Experiential learning with international teams: best practices to develop it on virtual learning

Resumen

Experiential Learning allows students to apply the theoretical concepts in a real context. The goal of this kind of activitiy is to help students to develop professional skills to be prepared to confront life and work. However, applying this methodology in the virtual classroom involves challenges for students and it makes necessary to know how to help them to perform successfully. This research analyze the main challenges faced by three group of students, from Universidad Europea de Madrid and Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana, on a experiential learning project developed with two NGO´s from Honduras. The experiential learning activity involved students from Denmark, France, Germany, Guadalupe, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Spain, The Netherlands and Venezuela enrolled in Administration, Marketing, Graphic Design and Audiovisual and Advertising Communication degree programs. Qualitative methods, such as interviews and focus groups, have been used to know the students experience in this project. Results have indicated the importance of clear instructions, use of rubrics to assess the students performance and to provide them resources to manage the progress of the activity on real time.