Adventure Education Leadership Log

Rationale for the Requirement
Adventure education and wilderness leadership requires a high degree of competence in skills and knowledge that is developed through applications in actual outdoor leadership settings. In order for students to have adequate opportunities to apply the knowledge and skills gained in their courses, they are required to accumulate and be able to document a minimum of 50 days of leadership in adventure programming before completing their bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Education – Adventure Education.

Type of Leadership Experiences That Fulfill the Requirement
To meet this requirement, students are required to serve in a leadership role in an adventure or wilderness-based activity or program. Since the objective is for students to integrate their course learning and apply it to outdoor leadership settings, these experiences must have occurred since you first enrolled in the Outdoor Education program at Northland College or a similar program at another institution.

You may serve as a leader, assistant leader, or co-leader, in either a paid or voluntary capacity. You must be in a position of leading, facilitating, or being responsible for a group in its activity. Observing, "shadowing," or serving as a background person for a program (e.g., base camp logistical support) does not meet the requirements for serving as a leader.

Opportunities for outdoor leadership include serving as a leader for Northland College Outdoor Pursuits Club trips or Outdoor Orientation trips. It also includes teaching assistantships for outdoor education activity classes, ropes course facilitation and volunteer or paid leadership positions in local public school outdoor programs. Opportunities may also include summer employment, such as those at outdoor centers or summer camps, etc. You may also count outdoor leadership experiences that are required as part of a course. Participation in programs such as those offered by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Wilderness Education Association (WEA), or Outward Bound might also provide some opportunities for leadership that may be applied toward the requirement.

If you are teaching a related outdoor skill activity not typically designated as an adventure or wilderness program activity, such as alpine skiing or snowboarding, you may count a maximum of 5 days toward the 50-day total required.

Documentation
In order to complete your training in adventure education, along with your senior capstone project, you must submit a leadership log documenting a minimum of 50 days of outdoor leadership experience to Dr. Christian Bisson, Adventure Education Major primary adviser. Use the “Adventure Education Leadership Log” available through the Outdoor Education Program. Blank pages for the leadership log can also be print out by accessing the Northland College Outdoor Education Department web site (www.northland.edu/oe).

Leadership Time Equivalents
If you are leading a program that only runs for part of a day, you must estimate the number of hours that you were leading and accumulate enough hours to equal a "full day." A full-day equivalent is 8 hours or more; half days are a minimum of 4 hours. Less than half days must be counted by the hour. However, if you are leading residential or field-based 24-hour programs, you may not count each day as 24 hours and then convert them to three "days of leadership." You may count only one day of leadership for each day you worked in such "round-the-clock" programs.

Questions?
If you have any questions about the 50-day leadership requirement, please contact:

Dr. Christian Bisson

Associate Professor of Outdoor Education

715-682-1324

cbisson@northland.edu

View and Print the Leadership Log as a PDF