THE SPECIFICITY OF THE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROCESS IN VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES. A ROMANIAN CASE STUDY

In the process of deciphering the recent contexts of interaction, an interpretation key may be the re-configuration of the social and educational patterns under the influence of the virtual space (seen as a facilitator of interaction). Consequently, the emergence of multiple virtual communities becomes a veritable object of interest when discussing the relevance and importance of the new technologies and of the social influence models. At this level, by admitting the crucial status of the social media in the architecture of the modern society, one of the prime perspectives to focus on is represented by the impact of the virtual environment on the learning process, in general and on the experiential learning, in particular. As a process of making meaning from direct experience, experiential learning surpasses the constraints of depending on others as pupils and stimulates three basic dimensions - analysis, initiative and immersion. Though the gaining of knowledge is an inherent process that occurs naturally, for a genuine learning experience to occur, several conditions become mandatory, as knowledge is continuously gained through both personal and environmental experiences. Does the virtual environment provide the main elements for a fruitful experiential learning? Which factors and premises define a successful learning experience in a virtual community? Are there any advantages of exploring experiential learning in a virtual community? These are several questions we will try to approach in our paper, highlighting the results of an academic project initiated in a Romanian college, a virtual simulation of a working and learning environment aimed at discovering the benefits and limitations of the experiential learning in a collegiate virtual community.