A session that has a theme of outcomes of experiential programs in varied contexts is both exciting and pressing. The three studies in Session IV all addressed relevant issues to experiential programming and all the authors were faced with the empirical challenge of demonstrating how and/or if their programs achieve what they say they are going to…

Do researchers make a difference with the research they conduct? Most people would like to think so. In this paper, the author argues that much of the research conducted by researchers is guided primarily by personal interests and needs and not because of professional needs or identified gaps in knowledge. The author also argues that experiential…

There has been rising concern about the disconnect between universities, their communities and society at large. This is of special interest to professional schools, whose missions are founded on connecting practice and theory. We argue that cooperative inquiry, an action-based methodology, can help foster connectedness and contribute to healing…

Effective outdoor management development programs have certain features: emotional intensity, psychological safety, consequences, enhancement of self-confidence, use of metaphors, unpredictability, peak performance experiences, multiple skill/knowledge types, development of the whole person, and focus on transfer. They succeed because they sustain…

Five questions that can help trainers implement effective outdoor experiential training are (1) what is to be accomplished? (2) why outdoors? (3) what type of facilitator is needed? (4) what role does the trainer play? and (5) who should attend? (JOW)

This introduction to a special issue reviews the community service movement in the 1960s-70s, current calls for youth involvement in community service, and the semantic differences related to the term "service learning." (SK)

Addresses the coherence of the principles of action learning, the consequences of employing certain variants in school management courses, the implications for action learning of research into effective training, and the need for thorough evaluation. (Author)

The article offers a commencement-based (as opposed to a credential-based) model of secondary education for individuals with mild mental retardation. Five model components stress process, personal experience, adult community success, circular individualized education plans, and time as the validator of program effectiveness. (Author/DB)

Includes "Outdoor Training: Revolution or Fad?" (Wagner, Baldwin, Roland); "Getting the Most out of Outdoor Training" (Buller, Cragun, McEvoy); and "Outdoor Training Companies" (a directory of more than 100 firms). (JOW)

Effective adventure programming is explained in terms of the "significant learning" experience, involving periods of tension, questioning, and transfer during personal and social learning. Adventure programming that is supportive, adaptive, and properly sequenced maximizes the potential of significant learning. Trust- and…

Proposes the use of experiential workshops as an effective educational approach to assessing and influencing the attitudes of nurses, the primary providers of care for elderly patients with multiple health problems. (JOW)

Equipment use in outdoor education is secondary to having clear goals and sound pedagogy. Examples from the authors' 21-day canoe expeditions to the Canadian tundra illustrate how the reflection component of an outdoor program can mitigate the potential negative side effects of emerging technology. Involving the group in decisions concerning…

Explains how training simulations can make on-the-job learning faster and safer by providing hands-on experience and controlled environments. Offers tips for assessing the costs and designing and effective simulation. (Author)

Recognizes that, although advocates of experiential learning feel that participation has a profound effect on one's life, concrete evidence to support this contention is lacking. Suggests that lack of such evidence may be due to the fact that the effects of experiential education do not become apparent until later in life. (Author/GC)

If distributive educators are concerned with providing the best training available, cooperative vocational education must not be viewed as an add-on to the distributive education program. The cooperative program can provide the opportunity students need to hone the skills, knowledge, and attitudes initially developed within the local distributive…