Abstract

Best practices by an educational institution deals with not only methods and techniques adopted to produce superior results but also adopting initiatives that are reflective in nature. Experiential learning has proved to be a powerful learning experience which guides students to become competent, efficient and “Industry Ready” professionals. Experiential learning is a creative approach to the modern curriculum and an effective tool in engaging students to become efficient and pro-active learners. “Experiential [learning] is a philosophy and methodology in which educators purposefully engage with students in direct experience and focused reflection in order to increase knowledge, develop skills, and clarify values” (Association for Experiential Education). Experiential education is a unique and rewarding educational experience for students. Knowledge and theory learned in the classroom comes alive allowing the student to explore and reflect on academic theory in practice in a dynamic organisational environment. Internship is one form of experiential learning which has been declared by The American Association of Colleges and Universities as one of the ten “High-Impact Educational Practices”. Internships help integrate class theory and knowledge with practical applications towards professional as well as personal growth.

This paper is divided into two parts. PART A deals with the relevance of experiential learning and the benefits of student internship as a form of experiential learning. PART B of the paper highlights the initiatives taken by the SIES Institute of Comprehensive Education to provide experiential learning experience through internships to prepare students to become effective counsellors.

Keywords: Experiential learning, Reflective, Professional, Industry-ready, Internship

[1] Faculty &Coordinator, Counselling Programmes, SIES Institute of Comprehensive Education, Sion, Mumbai.