Kolb Experiential Learning Profile

What is the KELP?

The Kolb Experiential Learning Profile (KELP) was created as a self-reflection tool to help learners understand how they learn from experience and their unique individual approach to learning. Informed by an extensive research base of over 106,000 Google Scholar citations and continuous improvements through six previous versions, the new KELP gives a broader and more personalized view of how we learn than previous learning style instruments. Millions of users in 164 countries around the world have contributed to the KELP normative comparison group of over 26,000 students and working adults from a wide range of occupations and educational backgrounds.

What is the benefit of the KELP?

The KELP describes the way you learn and how you deal with ideas and day-to-day situations. We all learn in different ways. KELP can serve as a stimulus for you to interpret and reflect on the ways you prefer to learn in specific settings. It can help you understand how your individual learning preference influences your ability to solve problem, work in teams, communicating at work and at home, learning in school and consider a career. Learning can be described as a cycle made up of four basic processes experiencing, reflecting, thinking and acting. The KELP takes you through those learning processes and will give you an in depth understanding about:

  • How you use the cycle of learning in your life and work.
  • Your typical learning style. Is it Experiencing, Imagining, Reflecting, Analyzing, Thinking, Deciding, Acting, Initiating or Balancing?
  • Your learning flexibility. Expanding your ability to use other styles for full cycle learning.
  • Applying what you have learned about yourself to increase your learning power.

How can I take the KELP?

The KELP is a self-administered assessment that you complete online. The inventory takes 10–15 minutes to complete. Users have options to the take the survey as individuals or as part of an administered group. Once you submit your answers, you will receive an email with an extensive personal report of your survey results.

The KELP report is focused on improving personal learning effectiveness based on a detailed profile of how the person prefers to learn and their learning strength and weaknesses. It helps learners take charge of their learning with a planning guide for learning and tips for application in work and personal life.

How do I purchase the KELP for myself or a group?

The KELP is available through our partner organization, The Institute for Experiential Learning (IFEL).

IFEL provides coaching, consulting and educational programs to support experiential learning in business, education and personal life.

Are there technical specifications for the KELP?

Yes, we have published a guide in our Research Library: “The Kolb Experiential Learning Profile 2021 Technical Specifications”.