Integrative Journal of Nursing and Health
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ISSN: 2641-3248
Research Article
Integrative Journal of Nursing and Health
Restructuring a Course using Kolb’s Learning Theory
Cornelius ST*
Blair College of Health, Queens University of Charlotte, USA
*
Correspondence: Sheryl Thompson Cornelius, Blair College of Health, Queens University of Charlotte, 1900
Selwyn Ave, USA, Tel: 704-437-0745; E-mail: scornelius123@gmail.com
Received: February 21, 2019; Accepted: April 02, 2019; Published: April 08, 2019
Abstract
The purpose of this article is to chronicle the restructuring of an online graduate level course using Kolb’s
Experiential Learning Theory. The goal was to increase student satisfaction in the approach to the course, create an
engaging environment, structure the assignments to meet the outcomes of the course and have the students retain
the information longer after course finish. Through student evaluations and faculty commentary the restructuring
was a success with positive feedback. The results for student satisfactions were overwhelmingly positive for the
changes to the course. The students felt the assignments kept in the course were effective in meeting the outcomes
of the course. Of the 50 respondents answering the question: “Were the assignments in the course an effective
modality to meet the course outcomes?” 49% strongly agreed, 45% agreed, 2% were neutral, and 4% disagreed. The
change increased faculty and student engagement and allowed the student to feel more connected to the topic.
Future studies that follow this will be to determine if the material is retained over a longer period of time based on
the structure of the course utilizing the Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory.
Keywords: Kolb’s experiential learning theory, Online, Graduate, Restructure, Student satisfaction
Introduction current issues. Though the content was being taught and
the objectives were being met, the course did not appear
Most educators have a dream that their students will to have any cohesiveness and each assignment could
leave their course with a satisfaction of their approach stand alone. There was more of a pedagogical approach
and maybe even a new found passion for the content, but modeling Piaget. Students queried about the content
all educators want their students to retain the content. several semesters later could not deliver any specifics of
Kolb’s Experiential Learning theory has proven beneficial the course content nor the assignments they produced.
in allowing them to learn the material at a deeper level There wasn’t any scaffolding of material or connection
and to retain the material regardless of their opinion on between the first few weeks and the last few weeks of
the topic [1]. This article will chronicle the process used to the course. A decision was made to revise the course to
restructure a course to include the four stages of Kolb’s create a progression of content so the student may learn
Experiential Learning theory in an online Masters of from previous units and complete a loop of learning of
Science in nursing program. the content.
When this course was created and later revised to fit
an online format the traditional assignments were all
there; the reflection paper, the asynchronous discussion
forums, and the content involving the experts of the
Int J Nur Health, 2(1): 77-81 (2019) 77Literature Review on action helps the student to build meaning from the
process of reflection by allowing a time frame of change
Kolb’s experiential learning theory in the thinking on what has been included in the initial
“Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created stage [6]. Some learning strategies for this stage are
through the transformation of experience” [1]. brainstorming, discussions, logs, journaling, or other
reflective writing [7].
According to Kolb’s experiential learning theory,
knowledge is constructed in four main stages. These Kolb’s third stage is abstract conceptualization- thinking.
stages include concrete learning, reflective observation, Abstract conceptualization involves interpreting what has
abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. been viewed and reflected upon. In this stage the student
These stages are often shortened to reflect Feeling, interprets the events and begins to understand the
Watching, Thinking, and Doing respectively. Kolb’s theory relationships within the content. For this stage, educators
requires that the student identify, distinguish, and often utilize projects, model building, model critiquing, or
recognize an aspect of knowledge and then put it to paper writing. The learner is making that step to the next
construction by completing the learning process with his level of understanding by making comparisons to what
cycle of four stages. Working through all four of these they have done and what they have reflected upon [8].
stages allows the student to transform the knowledge
into a mental model by experiencing the stages [2]. The Finally, Kolb’s fourth stage is active experimentation
student’s experience with the content in the various -doing. The student needs to be able to take what they
stages in turn embeds the knowledge and increases the have learned and utilize it in a new way. Educators
retention of the material. Students who feel a satisfaction should encourage independent discovery in this stage by
in the knowledge have connected it to a relevant aspect allowing them to take what they have learned and link it
of their education and subsequently can recall the to a passion or view they have that is pertinent. Students
information for a longer period of time [3]. need creative outlets to be able to accomplish this stage.
