Alice Y. Kolb is the President of Experience Based Learning Systems (EBLS), a research and development organization devoted to research and application of experiential learning in organizations worldwide. EBLS has developed many experiential exercises and self-assessment instruments, including the latest Kolb Learning Style Inventory 4.0. The EBLS program of research on Experiential Learning Theory continues in collaboration with an international network of researchers, practitioners and learning partners.
As president of EBLS, Alice facilitates research and practice initiatives of the international network. She was a co-developer of the Kolb Learning Style Inventory 4.0 and was the leader of the team that developed the Kolb Educator Role Profile, an inventory designed to help educators apply experiential learning principles in their work.
She was born and raised in Brazil and went to Japan, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Japanese Studies from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, and Master of Arts and Doctorate degrees in Human Resources Management from Hitotsubashi University. She received a Master of Science degree in Human Resource Management from Cleveland State University and her Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Case Western Reserve University, where she was an Adjunct Professor in the Weatherhead School of Management. She is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese and English.
Her research focus on creating learning spaces conducive to deep learning led to her paper “Learning styles and learning spaces: Enhancing experiential learning in higher education” published in Academy of Management Learning and Education. Her paper “Learning to play, playing to learn: A case study of a ludic learning space” was published in the Journal of Organizational Change Management. She has recently published a book with David Kolb titled The Experiential Educator: Principles and Practices of Experiential Learning with David Kolb. She and David received the 2008 “Educational Pioneers of the Year Award” from the National Society for Experiential Education.
