The efficacy of web-based teaching in experiential learning

Experiential learning is learning by doing and participating in activities that result in hands on approach to the transfer of knowledge. Experiential learning can be defined as a process by which the learner creates meaning from direct experience. Experiential-learning has been around for ages. It was one the first methods of educational instruction. Modern day experiential-learning theory has been mostly attributed to the works of John Dewey and David A. Kolb, but there have been contributions to the field made as far back as the French philosopher Rousseau in the early 19th century. (Kraft,1995). There are students who do not have the opportunity to participate in an off-campus internship or cooperative program due to various reasons, but there is an alternative option for students to enroll in an experiential-learning opportunity by registering for a course with an experiential-learning centered approach. The purpose of this paper is to determine the educational impact of experiential learning on the attitude and the performance of students in an "International Business unit". The paper presents a teaching model based on experiential learning in the "International Business" unit at undergraduate level. Preliminary analysis of 92 student evaluations determined the efficacy of experiential learning. To evaluate the cognitive (whether they learned from the experiential activity) and affective (did they like participating in this activity) impact on student learning. To evaluate the impact of experiential learning on ones own life.