This paper investigates how learners navigate the tension between the disembodied nature of online experiential learning and the need for embodiment in education. Drawing on an ethnography of Exp404, an online experiential learning apparatus in a French business school, this study examines how students experience and respond to the (dis)embodying tensions inherent in such digital pedagogical settings. Our ethnography reveals how learners’ subjective perceptions of presence—social, tele, and self—shape their engagement with the online environment and their strategies for managing these tensions. Findings highlight the paradoxical role of immersion in both reinforcing disembodiment and enabling novel forms of social anchoring. By addressing calls to explore the pedagogical risks of experiential learning, this study contributes to management education literature by illuminating the complexities of embodiment in virtual learning environments and offering insights for designing more effective online experiential programs.
