Faculty Perceptions and Use of Experiential Learning In Higher Education

Experiential learning is popular with students as it is considered more enjoyable and leads to deeper learning when compared to didactic approaches. Employers prefer hiring students who have learned experientially and yet emerging research indicates that the use of experiential learning in higher education institutions remains limited. This research surveyed faculty on their use of and views regarding experiential learning across US institutions focusing on undergraduate teaching. Findings indicated that dominant obstacles to using experiential approaches were classroom structure, class size is too large, not enough time, dif cult to cover all the curriculum, and faculty resistance. Findings and their implications for practice and future research are discussed.