Adventure learning

Adventure Learning (AL) ^[1] is a hybrid distance education approach defined in 2006 by Aaron Doering, a 2008 Tech Awards (http://www.techawards.org) laureate and associate professor at the University of Minnesota. AL provides students with opportunities to explore real-world issues through authentic learning experiences within collaborative online learning environments, and is anchored in experiential and inquiry-based learning.^[2] It includes educational activities that work in conjunction with the authentic experiences of 'researchers' in the field. For example, within an AL program, the curriculum, the experiences and observations of the researchers, and the online collaboration and interaction opportunities for participating learners are delivered synchronously so that learners are able to make connections between what is happening in the real world and their studies, and then reflect on those events and present potential solutions to issues that are raised.^[3]

History

In the early 1990s, explorers such as Will Steger, Dan Buettner, Robert Ballard, Lonnie Dupree, Paul Pregont, and Mille Porsild began experimenting with ways to use technology to connect classrooms with their experiences on the trail. The Jason program pushed the envelope of transmitting from the field as they communicated while diving the ocean, and Classroom Connect generated a comprehensive curriculum and learning objectives tied to the field experiences, drawing in learners with their "student-choose-the-route" approach. Advances were made with Arctic Blast 2001, in which schools were able to collaborate online on tasks within a secure space as well as participate in moderated chats with subject-matter experts using Lotus Notes, Sametime Chat, and Quickplaces, earning the IBM Beacon Award for best educational use worldwide of IBM technologies in 2002.

In 2006, Aaron Doering published the first established definition, framework, and guiding principles of adventure learning. The guiding principles were refined by Doering and Charles Miller in 2009.^[4] The first adventure learning program “supported by theory and long-term research”^[5] was the GoNorth! Adventure Learning Series of circumpolar Arctic dogsledding expeditions, which reached millions of learners worldwide and explored such topics as sustainability, the environment, science, and traditional cultures. Other examples of adventure learning projects include Earthducation, the Project, Ride To Learn with the To Learn Series, and the Quest series of bicycle treks (e.g., see ).

Guiding Principles

The adventure learning framework includes nine principles (Fig. 1):

• the identification of an issue and respective location of exploration
• a researched curriculum grounded in problem-solving that guides the progression and evolution of the AL program
• collaboration and interaction opportunities between students, experts, peers, explorers, and content
• education that is adventure-based
• exploration of the issue, environment, local population, culture, and additional relevant factors that provide an authentic narrative for students and teachers to follow
• design and utilization of an Internet-driven learning environment for curricular organization, collaboration, and media delivery
• enhancement of the curriculum with media (e.g., photos, video, audio, etc.) and text delivered from the field in a timely manner
• synched learning opportunities with the AL curriculum and online learning environment
• pedagogical integration guidelines and strategies for the curriculum and online learning environment

Figure 1. Guiding principles of the AL framework^[6]

Adventure Learning Project Examples

Earthducation 2010-2014 A series of 8 expeditions to climate hotspots on all 7 continents over the course of 4 years designed to create a world narrative of the dynamic intersections between education and sustainability.

Ride To Learn 2012 - 2014 Inaugural 'To Learn' adventure following a 30,000-kilometre circumnavigation of the world by bicycle while exploring the supply chain of T-shirts, shoes, and bicycles. The To Learn series explores sustainable and humane solutions through adventure with a Solution-Focussed perspective.

GoNorth! Beringia 2011-2012 The first of the GoNorth! South! West! East! adventure learning series, a series of four expeditions that will bring learners to the ancient Arctic Beringia in Alaska and Chukotka, to Patagonia ice sheets, to Mongolia's steppe, and to eastern Europe's mountain ranges, exploring sustainable development of the Earth's resources.

GoNorth! 2010 Greenland Brought focus to the oceans, to Greenland, and to the Kalaallit people as the team explored approaches to sustainable development of the ocean’s resources, sharing their journey and discoveries with millions of schoolchildren around the world.

