An Analysis Of The Benefits Of Experiential Learning Within Business Schools

This paper explores two different frameworks for structuring experiential programs and their associated benefits within undergraduate and graduate programs at business schools and within their partnerships with companies. It includes an overview of Fry and Kolb’s experiential learning model and Collin’s cognitive apprenticeship model and how they pertain to business students’ learning styles. Examples of implementations in major areas of business are included to support the relevance of experiential learning and highlight the benefits to students. There is also a discussion related to internships and cognitive apprenticeship and their benefits to students. Finally, the paper concludes with a summation of the relevance of both experiential learning models and their positive impacts on students. Some of the benefits noted in this paper are that students perform better in real world environments, have better grades on assessments, and have a strong level of cognitive investment.