Undergraduate - UnitEDF2174 - Outdoor education, learners and contexts

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Education
Offered	Peninsula First semester 2015 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Mr Beau Miles

Synopsis

This unit explores key aspects of personal and social wellbeing (physical, emotional and spiritual) and the role they play in the meanings and significances that participants attach to outdoor experiences. Students critically investigate outdoor education contexts via portrayals of outdoor environments in the media, scholarship, and the outdoor education sector. This includes how portrayals and perceptions of nature, wildness, wilderness, risk, recreation and conservation influence people's attitudes, values and behaviours in the outdoors. Specifically, the unit presents a case study of outdoor learners in local and regional communities and environments and how their experiences are impacted by broader cultural belief systems. This includes a study of the social and ecological pressures placed upon specific environments due to increasing levels of settlement, industry and changes in outdoor leisure participation.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit students should be able to:

demonstrate a theoretical understanding of the contribution of outdoor education to personal and social wellbeing
investigate outdoor education contexts and their portrayal using a range of environmental and cultural lenses
conduct a critical review of the potential of outdoor education contexts in relation to specific environments and communities
communicate understanding of social and ecological pressures placed upon outdoor environments via settlement, industry and leisure.

Assessment

Essay: Personal environmental ethics in a contemporary Australian context (2000 words, 50%)
Case study poster and presentation (2000 words or equivalent, 50%)

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload equals 144 hours per semester comprising:

(a.) Contact hours for on-campus students:

3-hour workshop per week for 6 weeks

(b.) Additional requirements:

independent study to make up the minimum required hours per week
1 day off-campus intensive

Chief examiner(s)

Mr Beau Miles

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Secondary health and physical education