DELANGIE, NICHOLAS BRIAN, Ed.D. Developing a Proposal for the Implementation of Adventure Education in Higher Education. (2019) Directed by Dr. Diane L. Gill. 55pp.

DELANGIE, NICHOLAS BRIAN, Ed.D. Developing a Proposal for the Implementation of Adventure Education in Higher Education. (2019) Directed by Dr. Diane L. Gill. 55pp. Adventure Education is the field of study that uses human-powered activities in the wilderness to facilitate both individual and group growth and development. Over the past few decades, this field has focused on a return to the natural environment to provide experiential learning for students to develop both technical skills and higher-level personal skills in leadership, facilitation, reflection, and group dynamics. With recent research supporting the educational value of experiential learning and the career-focused skills that are fostered in Adventure Education, institutions may want to consider adding Adventure Education. Based on a multi-faceted study consisting of 211 student surveys, four interviews with administrative personnel, a current program analysis across 15 institutions with Adventure Education programs, and 10 surveys from program personnel in existing Adventure Education programs, a proposal and implementation guide for institutions to adopt an Adventure Education program was developed. When applied to a private, four-year institution the conclusion was that program cost and a need for new faculty may be barriers too large to overcome. However, results pointed to a new direction - adding universal, general education courses focusing on the same type of lifeskills that Adventure Education offers. DEVELOPING A PROPOSAL FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ADVENTURE EDUCATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION by Nicholas Brian DeLangie A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education