subscribe to feed

Adventure Education and Hand's On Learning

Hands-on Learning is a big part of the Adventure Education major at PSU

The Immersion Semester

Adventure Education majors have a unique and involving opportunity to participate in the 15-credit Immersion Semester. With a small cohort group of students and faculty, you will take a block of courses, which for the first half of the Fall semester, occur largely through extended mountain backpacking expeditions, lasting three to 15 days. Here you will learn a variety of outdoor skills, professional outdoor practices, trip planning, outdoor leadership, and experiential instruction strategies. Back on campus the second half of the Fall semester, you will learn and become certified in wilderness first aid, and you will study adventure education philosophy and theory to put the "why" behind the "what" you have been practicing in the backcountry.

This Immersion Semester block of courses consists of Wilderness Expedition (AP 3100), Adventure Leadership and Instruction (AP 3300), Adventure Education Philosophy and Theory (AP 3320), and Wilderness First Responder (AP 3400).

You will need to apply to enroll in the Fall Immersion Semester the Spring semester before, and acceptance is based on your performance in previous Adventure Education courses, your overall grade point average, a written essay, and an interview with a committee of Adventure Education faculty and students. You will need to make a commitment to use no alcohol or illegal drugs during Immersion Semester courses.

If you are not accepted into or choose not to participate in the Immersion Semester, you can take the courses described above separately throughout other semesters.

The Outdoor Adventure Leadership/Instruction Requirement

To increase your level of competence, training, professionalism, and experience, Adventure Education majors are required to complete a minimum of 60 days of pre-approved, documented adventure leadership/instruction experience prior to entering the culminating course experience-AP 4880, Adventure Education Internship. This background also prepares you to be a strong internship candidate for more competitive internship sites. If you opt for the Adventure Education Clinical, AP 3890 a minimum of 30 days of pre-approved, documented leadership/instruction experience is a required prerequisite.

The adventure leadership/instruction requirement consists of students leading or facilitating "face-to-face" adventure experiences with a client group. At least 80% of this leadership/instruction experience must be with human-powered outdoor pursuits (i.e. backpacking, rock climbing, mountaineering, canoeing, ropes courses)-consistent with the academic preparation of the Adventure Education major. A maximum of 20% of the leadership/instruction days can include teaching ski lessons, for example. While not considered an adventure programming experience, the teaching of downhill ski lessons in a supervised situation has value for the student's instructional prowess.

You should complete your leadership/instruction days in a manner that is integrated with your coursework at PSU. Debriefing models discussed in class, for example, make more sense when you have outdoor leadership/instruction experiences occurring close to the same time. Therefore, the leadership/instruction days can be counted beginning with your enrollment in your first Adventure Education course. Leadership/instruction days can be counted that are required as part of a course (i.e. Adventure Leadership and Instruction, Teaching Assistantship). A leadership/instruction experience day consists of 8 hours of responsibility for, instruction or facilitation of a client group.

In order to register for the Internship, you must submit to an Adventure Education faculty member a list that documents your outdoor leadership/instruction experience-type of adventure experience led; program area; length of program; leadership role; the name of a supervisor who can verify the experience. You will receive information about this documentation process in your Foundations of Adventure Education course.