Examining whether order of instruction matters in an experiential learning activity

Abstract Experiential learning is a pedagogical technique that places students in direct contact with the material being studied. Students progress through four stages in a continuous cycle of learning. Because it is conceptualized as a continuous cycle, we question whether student comprehension varies according to where in the learning cycle they begin. Using an experiential outdoor survival shelter building activity, we tested whether student comprehension of experiential course material varied when receiving instruction prior to the activity vs. interactive discussion after the activity. Our results indicate that students who received advance instruction created significantly higher quality survival shelters during the activity, but there was no difference in post‐activity summative learning assessments between groups. Furthermore, prior outdoor survival experience was the only covariate in our analysis that affected student comprehension. No other covariates considered (treatment, gender, class rank, and participation in various outdoor activities) in our analysis affected student comprehension in this activity. Although the order of instruction did not influence student comprehension in this activity, more research is needed to explore whether instructional order matters in other experiential learning activities. Researchers are encouraged to apply this approach to other situations to further understand the ramifications of instructional order on experiential learning outcomes.