This comprehensive 40-hour course equips outdoor, adventure, and experiential professionals with the tools to cultivate a robust safety culture, implement effective risk management practices, and optimize training systems within their programs.

Designed for individuals overseeing outdoor programs, including program coordinators, risk management officers, safety committee members, lead training staff, Board members, and executive leadership.

Outcomes

• Gain critical knowledge of best practices in outdoor program risk management
• Learn procedures, systems, and plans essential to meeting key outdoor safety standards
• Understand how to apply successful risk management strategies to adventure programs, experiential education, wilderness expeditions, and outdoor trips

Course Format

The course consists of five live video-conference sessions and four independent work periods.

• Live sessions: Five live, video-conference sessions each week for five consecutive weeks.  These include structured real-time small-group and large-group discussions and participant project presentations.
• Independent work: Participants engage in various activities including reviewing presentations, completing readings, participating in online discussions and decision-making activities, writing assignments, peer-reviewing, self-assessing risk management, participating in role-playing scenarios, analyzing case studies, and taking quizzes and a final exam. Independent work is anticipated to take a minimum of 10-12 hours per week.

Textbook: The course textbook, “Risk Management for Outdoor Programs: A Guide to Safety in Outdoor Education, Recreation, and Adventure,” is provided electronically and available for purchase as a softcover book at https://courses.viristar.com/book/

Syllabus: Download a PDF version of the syllabus here: https://bit.ly/ViristarSyllabus