Adventure Learning is a hybrid distance education

Distance education

Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...

 approach pioneered by Aaron Doering, a 2008 Tech Awards laureate and associate professor at the University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

. It provides students with opportunities to explore real-world issues through authentic learning experiences within collaborative learning environments, and is anchored in experiential

Experiential learning

Experiential learning is the process of making meaning from direct experience. Simply put, Experiential Learning is learning from experience. The experience can be staged or left open. Aristotle once said, "For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them." David A...

 and inquiry-based learning

Inquiry-based learning

Inquiry-based learning or inquiry-based science describes a range of philosophical, curricular and pedagogical approaches to teaching....

. The AL approach 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 travel 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.

History

The adventure learning framework was originally conceived and defined by Aaron Doering in 2006, and then later refined by Doering and Charles Miller in 2009. The first adventure learning program “supported by theory and long-term research” was the GoNorth! Adventure Learning Series of circumpolar Arctic dogsledding expeditions, which reached millions of learners worldwide and explored topics such as climate change, sustainability, Arctic culture, and traditional knowledge. Other examples of adventure learning projects include Earthducation, the Jason Project, and the Quest series of bicycle treks (e.g., see http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/classroomconnect/maya/index.html).

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

Adventure Learning Project Examples

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

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
The team traveled 1,000 miles by dogsled across Arctic Sweden, Finland, and Norway in the Sápmi region, investigating the issues of deforestation with the Sámi people.

GoNorth! 2007 Chukotka
Traveling to what is considered the most remote Arctic region, the team 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
The team journeyed across northeastern Alaska through the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, stopping at five Native communities and one oil platform along the way. This program explored the impact of oil exploration and sustainable development of the Earth’s natural resources.

Arctic Transect 2004
A 6-month, 3,000-mile traverse of the Canadian Arctic from Yellowknife, NWT, to Pond Inlet, Nunavut, this expedition documented climate change in the Arctic. The team met with Inuit Elders and students enroute and explored traditional ecological knowledge in the remote communities along the trail.

Related Works

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.