NOLS Partnership Overview
NOLS Partnership Overview
Origin of the Partnership
The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism and the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) have maintained a productive, professional, and collegial partnership spanning more than 30 years.
Beginning in 1980, the two schools signed a memorandum of understanding through which NOLS students would receive University of Utah credits for participating in their NOLS expedition. As part of this agreement, the PRT faculty began yearly reviews of NOLS curriculum and instructor qualifications. Today, the relationship between the two organizations is characterized by high quality outcomes including process-oriented research, educational exchange, and an annual scholarship provided to a PRT student to attend a NOLS course.
NOLS Background
NOLS is a wilderness education school, established in Wyoming in 1964 by mountaineer and educator Paul Petzoldt. NOLS’ mission is to be the “leading source and teacher of wilderness skills and leadership that serve people and the environment.” In 1965, during their first summer of operation, NOLS served 100 students in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming. Today, over 4,000 students attend expeditions around the world annually, ranging from week-long wilderness adventures in the canyons of Utah to full academic year programs around the world. NOLS curriculum focuses on leadership, judgment and decision-making, communication, small group behavior, outdoor skills, and environmental awareness. Students are most typically college-age, although professional, adult, and youth programs are popular as well.
Educational Exchange
The partnership between NOLS and PRT has been sustained through educational exchange, reflecting a long-standing integration of research, teaching and field-based practice. PRT faculty have a long history of teaching for NOLS, including Kirk Nichols, Jim Sibthorp, Nate Furman, and Lisa Meerts-Brandsma. In addition, numerous PRT graduate students and adjunct faculty have contributed as NOLS instructors over the years.
NOLS Research Partnership
The partnership has also been served through research, primarily through the Outdoor Education and Youth Development Lab. Led by Jim Sibthorp and subsequently by Lisa Meerts-Brandsma, and Expedition Curriculum Manager Shannon Rochelle, a number of studies have been conducted on topics ranging from risk management to outcome achievement. Recent work has focused on the processes that lead to development and transfer of learning in adventure education.
Parks, Recreation, & Tourism Main Office
250 South 1850 East
Room 239, HPER North
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Phone: 801-581-8542
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