Converting Content into Learning Experiences with AI

Experiential learning is superior, but it’s hard & time-consuming to convert the content into effective learning experiences. AI & Goosechase are a game-changing duo to help with that.

In the fast-paced world of education, where the focus is so often on the standards and the content itself, we sometimes forget a fundamental truth: learning isn't just about what is taught; it's also about how it's taught. 

This idea that the how matters just as much as the what isn't particularly new. David A. Kolb's seminal book on the experiential learning cycle was first published back in the 80s and posited that teaching isn't merely about delivering the information required; it's about crafting meaningful experiences with that material to facilitate learning. But today, with so much pressure to teach to the standards & deliver content at a break-neck pace, too often we end up neglecting the experiential side of learning. 

“Our job is not to teach the standards. It’s to break the standards apart, discover what's interesting about them to students, and then create learning experiences to bridge the two.”

- Lang-Raad, 2019. As quoted in The Playful Classroom

Experiential learning is a hands-on educational approach that emphasizes learning through direct experience and reflection. Instead of passively receiving information, learners actively engage in activities, experiments, or real-world situations to gain practical knowledge and skills.

An example of experiential learning is a science class where students conduct experiments to understand chemical reactions. Instead of just reading about reactions in a textbook, students mix chemicals, observe changes, and analyze results firsthand. Through this hands-on experience, they not only grasp theoretical concepts but also develop critical thinking skills by reflecting on the outcomes of their experiments.

The shortage of experiential learning is further underscored by compelling data. In a 2022 higher education study, 81% of students expressed a desire for more hands-on learning opportunities, while 75% of teachers believed that connecting learning to real-world skills significantly increased engagement and enthusiasm for learning. In Saudi Arabia, a 2020 study demonstrated a twofold increase in knowledge gained through experiential learning compared to traditional methods.

The impact isn't limited to academia. In the corporate world, where continuous learning is essential, traditional methods like workshops and seminars often achieve a mere 5% retention rate. In contrast, experiential learning can achieve up to an impressive 90% retention rate. The evidence is clear: experiences drive understanding, retention, and application of knowledge.

Our own experiences at Goosechase echo these findings. One of our creators, an associate professor in the Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Services department at a state university, implemented a semester-long experiential learning program. By introducing gamified elements to the lessons, the professor witnessed a remarkable increase in retention, culminating in the highest exam scores ever recorded.

Despite the proven benefits, the challenge has always been actually creating these impactful learning experiences. One global truth that we’re all familiar with is that there’s only so many hours in the day, and actually figuring out how to break apart the content and crafting experiences that resonate with students can be time-consuming and demanding.

For us at Goosechase, we’ve always done our part to help educators create these learning experiences without all that overhead, building out our template library specifically for this purpose. And while there will always be a place for vetted, standards-aligned experiences like these, like all good geese, we pay attention to the way the winds are blowing (here's our hot take on the future of edtech). And right now there are some really interesting tailwinds coming to help with learning experience ideation - namely the arrival of generative AI. 

As an example, say an educator needs to teach high school students about the principles of environmental sustainability. Historically, they’d need to brainstorm a number of different ways they could teach that content, and then figure out how to turn that into a compelling learning experience. Definitely doable, but not without a certain degree of overhead.

Contrast that to today, where armed with a curriculum and a set of standards, the teacher can instead turn to generative AI for inspiration: "Create a Goosechase learning experience on environmental sustainability for high school students". In a matter of seconds, it has already provided a detailed plan, incorporating interactive elements, real-world scenarios, and gamified components tailored to the specified standards. And for the parts that aren’t hitting, that feedback can be provided to the AI and an improved experience instantly generated. It’s not magic, but it can certainly feel like it at times. 🪄

Now, I’ll be the first to say that we shouldn’t be turning over the keys to the whole education kingdom to AI. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a game changing tool when it comes to ideation and brainstorming. Educators are no longer on their own when figuring out how to transform content into compelling learning experiences, they have a world-class sparring partner available on demand. There’s no reason for not taking the leap now and converting content to learning experiences!

Here's an easy starting point: we developed an AI-powered Mission generator to help you create interactive learning experiences more quickly.

For our part, we see the relationship between educators, generative AI and Goosechase as symbiotic all around. The promise of technology has always been to make educators superheroes, and when it comes to creating learning experiences instead of just delivering content, that trifecta is able to make a greater impact than ever before!

What is Goosechase EDU?

Goosechase is an online platform that helps educators create and run interactive learning experiences in their classrooms and beyond. Sign up and try creating an Experience, or contact us to learn more about our school and district-wide solutions!