Concrete learning is the first stage of Kolb’s theory- Although there is research to show that students have
feeling. This involves learning a new experience or an affinity to one stage or another depending on their
learning a new way of viewing an experience. Adult learning style, Kolb’s theory posits that optimal learning
learners are exposed to knowledge in many different takes place when learners have a balance of abilities in all
ways and some students falsely bring what they think four of these stages [2]. The model is illustrated in figure
about the topic to the table. Regardless of whether the 1.
student believes they have prior knowledge or not, the
content has not been presented to the students in this
manner; so upfront work must be completed to ensure
the base of knowledge is available for the student to
build upon. Students need to learn the initial content
the way the professor wishes to present it to dispel any
poor impressions early on. A foundation can be built with
lecture, readings, films, simulations, or problem sets. A
student cannot be asked to reflect upon or abstract a
concept they have not been exposed to so this concrete
learning stage is imperative [4].
The second stage is reflective observation- watching.
Figure 1: Kolb’s Four Stages of Learning.
Once the student has a foundation they should be able to
observe the content at work and begin to reflect on how Methodology
it will affect the bigger picture. Meaningful learning is an
iterative process requiring reflection [5]. Students must In this restructuring, a literature review was performed
have time to reflect on the material being presented in to consider the pedagogical approaches available for this
order to build connections to previous experiences and type of content and the way students learn in an online
construct meaning in what they have learned. Reflection environment. Student evaluations were reviewed for the
Int J Nur Health, 2(1): 77-81 (2019) 78courses past several semesters. In addition, faculties globally. They begin to realize there is not always a right
teaching other courses in the program were gathered or wrong to an issue. Doody and Condon [10] stated in
to discuss pros and cons of different teaching styles and their study that the most important rationale for utilizing
to submit anecdotally any suggestions from their own debate as a teaching-learning tool is that “debates help to
courses or students. Kolb’s Experiential Learning was stimulate critical thinking by shaking students free from
chosen to meet the needs of the course and to assist established opinions and helping them to appreciate the
in retention of the material for a longer period of time. complexities involved in practice”.
After the course was revised it was evaluated by student
participants and received positive evaluations. The The third stage is abstract conceptualization. New
restructured course increased student engagement and ideas are formed. The student is asked to reflect on
faculty satisfaction with the course. the experience of searching a legislative site and what
they have learned on a personal basis. In this course
How we structured the new course the student was asked to write a reflective paper about
the experience showcasing at least three examples of
The first stage of Kolb’s theory is concrete learning
a change in thinking on the topic. They were asked to
which is a new experience or a new way of viewing an
identify stakeholders, evaluate the policy, and make
experience. In the masters’ level health policy course,
recommendations based on healthcare implications.
the content is new for most participants. Though all
Utilizing the actual policies being created at the time of
students are in healthcare, they are often in the clinical
the course added to the student’s knowledge of current
setting where patient care is their primary focus. They are
legislation and how to navigate the system stating
often not exposed to the topic of health policy outside
government policies that impacted healthcare providers
of their current facility policy and procedure and have
in their area [11].
no knowledge of how they can impact health policy on a
local, regional, or national level. This introduction to the
Finally, the fourth stage is active experimentation. In
content is brought out by having them exposed to the
this stage the student will apply the new ideas to their
laws and regulations first through readings from the text,
surroundings to see if any modifications are needed in
lecture and similar content, then through their exposure
their views. Students were asked to write a policy brief
to the local government through specific internet sites.
that identified advantages of a multistate regulation for
The websites are posted in the course for reading. This
advanced practice nurses to be fictitiously presented
background knowledge allows them the foundation for
to a local senator. The pedagogical rationale for the
the course and a basis for the next stage.
