Facilitating Experiential Learning in Higher Education

Roland Tormey is a teacher and researcher in learning sciences and leads the Teaching Support Centre at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland.Siara Isaac is a teaching advisor at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland.Cécile Hardebolle is a teaching advisor and learning scientist at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland.Ingrid Le Duc is a teaching advisor at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and teaches university pedagogy at the University of Bern, Switzerland.

"There is mounting evidence that experiential learning is essential to fostering deep — and more intrinsically motivated — learning. In this book, the authors provide a practical advice for optimizing experiential learning and maximizing students’ ownership of learning. The advice is evidence based and grounded in research. A must read for anyone who is interested in improving education!"-Eric Mazur, Balkanski Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, and Dean of Applied Physics, Harvard University, USA"This book is a rare gem that brings together a research-informed approach and practical examples from a range of subject areas to support the development of teaching in practical settings. Its powerful focus on how teachers can enable students to develop expertise provides an excellent grounding for engaging and effective approaches to teaching."-Paul Ashwin, associate editor of the journal Higher Education and Department Head, Educational Research department, Lancaster University, United Kingdom"This book really stands out amidst the many that already aim to support an improvement of teaching and learning in higher education. It does this through an incredible combination of highly up to date research evidence that is both conceptually and theoretically grounded - linking this powerfully to very practical advice for how to foster learning in the important but challenging settings of hands-on and practical educational experiences."-Jenni Case, Department Head and Professor, Department of Engineering Education, Virginia Tech, USA"This is a really useful book. With an equal emphasis on practical teaching ideas and on research-evidence, this book is an invaluable resource to improve teaching in hands-on settings without completely restructuring the whole course."-Pierre Dillenbourg, Associate Vice President for Education, EPFL, professor in the School of Computer and Communication Sciences, and past-president of the International Society of the Learning Sciences"This is a book of its time, and for its time. A great read for anyone looking for ideas to inform their higher education teaching in practical settings."-Christine Broughan, Deputy Faculty Pro-Vice Chancellor Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University

• PART I 1. Introduction 2. How Students Develop Disciplinary Expertise 3. What Students Learn from Labs, Studios, Projects, and Fieldwork PART II 4. Teaching, Not Telling: Using Questions 5. Providing Feedback on Students’ Practical Work 6. Explaining and Demonstrating to Students in Practical Settings 7. Managing Relationships with a Class PART III 8. Research Findings about the Thinking that Gives Rise to Learning 9. Research Findings about the Contexts of Learning 10. Becoming a Better Teacher for Practical Settings