GoNorth! 2009 Nunavut Explored the consequences of transboundary pollution as the team traveled along the spine of Baffin Island and up the coast of the Arctic Ocean and Baffin Bay in the land of the Inuktitut people.

GoNorth! 2008 Fennoscandia Explored Sapmi, the ancient land of the Sami people, a 1,000 miles by dogsled across Arctic Sweden, Finland, and Norway investigating the issues of deforestation.

GoNorth! 2007 Chukotka Traveling to what is considered the most remote Arctic region, Team GoNorth! explored culture and the use of mineral resources in the last secret outpost of the former Soviet Union. Geographically isolated, the peninsula is considered one of the least known places on earth.

GoNorth! 2006 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Traveled from Circle Alaska, 5000 feet across Brooks Mountain Range through ANWR to the coastal plain of the Arctic Ocean, exploring the Inupiat and Gwich'in cultures and our use of oil as a natural resource extracted in this region.

Arctic Transect 2004 A 6-month, 2,000-mile traverse of the Canadian Arctic from Yellowknife, NWT, to Pond Inlet, Nunavut.

Pimagihowan 2002-2003 Working with the Oji-Cree people, this expedition set out over a two-year period to explore the land of the Hudson Bay region, the seasons, and use of natural resources.

Arctic Blast 2001 Journeyed through the newly established territory of Nunavut in Canada on a 4-month, 2,500-mile expedition from Churchill on the southern border of Nunavut to the most northern community in North America, Grise Fiord.

References

Related Works

Veletsianos, G., Doering, A., & Henrickson, J. (2012). Field-based professional development of teachers engaged in distance education: experiences from the Arctic. Distance Education, 33(1), 45-59.

Koseoglu, S., & Doering, A. (2011). Understanding Complex Ecologies: An Investigation of Student Experiences in Adventure Learning Programs. Distance Education, 32(3), 339-355.

Moos, D., and Honkomp, B. (2011). Adventure learning: Motivating students in a Minnesota middle school. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 43(3), 231–252.

Doering, A., Scharber, C., Riedel, E. & Miller, C. (2010). “Timber for President”: Adventure Learning and Motivation. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 21(4), 483-513.

Veletsianos, G., & Doering, A. (2010). Long-term student experiences in a hybrid, open-ended and problem based Adventure Learning program. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(2), 280-296.

Veletsianos, G. (2010). A small-scale adventure learning activity and its implications for higher education practice and research. in education, 16(1).

Veletsianos, G., & Kleanthous, I. (2009). A review of adventure learning. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 10(6), 84–105.

Veletsianos, G. & Eliadou, A. (2009). Conceptualizing the Use of Technology to Foster Peace via Adventure Learning. The Internet and Higher Education, 12, 63-70.

Doering, A., & Veletsianos, G. (2008). What lies beyond effectiveness and efficiency? Adventure Learning Design. The Internet and Higher Education, 11(3-4), 137-144.

Miller, C., Veletsianos, G., & Doering, A. (2008). Curriculum at forty below: A phenomenological inquiry of an educator explorer’s experiences with adventure learning in the Arctic. Distance Education, 29(3), 253-267.

Doering, A., & Veletsianos, G. (2008). Hybrid online education: Identifying integration models using Adventure Learning. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41(1), 101-119.

Doering, A., Miller, C., & Veletsianos, G. (2008). Adventure Learning: Educational, social, and technological affordances for collaborative hybrid distance education. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 9(3), 249-266.

Doering, A., & Veletsianos, G. (2007). Multi-Scaffolding Learning Environment: An Analysis of Scaffolding and Its Impact on Cognitive Load and Problem-Solving Ability. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 37(2), 107-129.

Doering, A. (2006). Adventure learning: Transformative hybrid online education. Distance Education, 27(2), 197-215.

Enloe, W., Fallon, T., & Goetz, S (2000). Project Circles: The World School for Adventure Learning. Center for Global Environmental Education, University of Hamline.