Course

Summer Outdoor & Alternative Environment Physical Education

Faculty
Science & Technology
Department
Sport Science
Course code
SPSC 1318
Credits
3.00
Semester length
Number of weeks vary depending on condensed format
Max class size
24
Method(s) of instruction
Seminar
Field Experience
Other
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
In this applied course, experiential education is used to teach students how to incorporate K-12 curricular requirements into alternative learning environments during the summer and fall. Topics include risk assessment and management, organization and planning, environmental ethics, and pedagogical strategies for outdoor physical education environments. Participation in, and planning of, aquatic and land activities is a course requirement. Field trips will be required. These field trips may take place outside of scheduled class hours and include an overnight trip. This course acknowledges that Outdoor Experiential Education is congruent with First Nation Epistemology.
Course content
Outdoor and Alternative Environment Settings 

  • aquatic and land-based settings 

  • seasonal considerations 

  • school-based alternatives 

 

Risk Management 

 

Physical Literacy and Dynamic System Considerations in Alternative Environments 

  • individual dimensions: affective, cognitive and psychomotor 

  • task and complexity structure 

  • environmental considerations 

 

Lesson and Unit Planning for Outdoor and Alternative Environment Settings 

  • safety considerations 

  • transportation planning 

  • learning outcomes 

  • equipment needs 

  • planned activities 

  • identify links to the BC Ministry of Education’s core competencies and other curricular areas 

  • assessment and evaluation strategies 

  • budgeting 

 

Practical topic selection will depend on instructor experience, student experience, and availability of resources. The following list is a sample of possible alternative environment activities  

  • land-based examples 

  • hiking 

  • backpacking 

  • rock climbing 

  • camping 

  • orienteering 

  • outdoor cycling 

  • high/low ropes course 

  • horseback riding 

  • caving 

  • water-based examples 

  • windsurfing 

  • rowing 

  • kayaking 

  • sailing 

  • waterskiing 

  • canoeing 

  • survival techniques 

  • snorkeling 

  • rafting 

 

Instructional Strategies 

  • alternative teaching approaches 

  • incorporation of cooperative, inquiry, personal and social responsibility models of instruction 

  • class management strategies 

  • developmentally appropriate technical progressions 

  • principles of effectively planning curriculum for classes according to seasonal activities 

Learning activities
  • Experiential learning
  • Discussion Groups 
  • Practical applications and experiences
  • Field observation
  • Peer-led / Peer Teaching
  • Problem-based
  • Place-based

 

Means of assessment

Assessment will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. The instructor will present a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester. Evaluation will be based on the following:

Professionalism  10% to 20%
Exams               10% to 30%
Presentations     15% to 25%
Activity proposal  20% to 40%
Total                  100%

Note: Students are required to attend a minimum of 80% of scheduled course activities in order to receive a final grade of C- or higher in the course. Students who do not attend a minimum of 80% of scheduled course activities will receive a UN grade.

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • design and execute an outdoor alternative environment education lesson plan suitable for K-12 students with a complete risk management assessment;
  • provide summative and formative feedback on peers' outdoor and alternative environment education lesson plans;
  • safely supervise outdoor and alternative environment activities;
  • identify age-appropriate outdoor and alternative environment sites for K-12 students;
  • describe and apply Outdoor Experiential Education strategies and theory;
  • utilize the “ethics of care” approach to identify environmental concerns and demonstrate low environmental impact strategies;
  • identify the overlaps with First Nation Epistemology and Outdoor Experiential Education methodology and philosophy.
Textbook materials

Consult the Douglas College Bookstore for the latest required textbooks and materials. Supplementary materials (i.e., article readings) or a coursepack for SPSC 1318 may be required. Depending on the activity involved, students may incur a cost associated with transportation and/or equipment requirements for the course.

Requisites

Prerequisites

No prerequisite courses.

Corequisites

No corequisite courses.

Equivalencies

No equivalent courses.

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer details for SPSC 1318
Alexander College (ALEX) No credit
Camosun College (CAMO) CAMO KIN 135 (3)
Coast Mountain College (CMTN) No credit
College of New Caledonia (CNC) No credit
College of the Rockies (COTR) COTR KNES 1XX (3)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) No credit
Langara College (LANG) LANG KINS 1XXX (3)
Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) No credit
Okanagan College (OC) No credit
Trinity Western University (TWU) TWU HKIN 1XX (3)
University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) No credit
University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) No credit
University of Northern BC (UNBC) UNBC ORTM 332 (3)
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV KPE 1XX (3)
Vancouver Island University (VIU) VIU KIN 270 (4)

Course Offerings

Winter 2025