The article critically examines the application of experiential learning in professional education, with particular emphasis on the often-limited depth learning outcomes derived from practice-based experiences. While existing educational literature broadly endorses reflection as a key mechanism for learning in practice, the authors highlight a significant gap: the literature offers few operational or structured methods for how reflection should be conducted to support deeper learning. This reveals a disconnect between theory and practice, where reflection is normatively valued but methodologically underdeveloped.

To address this need, the article introduces a new theoretical and practical framework for reflection in professional education – Holistic debriefing – inspired by the structured debriefing practice in the Norwegian fighter pilot community and further developed at the Air Force Academy. The Air Force context is characterized by high-performance teams and an explicit learning culture where debriefing is central to continuous professional development. Holistic debriefing functions as a structured reflections tool incorporating four interconnected domains, each design to facilitate deep, analytic processing of practical experiences:
1. Action-oriented learning involves systematic analysis of practice in relation to pre-established plans and intentions, aiming to identify deviations, strengths and areas for improvement.
2. Team-oriented learning focuses on the dynamics and interactions within the team, exploring how collaboration influenced the outcome and how team processes can be enhanced.
3. Person-oriented learning emphasizes individual reflection and development, recognizing each team member’s emotional and cognitive processing of the experience.
4. Pre-reflective clarification addresses immediate emotional reaction following practice, creating emotional ventilation and psychological safety as a foundation for effective learning.

The article argues that Holistic debriefing, when combined with well-trained facilitators, has the potential to significantly enhance learning outcome in professional education. By addressing a theoretical and methodological void in the literature, this model constitutes a concrete contribution to the development of more effective and deep-roothed reflection practices in higher education.

Keywords: Professional education, reflection, experiential learning, holistic debriefing, fighter pilot community, professional development.