How to Design Experiential Learning Resources for Independent Learning

Key components of any experiential learning module are the resources students use to learn. These typically include laboratory equipment, handouts, and instructional material in the form of videos or standard operating procedures (SOPs). Their design and implementation require careful thought to ensure that students learn in an effective and meaningful way. From our own experience in the undergraduate teaching laboratory and from a variety of literature sources, we have identified five design principles that educators should consider and integrate into their resource development workflows: safety, authenticity, flexibility, accessibility, and robustness (SAFAR). We present several examples of how each principle can be implemented using Kolb's experiential learning cycle as a lens to understand the impact of each design principle on the learning process.