Abstracts Business

Experiential learning once more : the role of non-credit academic activities in international business education

by Erkan Kocas

Extensive research has proven that integrating experiential learning techniques with traditional teaching methods improves student learning, success, and outcomes in higher education institutions (Derous & Ryan, 2008; Dolan & Stevens, 2006; Eyler, 2009; Kuh & Ikenberry, 2009; McCarthy & McCarthy, 2006; Pierson & Troppe, 2010). The proven success of these methods has inspired many fields to introduce experiential learning activities. As a result, international business education has also become a field that benefits from teaching through experience (Hagan, 2012). Many researchers have studied the impact of these methods in international business education, mostly focusing on classrooms and other for-credit activities. However, the studies on the effects of experiential learning in non-credit academic activities (NCAAs) have been limited in the past. To situate my research in this space, I expand the examination of NCAAs and study former students who have participated in an NCAA during their college enrollment. I enrich the study with my experiences and offer a detailed profile of the aforementioned NCAA. My research seeks to understand the role of experiential learning in non-credit academic settings and examine student perceptions about what they believe they have learned as international business skills. To accomplish this, I used Kolb's experiential learning theory as a framework that also guided data coding, interview questions to former students, and further analysis. Five themes were identified from the analysis of the interviews: learning through experience, impactful experiential learning activities, personal development and self-confidence, employment, and learning international business. In this work, I offer my findings categorized under these five themes, an extensive profile of the NCAA I studied, my analysis and discussion of the research findings, my recommendations, and implications for future research.