Lasting Impressions of a Mandatory University Outdoor Experience Program: A Retrospective Study

A mandatory outdoor experience program (MOEP), involving a three- to four-day outdoor canoe excursion, has been a compulsory university course for undergraduate students for nearly five decades at a post-secondary institution in Northern Ontario, Canada. However, the experiences and perspectives of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of outdoor recreation, education, and leadership education, and leadership, 2023-06, Vol.15 (2), p.16
Main Authors: Tetzlaff, Emily J, Deibert, Shelby L, Oddson, Bruce, Little, James R, Benoit, John, Pegoraro, Ann, Ritchie, Stephen D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alumni
Aquatic Sports
Content Analysis
Foreign Countries
Information management
Outdoor Education
Required Courses
Student Attitudes
Student Experience
Undergraduate Students
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Summary:A mandatory outdoor experience program (MOEP), involving a three- to four-day outdoor canoe excursion, has been a compulsory university course for undergraduate students for nearly five decades at a post-secondary institution in Northern Ontario, Canada. However, the experiences and perspectives of students who participated in these excursions have not been fully investigated. The aim of this study was to harness the power of storytelling by alumni to improve our understanding of the long-term impact of MOEPs. Using an innovative methodology combining computer-assisted qualitative data analysis (Leximancer) and framing theory, the links between alumni stories became evident through three main interconnected frames: people, activity, and environment. Although there are unique components of the MOEP program described by our participants, the results contribute to the retrospective literature on the critical and memorable features that students recall years after completing an outdoor adventure experience.
ISSN:1948-5123
2381-0696
1948-5123
DOI:10.18666/JOREL-2022-11234