Outdoor Orientation

Wiki: Outdoor Orientation - Wiki

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 08:44:00 GMT

Blog Post: Do you inform pre-orientation students that they must follow college policies while traveling off-campus?

Brent Bell — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:45:00 GMT

Another listserve I monitor (National Orientation Directors Association) has started a discussion regarding policies. How are students informed that they are expected to follow college policies while on a pre-orientation trip away from campus? Although this is not confusing to most program directors, it may be confusing to participants?

I wonder about student led programs that perceive a bit of distance from the administration, is it clear that college policies apply during trips in the summer?

I am hoping to hear how others inform students and if their are any stories to learn from. It is one detail that you may want to include with your paperwork distributed to incoming students.

Brent

Wiki Page: Research Resources for Outdoor Orientation Programs

Outdoor Ed — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:57:00 GMT

This Wiki is dedicated to expanding research into the effects of outdoor orientation programs

Blog Post: Introducing The Curriculum Project

Rick Curtis — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 04:18:00 GMT

I just got back from this spring's OOPS Conference (Outdoor Orientation Symposium) hosted as the Association for Experiential Education AEE new England Regional Conference). OOPS is an annual event that brings together student leaders and program directors and staff from college outdoor orienation programs.

Brent Bell, Professor from the University of New Hampshire and the leading researcher on outdoor orientation programs again served as conference convener. Brent's opening presentation was on his ongoing research project - The Neighborhood Project - the goal of which is to identify adn track the various outdoor orientation programs in North America to understand the range of programs and to ascertain what are the key elements that make programs successful and, as a corollary, what factors cause programs to fail/be discontinued.

During the discussion period of Brent's talk and throughout the other presentations during the day, one factor emerged as the key reason for program success - CURRICULUM. Good curriculum is what creates, builds and maintains successful programs.

Based on the understanding, those of us in the outdoor orientation field are coming together to create a corollary to The Neighborhood Project that we are calling The Curriculum Project.

The goal of The Curriculum Project is to gather curriculum and successful practices from all of the existing outdoor orientation programs on the OutdoorEd.com Outdoor Orientation Community site so that all of us can benefit from the individual expertise of our peer programs. It's simple to do. Go to the Files Tab and upload files you want to share.

For specific guidelines on the types of files we can take, see the general Submissions Information page.

Start Posting Now. Strong Curriculum means Strong Programs

File: Leader Trainer Manual - Princeton University Outdoor Action Program

Rick Curtis — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 03:23:00 GMT

This is the operational manual for Leader Trainers in the Outdoor Action Program at Princeton University. It provides the philosophical and programmatic guidelines for our Leader Training Program and specifically focuses on the 6-day Leader Training Trip.

Blog Post: The Outdoor & Adventure Orientation Program Census 2012

Rick Curtis — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 02:24:00 GMT

Dear orientation program representative,

The following survey collects information on adventure orientation programs, such as outdoor orientation, camp-based, service, academic, and arts based orientation programs. The term adventure orientation is defined in a recent paper (Vlamis, Bell, & Gass 2011) as an orientation using novel experiences and challenges combined with reflective activities to meet the goals of student orientation.

The first census of such programs was completed in 2006 with a 98% participation rate. This census updates the 2006 study and will be used to verify adventure orientation program trends and complete an accurate account of adventure orientation program practices. This survey will help form a deeper understanding of the 200+ programs in the USA and Canada. This survey focuses on program features and operation; it does not ask for information about individuals. All information will be used in aggregate. The research will not be reported in a manner to identify individual program practices.

This survey is comprehensive. It will take most people 20-30 minutes to complete up to a maximum of 57 questions (where the total number will depend on the response path taken). We understand that directors of adventure-based orientation programs are busy people, and we appreciate your time responding to this research. If you would prefer to take the survey by phone instead, please email the researchers (emails are listed below).

If you have any questions about the survey, please contact us. We (the research team) appreciate your participation. The cooperation of the "neighborhood" is an outstanding feature of adventure orientation programs.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dFhITkN1Vjl3ODFTR0pvNU5hcDlVUmc6MQ#gid=0

Sincerely,

Dr. Brent Bell
UNH Outdoor Education
bbell@unh.edu

David Starbuck, Ph.D. ABD
UNH Outdoor Education
David.Starbuck@gordon.edu

Patricia Chan
Graduate student in outdoor education at UNH
patriciagchan@gmail.com

Forum Post: Outdoor Orientation Program Symposium, April 13th, Woodstock, CT

Outdoor Ed — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 01:46:00 GMT

Dear professional colleagues,

I am writing to extend to you an invitation to the 17th bi-annual Outdoor Orientation Program Symposium (OOPS), on Friday, April 13th, in Woodstock, CT.

Please join a group of student leaders, program directors, researchers, and outdoor professionals for a day of learning and sharing about the latest developments regarding outdoor orientation programs. Current research demonstrates that outdoor orientation programs are on the rise at four-year colleges in the US and Canada. We are also seeing increases at private high schools, business schools, and medical schools. The awareness of the benefits of using adventure to create community are growing. We invite all who have an interest in the orientation of students to join us on Friday, April 13th.

This year's keynote speaker is Dr. Charles Schroeder, a senior associate consultant at Noel-Levitz. Dr. Schroeder has published more than 75 books and articles on higher education and has consulted at more than 100 institutions throughout North America. Dr. Schroeder was also a two-time president for the American College Personnel Association (ACPA). Dr. Schroeder sharing his knowledge about the role of adventure based orientation within higher education is not to be missed.

