Foundations of Experiential Education

This document grew out of conversations on the mission of NSEE that took place at a strategic planning meeting of the NSEE Board of Directors in March of 1997. An ad hoc committee of board members (Gail Albert, Art Chickering, Janet Eyler, Freyda Lazarus, Keith Morton, and Ed Zlotkowski) and staff (Mark Andrew Clark and Holly Ivel) formed and drafted this document that we hope describes the common ground on which NSEE members, and so the organization, stand. We lead off with definitions, and then signal key arenas which provide supporting theoretical frameworks and research results. Basic components and processes of experiential education, practical payoffs for persons and for institutions, and implications for practice follow. We close by addressing some myths and misconceptions, and some questions often raised by others not yet well informed about or experienced with experiential education and experiential learning. [KM]