Beth Sheehan, Southern New Hampshire University

1. Incorporating an Integral approach to experiential education: A new foundation to expand and deepen learningNSEE, Dallas, TXOctober 2009 Beth Sheehan, Southern New Hampshire University Mark McDonald, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Kirsty Spence, Brock University

2. Purpose of today’s workshop • Introduce Ken Wilber’s Integral approach and its relevance to EE • Demonstrate the application of the Integral approach and its impact on student learning and development • Discuss research, evaluation and assessment • Promote discussion & feedback from you!

3. Experiential Learning Theory • Two (2) major theoretical streams in the literature • Individual : construction of personal knowledge • Dewey, Kolb, Boud and Walker, Mezirow, Piaget, Schön • Collective: shared knowledge through cultural, historical and social relationships • Argyris, Argyris & Schön, Fenwick, Vince, Yorks and Kasl

4. all quadrant/all level model (AQ/AL) • learning and problem solving from holistic perspective • oriented by 4 central perspectives Interior Exterior • upper & lower halves Left Hand Path Right Hand Path • left & right hand paths Individual Upper Half Upper Left Interior Individual Upper Right Exterior Individual • 4 quadrants: • Upper Left (UL) • Upper Right (UR) • Lower Left (LL) • Lower Right (LR) Lower Half Collective Lower Left Interior Collective Lower Right Exterior Collective Sources: Wilber 1995/2000a/2000b

5. Interior Exterior • Upper Left • Student’s subjective feelings, experience and intentions within an experience • Capturing UL: Reflection and dialog exercises on individual intentions, expectations, feelings, beliefs, assumptions, etc. • Upper Right • Objective, empirical and measurable aspects of the student’s experience • Capturing UR: Observations and descriptions of physical actions and behaviors, physiological changes, and/or others’ reactions to those behaviors Individual • Lower Left • Shared meanings held by the collective group embedded in the context of the experience • Capturing LL: Culture, values, rituals, morals of the collective • Lower Right • All objective, empirical, and measurable organizational aspects (systems, structures, processes) • How each functionally fits to create an effective organization • Capturing LR: Organizational behaviors and associated outcomes that do or do not match desired behaviors of the system. Collective (Jowdy, McDonald, & Spence, 2004)

6. Integral, Developmental & EL Theory • Developmental theory (Cook-Greuter, 2004) • Lateral development • engage students’ motivational levels • subject content, information, and knowledge, • new skills that expand, deepen, and enrich the way students currently perceive reality, to ultimately “apply their new competencies to widening circles of influence” (Cook-Greuter, 2004, p. 277). • Vertical development • reshapes students’ current thinking, idea generation & interpretation • expanded interpretations of experiences & reality • more effective behaviors when dealing with interpersonal conflict, decision making, and leadership (Cook-Greuter, 2004, 2005; Rooke & Torbert, 2005; Torbert, 1991; Torbert et al., 2004).

7. Developmental TheoryLeadership Development Framework (LDF)

8. Integral, Developmental & Experiential • Integral Theory • Holistic approach to understanding and experiencing the world • Developmental Theory • Way to measure personal growth that results from integral approach to EL • Experiential Learning • Process that provides the type of structure and environment for vertical development to occur • Creates challenges that can potentially transform ones view of reality

9. Experiential Learning Curriculum featuring Integral Theory • Sport Event Management • Granite Bowl: Undergraduate/graduate enrollment • Classroom as organization: Students divided in 6 departments • Teacher as guide/coach/CEO • Emergent leadership – encourage distributed leadership • Community event

10. Experiential Learning Curriculum featuring Integral Theory • Course management using four quadrants • Upper Left– Utilize student reflection • Individual intentions, expectations and goals • Test new behaviors • Ego development • Upper Right – Observations • Fit of individual actions and behaviors in the event management organization • Reactions of others’ to individual behaviors in the organization • Individual jobs/tasks

11. Experiential Learning Curriculum featuring Integral Theory • Course management using four quadrants • Lower Left – Students establish culture & values • Core purpose and values (Collins & Porras, 1997) • Tradition and past legacy/history • Shared goals • Lower Right – Organizational design • Horizontal, departmental structure • Agenda, meeting minutes and reporting structure • University processes • Operations and marketing systems associated with event management

12. Integral Approach • No quadrant is separate or more valuable than the other • All are correlated with and dependent on the other • Interactions between the quadrants lead to important opportunities in the Classroom as Organization model to promote vertical, student development

13. Impact: student reflections • The culture and environment that we have in the Granite Bowl and the tasks that are clearly outlined for the outside work that we have has established a foundation that make it easier to communicate. As we divide tasks between department members it makes it easier for other staff members to contact the right member and get information flowing more easily than it may have been. Also, with the shared values and goals between everyone that works in the Granite Bowl we understand probably now more than ever that communication is crucial for the success of this event and we are working harder and harder to gain that.

14. Impact: student reflections • The culture/environment and systems that are part of the GB organization are connected to the challenges I discussed above because of the team concept. There isn’t a true leader in our group of students so everything we do must go through each other and be approved. There has to be more trust between us than we have ever been used to and there is a new sense of responsibility. On one wants to let anyone down, yet we are all adapting to this new system; and everyone adapts differently. • How can you help solve this problem/overcome this challenge. Solve it however, in terms of helping the COLLECTIVE group adjust - changes in the environment. Systematic changes, cultural changes?

15. Why Integral Theory? • Captures the essence of EL – it’s not just the experience, it’s all that surrounds it (Furco, 2007) • Instructors • Structure and develop an experience-based curriculum • Design assignments and reflections • Constant reference point throughout an experience • Students • Framework to “make sense” and interpret their experience • Deepens learning, widens perspectives, improves higher order thinking skills • Leads to personal development – self and social awareness, ego-development

16. Research project • Investigating the impact of experience-based curricula on students’ vertical development • Mixed methods design • Washington University Sentence Completion Test (SCT) • Interviews • Control and experimental • Pre and post – T1, T2 and T3 data collection

17. Thank you Beth Sheehan e.sheehan@snhu.edu Mark McDonald mcdonald@sportmgt.umass.edu Kirsty Spence Kirsty.spence@brocku.ca