Experiential Learning and Medical Physics

Experiential learning is mainly understood as learning through action followed by reflection on that experience. Learners experience something, receive feedback or reflect on what happened, develop a better conceptual understanding, and then apply that understanding to another situation. This approach is particularly relevant to medical education, where learners need opportunities to connect theoretical knowledge with practical situations and decision-making (Wijnen-Meijer et al., 2022).

For my learning resource, I chose to explore medical physics as a possible career for high-school students and first- and second-year university students with a basic understanding of science. Experiential learning fits this topic because I do not want learners to only read about what a medical physicist does. I want them to experience being placed in that position and make basic decisions themselves. I think this could help learners build confidence around the course material on their own. Instead of simply being told that medical physics is approachable, successfully applying their knowledge gives them some evidence of their own ability.

My own experience also influenced this design choice. When I started thinking about the resource, I considered both what makes medical physics attractive to me and what makes science sometimes feel distant and unapproachable. For me, maintaining focus and confidence have been important barriers. This made me interested in creating an environment that does not depend entirely on maintaining attention through long explanations. In each patient scenario, I would keep the relevant imaging and visualization components accessible on the screen. After learners make a decision, they would receive instructive feedback that helps them understand their reasoning before moving on. Technology therefore becomes part of the learning process rather than simply a way of presenting information.

There is also a limitation to this approach. By providing beginners with the information and guidance they need to make these decisions, my resource could oversimplify a field that is actually mathematically and technically complex. There is therefore a balance between making medical physics approachable enough for learners to explore confidently and representing the difficulty of the profession realistically. For me, that tension is an important part of designing an experiential learning environment.