This April's conference will take place at YMCA Camp Woodstock, located in Woodstock, CT, in the northeast corner of Connecticut between Boston, MA and Hartford, CT . Housing is available onsite, either in heated cabins or in a camping area (which has been popular with college students).

The Outdoor Orientation Program Symposium (OOPS) will focus on:

Staff development. Information provided on staffing models, staffing choices, and leadership development.

Improving an outdoor orientation program: Focusing on curriculum development and creating great program impact. Creative ideas for improving a program or adding to a program.

Researching outdoor orientation program: Assessment of programs and theoretical issues

The Outdoor Orientation Program Symposium is hosted by Dr. Brent Bell, Dr. David Starbuck, and Tricia Chan from the University of New Hampshire. Registration for the conference can be completed at the following link:

http://www.aee.org/conference/info/id/59/

Cost for the conference is $100 for professionals, and $35 for students. We significantly reduce the student price because this is a great conference for student leaders. The conference price includes lunch and program materials. The OOPS group will be meeting from 8:30am-5pm. This conference session is a pre-conference to the Association for Experiential Education’s Northeast Regional Conference. You do not have to enroll at this conference to attend OOPS, but we encourage you to consider it.

Any questions about the pre-conference should be directed to: Dr. Brent J. Bell, bbell@unh.edu

Hope to see you at Woodstock!

Brent Bell

Associate Prof. of Outdoor Education

Dept. of Kinesiology

University of New Hampshire

Forum Post: Welcome to the Outdoor Orientation Forum

Rick Curtis — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:50:00 GMT

I've been running the Outdoor Action Program at Princeton University for the past 30 years. Along with a number of colleagues at various other colleges and universities we are opening this forum as a place for student leaders and program managers to gather and share information. I hope you'll join us as we work to improve all of our programs.

Rick Curtis
Princeton University Outdoor Action Program
OutdoorEd.com

File: Overview of Research in Outdoor Orientation Programs

Outdoor Ed — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:38:00 GMT

Overview of Research in Outdoor Orientation Programs from Brent Bell at the University of New Hanpshire

File: Running a 'Mega Program' Mindmap (PDF)

Rick Curtis — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:38:00 GMT

This is the PDF Version of the Wilderness Orientation Program Mindmap that's part of my Blog Series - Running 'Mega; Programs - Part 3. You can view Part 1 and Part 2.

This PDF file contains special Flash Video content. You'll need to have Adobe Reader 9.0 or higher to view the file. When it opens you'll see the following dialog box message, "You have opened a document that contains Adobe Flash Player Multimedia Content. You can decide whether to play the content now." Click PLAY to enable the file.

You can also download the MindJet version if you have MindManager.

File: A Census of Outdoor Orientation Programs at Four-Year Colleges in the United States

Outdoor Ed — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:36:00 GMT

This journal article by Brent Bell, Marion Holmes, and Brady Williams from the Journal of Experiential Education documents the broad range of outdoor orientation programs at four-year colleges in the U.S.

published with permission from the Association for Experiential Education.

File: Running a 'Mega Program' Mindmap

Rick Curtis — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 05:33:00 GMT

This is the MindManager Version of the Wilderness Orientation Program Mindmap that's part of my Blog Series - Running 'Mega; Programs - Part 3. You can view Part 1 and Part 2.

In order to view this file you need a copy of MindManager from Mindjet Software. You can also view the PDF version

File: Harvard Freshmen Outdoor Program 2010 Leader Handbook

Outdoor Ed — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:54:00 GMT

Harvard Freshmen Outdoor Program 2010 Leader Handbook

File: The Effects of the Outdoor Action Frosh Trip on Freshmen’s Adaptation to Princeton University: A Study of Pluralistic Ignorance

Outdoor Ed — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:49:00 GMT

Brian Wardwell

Princeton University

This thesis was submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

April 1999

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this experiment was to (a) examine incoming freshmen's expectations about Princeton University for self-other discrepancies, and (b) measure the effects of the Outdoor Action Frosh Trip Program in helping freshmen adapt to Princeton. Self-other discrepancies were the focus of this study because pluralistic ignorance research has identified some interesting consequences that arise when individuals misperceive group norms. These consequences include (a) changing one’s behavior to be more in line with the perceived norm even if the behavior was previously viewed as unacceptable and (b) a general sense of alienation from the group. The Outdoor Action Frosh Trip is a pre-registration wilderness orientation trip. Groups of approximately 10 freshmen spend 6 days hiking through the woods with two upper-classmen leaders. The trip helps freshmen adapt to Princeton in two ways. First of all, freshmen are introduced to a new group of friends. Second of all, the discussions on the trip provide an excellent opportunity for the freshmen's misperceptions to be corrected because students are continually talking about their expectations and anxieties. This study showed that the Outdoor Action Frosh Trip helps to correct student’s misperceptions about the alcohol norms on campus and it is speculated that the Trip helps students to fit in better socially.

Files: Outdoor Orientation - Media Gallery

Rick Curtis — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:23:00 GMT

Blog: Outdoor Orientation - Blog

Outdoor Ed — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:23:00 GMT

Group: Outdoor Orientation

Anonymous — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:23:00 GMT

The Outdoor Orientation Group brings together student leaders and program directors of outdoor orientation programs.

Wiki Page: Outdoor Orientation - Wiki

Outdoor Ed — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:23:00 GMT

Forum Post: Re: Outdoor Orientation Leader Contracts

Assembly — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 07:54:00 GMT

I like that kind ofessay company too!

Forum Post: Out of the office reply

ericknueve — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:34:00 GMT

I am currently out of the office and will return on Tuesday, June 1st. I will respond to your message when I return.

Thank you.