assignment was to prepare students for professional
communication and to be able to summarize materials
The second stage is reflective observation. One of their
into concise key points. This assignment fed into Kolb’s
first assignments is to delve into the state legislature
learning cycle stage four active experimentation because
and find an issue they are passionate about. For some,
they were able to take what they have learned and
the simple knowledge of knowing where they can look
reflected upon and create a product that was solely their
to find a current bill and have access to the process is
own. They were able to “actively experiment” with the
a new concept. Allowing them the choice of topic adds
material without the pressure of it being high stakes as
to the motivation to learn more. Adult learners need to
in an employment situation. DeNisco & Barker discussed
feel what they are learning is pragmatic and problem
the role of the advanced professional in becoming a
centered so by allowing them the choice they feel more
change agent in health policy, providing support for the
passionate about the topic [9]. Through discussion of their
value of this assignment [12].
findings with their peers and observing the bill’s process
in legislation they are exposed to a new level of health
Having those in the field working with the patients is the
policy that they may not have had knowledge of prior to
most beneficial for the success of the policy; therefore, a
the course. They see the process and begin to observe
graduate prepared healthcare provider will be expected
how a bill is pushed through or held up in session.
to increase awareness of and provide analysis of policy
briefs on multi state legislation. The theory is cyclic so with
To further the development of this stage they are asked
the completion of the active experimentation the student
to read a transcript of a debate on a current healthcare
should be looking for more areas of concrete learning
issue. By seeing both sides of the issue through the eyes
to begin the cycle again. By completing the entire cycle
of experts; the student reflects upon the issue more
Int J Nur Health, 1(1): 35-41 (2018) 79within this course it is more likely the student will retain assignments in the course led to satisfaction with meeting
the material longer and at a deeper level. the outcomes of the course and positive evaluations from
students.
Sample population
Limitations to the study
Institutional Review Board approval was obtained
prior to the beginning of the study. Student contacts Although the study spanned five cohorts of the course
were identified for the five semesters of online graduate the sample was small at 50 participants and was based
students who had completed the health policy course. on only one course in an online masters of science in
Each student was sent an emailed invitation to participate nursing program. Future studies will include multiple
in the survey on satisfaction of methods utilized in the courses to identify a wider range of data. A larger number
course to achieve outcomes. Fifty students voluntarily over multiple colleges would identify significance across
responded out of 88 invitations after a second email and disciplines.
two-week period of returns. The data collection process
was achieved by using the online survey system- Survey Implications for the program
Monkey.
Utilizing this method appears to be more in line with
students learning styles in the profession of nursing.
Results
Nurses are by nature more “hands on” and learn primarily
The results for student satisfaction were at the application level and above in reference to Bloom’s
overwhelmingly positive for the changes to the course. taxonomy. By scaffolding the assignments in the course
The students felt the assignments kept in the course in the measure of Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory the
were effective in meeting the outcomes of the course. Of students were allowed to experience the work instead
the 50 respondents answering the question: “Were the of just hearing the content or watching a video. Faculty
assignments in the course an effective modality to meet also reported being able to clearly see the growth in the
the course outcomes?” student throughout the course.
The comments from participants included (Table 1): Recommendations for future studies
For future research it was identified that taking this
Table 1: Student evaluations post course.
process a step further and surveying the students on the
*I really liked everything about this course, all of the content later in the program would ensure the retention
material and assignments facilitated learning and has portion of the theory is indeed accurate with the content
provided a means for continued involvement. that is laid out in this manner.
*I enjoyed learning via different kinds of assignments
that had me “hands on”. Conclusion
*My classmates and I were excited to share our
experiences and thoughts during the course. Based on the satisfaction surveys and the student
*The format made it easier for us to tackle an evaluations, the course changes were deemed a success.
“intricate and complex” course. The faculty found that for future episodes of course
*The variety of assignments were good to broaden creation/revision this purposeful connection to Kolb’s
thoughts and experiences. Theory would be beneficial. It is expected to be utilized
* I found the mini policy analysis assignment easier in other courses for congruence across the curriculum.
to complete because the prior assignment that broke
down and identified the policy sections. With multi-generational classrooms and a largely
*I really liked the variety of hands on assignments. millennial workforce this “hands on” approach is obviously
I was not just reading but DOING something. beneficial to the students. The positive evaluations from
students have also included an increase in engagement
Discussion in the course which is always beneficial in an online
environment.
The results were consistent with the literature review
of the like studies and supported the theory. Allowing the
student to work through the steps of Kolb’s Experiential
Learning Theory in an intentional creation of stepped
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Copyright: © Cornelius ST. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of
the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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