Dates

November 11-December 2, 2020

Four live online sessions:

     Wednesday November 11, 11 am - 12 noon ET

     Wednesday November 18, 11 am - 12 noon ET

     Wednesday November 25, 11 am - 12 noon ET

     Wednesday December 2, 11 am - 12 noon ET

Independent individual and group work occur between live sessions.

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Outcomes

• Gain critical knowledge of best practices in outdoor program risk management

• Learn procedures, systems and plans essential to meeting key outdoor safety standards

• Understand how to apply successful risk management strategies to adventure programs, experiential education, wilderness expeditions, and outdoor trips

 

Valuable for

Program Coordinators/Managers, Risk Management officers, Risk Management/Safety Committee members, members of Boards of Directors, executive leadership. Leaders of outdoor, wilderness, travel, experiential and adventure programs.

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Course Format

The course is composed of four live video-conference sessions and three independent work periods:

 

1. Live sessions. Four live, video-conference sessions, one hour long, occurring 11 am – noon Eastern Time on consecutive Wednesdays.  This include structured real-time small-group and large-group discussions and participant project presentations. These take place starting Wednesday, November 11, ending December 2, 2020:

          Wednesday November 11, 11 am - 12 noon Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5)

          Wednesday November 18, 11 am - 12 noon Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5)

          Wednesday November 25, 11 am - 12 noon Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5)

          Wednesday December 2, 11 am - 12 noon Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5)

 

2. Independent work. Between live video-conferences, three independent work periods for individual and remote small-group activity. This work includes:

• Review of pre-recorded slide presentations with presenter video

• Completion of readings

• Participation in online discussion forums

• Participation in interactive video-based decision-making activities

• Completion of writing assignments (including writing risk management plan and strategic improvement plan content)

• Peer review of select classmate writing content

• Completion of organizational self-assessment

• Completion of online worksheets

• Participation in online risk decision-making role-playing scenario

• Structured analysis of case-study examples

• Completion of quizzes and final exam

 

These occur the weeks of November 12-18, November 19-25, and November 25-December 2, 2020.

Independent work is anticipated to take a minimum of 7-12 hours per week.

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Trainer/Facilitator

Jeff Baierlein, Director, Viristar Risk Management; past Executive Director at Outward Bound USA. 

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Language

English

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Cost

USD $259. Course fee includes four live sessions, materials for independent work sessions, an electronic copy of the course textbook Risk Management for Outdoor Programs: A Guide to Safety in Outdoor Education, Recreation and Adventure, and certification.

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Syllabus

Live Session 1

Welcome, Orientation, Introductory Concepts in Risk Management

 

Independent Work 1

General Concepts in Risk Management

• Approaches to Risk Management

• Standards

• Laws

 

Risk Domains

• Organizational Culture

• Activities and Program Areas

• Staff

• Equipment

• Participants

• Subcontractors

• Transportation

• Business Administration       

 

Live Session 2

Facilitated Discussion

Participant Presentations: Self-Evaluation of Risk Management in Risk Management Domains

 

Independent Work 2

Risk Management Instruments

• Risk Transfer

• Incident Management

• Incident Reporting

• Incident Reviews

• Risk Management Committee

• Medical Screening

• Risk Management Reviews

• Media Relations

• Documentation

• Accreditation

• Systems Thinking

 

Special Topic: COVID-19 Management

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Live Session 3

Facilitated Discussion

Participant Presentations: Self-Evaluation of Risk Management with Risk Management Instruments

 

Independent Work 3

Synthesis & Application

Risk Management Plan Development

Strategic Improvement Plan for Your Organization

Final Exam

 

Live Session 4

Facilitated Discussion

Participant Presentation: Strategic Improvement Plan for Your Organization

Conclusion & Certificates

 

Textbook

The course textbook is Risk Management for Outdoor Programs: A Guide to Safety in Outdoor Education, Recreation and Adventure (viristar.com/book). This 208-page text is provided to each student in electronic format.

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Certification

Participants take short quizzes throughout the course and a final written exam. Individuals who fully participate in learning activities and successfully complete the final exam receive a certificate from Viristar valid for three years.

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Previous Participants Say:

• “Viristar delivered a high quality training and I would recommend it to any outdoor program.”  Si Dilks, ChinaClimb

• “Extremely useful, important and informative course…very enjoyable and worthwhile.” Kelvin Fawcett, Nord Anglia International School

• “Great insight into risk management—took a lot away to implement back at my workplace. Very well run.  Great course!” Liam Warren, Harrow International School

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Registration

Enroll at https://www.aee.org/workshops-presentations#eesess. The course is being offered as an “Extended Education” workshop associated with the annual conference of the Association for Experiential Education, although anyone may enroll (and need not attend any other conference-related activities). Additional AEE conference information is available at aee.org. 

For more information, email [email protected].