisciplinary Distributed Learning Instructor for the Advanced Operations Course (AOC), Department of Distance Education, U.S. Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS.

References:
ⁱ Adjunct Faculty Guide for Faculty Development Phase 1 (FDP1) Tutorials and Practicums, U.S. Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS.

ⁱⁱ Adjunct Faculty Guide for Faculty Development Phase 1 (FDP1) Tutorials and Practicums, U.S. Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS.

ⁱⁱⁱ Clark, Don. ‘Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Domains’. Retrieved [March 21, 2013] fromhttp://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html

^iv Clark, Don. ‘Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Domains’. Retrieved [March 21, 2013] fromhttp://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html

^v Adjunct Faculty Guide for Faculty Development Phase 1 (FDP1) Tutorials and Practicums, U.S. Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS and Changing Minds.org. Socratic Questions. Retrieved [May 23, 2013] fromhttp://changingminds.org/techniques/questioning/socratic_questions.htm

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The ICCD (International Center for Clubhouse Development) Clubhouse Model is a day treatment program for rehabilitating adults diagnosed with a mental health problem. The goal of the program is to contribute to the recovery of individuals through use of a therapeutic environment that includes responsibilities within the Clubhouse (e.g., clerical duties, reception, food service, transportation, financial services), as well as through outside employment, education, meaningful relationships, housing, and an overall improved quality of life. Individuals who participate in the Clubhouse are called "members." Fundamental elements of their participation include openness and choice in type of work activities, choice in staff, and a lifetime right of reentry and access to all Clubhouse services.
Each individual is welcomed, wanted, needed, and expected each day and is considered a critical part of a community engaged in important work. A core component of the program is the "work-ordered day," the structure around which daily activity is organized. The day-to-day operation of the Clubhouse is the responsibility of members and staff, who work side by side in a rehabilitative environment. Other core components include transitional, supported, and independent employment through which members can secure jobs at prevailing wages in the wider community; access to community support, such as housing and medical services; assistance in accessing educational resources; "reach-out" to maintain contact with all active members; participation in program decisionmaking and governance; and evening, weekend, and holiday social programs.
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Descriptive Information

Areas of Interest	Mental health treatment Co-occurring disorders
Outcomes	1: Employment 2: Quality of life 3: Perceived recovery from a mental health problem
Outcome Categories	Employment Quality of life Treatment/recovery
Ages	18-25 (Young adult) 26-55 (Adult) 55+ (Older adult)
Genders	Male Female
Races/Ethnicities	American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Black or African American Hispanic or Latino White Race/ethnicity unspecified
Settings	Other community settings
Geographic Locations	Urban Suburban Rural and/or frontier
Implementation History	The first Clubhouse, Fountain House in New York City, began in 1948 when former patients of a New York psychiatric hospital began to meet informally. The "club" they organized was intended to be a support system for people diagnosed with mental illness rather than a treatment program. The ICCD Clubhouse Model has been implemented in urban, suburban, and rural areas with a wide variety of ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic groups. Serving approximately 55,000 individuals annually, more than 300 Clubhouses operate in the United States and throughout the world, in countries such as Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kosovo, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, and Uganda. (The International Clubhouse Directory can be accessed at http://iccd.org/search_form.php Clubhouses are supported and coordinated internationally through the ICCD, formed in 1994. The ICCD coordinates training and ongoing technical support on the model through 10 international training bases and maintains both an international certification process and international standards for Clubhouse programs.
NIH Funding/CER Studies	Partially/fully funded by National Institutes of Health: Yes Evaluated in comparative effectiveness research studies: Yes
Adaptations	Materials are available in eight languages other than English: Chinese, Finnish, German, Hebrew, Korean, Polish, Russian, and Spanish. In addition, the ICCD Clubhouse Model has been adapted for individuals diagnosed with traumatic brain injury.
Adverse Effects	No adverse effects, concerns, or unintended consequences were identified by the developer.
IOM Prevention Categories	IOM prevention categories are not applicable.

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