OLE 3985 Internship in Outdoor Experiential Education

The internship in Adventure Based Learning (ABL) is one option for a culminating learning experience for students in any of the three tracks: Environmental Emphasis, Inter/Intrapersonal, or Learning and Leadership.

The desired result of this course design is to foster good judgment and sound decisions while improving problem solving, project design and implementation, communication, professional relation building skills and practical application of course content within the major.

Experience at a field study site offering services related to ABL draws on course content and makes possible the integration and development of professional skills. Furthermore, this experience allows students the opportunity to practice the application of theory and apply the knowledge acquired through academic preparation; preferably in the area the student would eventually seek employment. 

Since the ABL internship is an in-depth supervised work and study experience where the student has a degree of responsibility; the student will select, with the guidance of the agency supervisor, a project for which they have total responsibility.

Credits

2-16 sh

Prerequisite

Junior or Senior Standing; Other students may petition for permission to take this course prior to the summer before their junior year.

Course Types

Internship, Experiential Learning

Offered

• Fall
• Winter
• Spring
• Summer

Notes

Course is repeatable for credit.

Course Outcomes

1. 1. To provide the student with the opportunity to integrate and connect academic materials to the world of the practitioner, while building professional skills in an agency related to the field.
   a. to acquire leadership experience in a professional setting by participating in daily operations and by planning and implementing a major project.
   b. to gain an overview of the organizational operation including its philosophy, clientele relations, staffing and personnel patterns, administration policies, and budgeting processes.
   c. to gain experience with communication skills; writing emails, reports, or proposals; speaking to individuals and groups at meetings or programs; and computer communications as applicable.
   d. to acquire experience in applying concepts of physical education/activity and health in an applied setting.
   e. to gain experience in all of the above while maintaining appropriate professional relationships with co-workers, and agency's clientele.
2. 2. To provide the opportunity for the student to learn from a qualified and experienced professional in the field, who can facilitate the learning process and assist in identifying strengths and weaknesses.
   a. to identify a path of professional development appropriate for the field.
   b. to provide consistent level of professional supervision, guidance, and evaluation.
   c. to place students with supervisors who have an earned degree in a related field of study, and significant work experience.
3. significant work experience.
   3. To provide the agency with unique opportunities of sponsoring a field study student.
   a. to provide an entry level professionally trained personnel resource for a specifically designated period of time.
   b. to provide the opportunity for the agency and the supervisor to develop their own professions by contributing to the training of a future colleague.
4. 4. To provide the university with the unique opportunities of sponsoring a field study student.
   a. to maintain current knowledge of practical situations encountered in the professional practice.
   b. to receive feedback for potential curriculum development.