Five models of program evaluation--needs assessment, feasibility study, process evaluation, outcome evaluation, and cost analysis--are described, and how they differ from research is explained. Six groups of stakeholders are identified, reasons for doing evaluations are discussed, qualitative and quantitative methods are described, five stages of…

Steps for developing a service-learning experience within a college course are not the same as those for traditional coursework, and faculty often look to experiential educators for guidance. A former Outward Bound director presents strategies for negotiating projects, developing the syllabus, orientation and supervision, monitoring student…

Teaching the research process through service-learning projects increased student interest in research at Bethel College (Minnesota). Examples of eight such research projects in nursing education are discussed, including their impact on community partners and students. Guidelines for academic-community research partnerships cover building…

Small-group development is an important aspect of adventure therapy. Supplementing knowledge of sequential stages of group development with knowledge concerning within-stage nonsequential development yields a richer understanding of groups. Integrating elements of the individual counseling relationship (working alliance, transference, and real…

Focuses on risks and challenges of conducting adventure programming in foreign countries. Recommends actions to take before the crisis (involving assumptions, risk evaluation, emergency evacuation plans, awareness of medical-care costs, and foreign communications systems, family procedures plan, briefings); during the crisis (meeting staff and…

Defines emotional crises in an adventure education context. Discusses crisis intervention from a mental-health perspective and presents nonviolent intervention techniques for anxiety, disruptive behavior, and harmful behavior. Describes two techniques--critical incident stress debriefing and traumatic stress defusing--aimed at managing traumatic…

Metaphors are guiding images that influence one's approach to problem solving. Experiential learning is a process of metaphor change; the task of educators is to facilitate development of new metaphors that generate new potential when old metaphors don't work. Discusses stages of metaphor development, creating an open learning space, and…

Tips for working with students who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder include putting them in charge of something, providing structure, giving feedback, using logical consequences for unwanted behavior, being patient, teaching in novel ways, helping them with their gear, pairing them with another student, allowing blow-out time, and…

Uses the scenario of a women's adventure therapy trip to illustrate theoretical and practical information about "basic" therapeutic communication skills with participants in outdoor adventure settings. Discusses gender-based language style (women's "tentative" language), issues of physical and emotional safety, a philosophical rationale for…

Discusses implications of the aging U.S. population for the adventure education field. Examines bias against older people and how this bias can hinder the facilitation of learning. Suggests that experiential programs allow older clients to explain who they are, to coframe ("front-load") activities, to create their own metaphoric links, and to…

In order to build programs that embrace social and cultural diversity, educators must understand the perspectives of people of color and how agencies unwittingly create systematic barriers to program access through stigmatization and marginalization. Identifies strategies that decrease the stigmatizing process and foster greater accessibility of…

Most take canoeing, leadership, first aid, CPR and other courses to help cope when something happens, but there is more to dealing with crisis than learning proper procedures and techniques. Three areas of concern interlock to form the Crisis Management Triangle: knowledge and skill, preventive awareness, and crisis management planning. (ERB)

Presents practical information about psychiatric medications and psychological emergencies to assist staff working in outdoor settings with mental health patients. Discusses the potential hazards and side effects of psychotropic drugs. Provides step-by-step guidelines for distinguishing between medical and psychological problems, assessing…

Gathers comprehensive information about accidents and near misses occurring in outdoor programs. Includes checklists for types of injury/illness, program activity, and contributing factors. Asks for analysis and recommendations, comments by the program director, and a narrative description of how the accident happened, treatment given, and…

Urges publication about experiential education by explaining why experiential educators should write about their programs or ideas. Gives seven guidelines for writing: discover the subject, grab the reader's attention, know the audience, use specifics, find a logical sequence, write, and revise. (SB)