Higher education is increasingly narrowing its focus around experiential learning to focus on labour market outcomes and work-integrated learning, which risks forgetting about experiential learning’s other benefits, writes David Peacock (University of Alberta). Peacock explains that while experiential learning often does prepare students for future careers, the benefits also include critical literacy, technological capability, and social inclusion. According to Peacock, institutions and policymakers should articulate these other benefits more clearly to reinforce the idea that experiential education is not just about individual financial gain, but that it can also provide students with opportunities to contribute to the common good.
