Course Descriptions

This course provides an overview of the commercial outdoor recreation industry within the context of the overall tourism industry. Students examine the relationship between outdoor recreation and the other tourism sectors, including the economic, environmental, cultural and social impact of outdoor recreation in the tourism industry. This course is designed to immerse students in a variety of evolving issues and trends that impact the industry including Indigenous tourism, technology and community-based tourism.

This course introduces students to the natural environment of British Columbia in the context of commercial outdoor recreation. Students interpret the physical landscape and weather systems of British Columbia in a manner appropriate to wilderness guiding or other commercial outdoor recreation settings. The course includes geology, hydrology, oceanography, glaciology, and atmospheric science with a focus on interpreting weather. This course includes an overnight field trip.

This course provides an overview of the field skills for the developing outdoor leader. Students are introduced to wilderness travel, outdoor living, navigation, environmental ethics, and leadership. This course is the foundation from which all other skills courses will build. Students will develop skills for planning and managing hiking activities to lead a one-day trip into basic hiking terrain. Successful students will earn the Outdoor Council of Canada Field Leader (Hiking) Certification.

This course aims to engage the student with a number of global dilemmas and issues. The relationship between individuals, society and the natural world is examined. It incorporates the central concepts of sustainability in working within tourism and our day-to-day lives. Students will gain a deeper appreciation for their interconnectedness to the Earth both as consumer and citizen.

Students will develop skills to interpret the natural environment, through the application of the principles and concepts of ecology, the identification of flora and fauna, and the interpretation of local ecosystems. Contemporary stewardship issues facing Southwest British Columbia will be highlighted. The importance of indigenous knowledge and perspectives along with concepts of habitat protection and biodiversity for the future of the tourism and outdoor recreation industry will be emphasised through local and global case studies.

An introductory course in first aid skills pertaining specifically to the wilderness environment.

This course will provide career counselling, job search coaching, feedback, tips, tools and techniques for outdoor recreation educational and career development through one-on-one meetings, class workshops, industry forums, and networking opportunities. Course work will focus on defining and developing skills necessary for the job search process. The course will provide tools and strategies to prepare students to research, apply for, and secure an appropriate placement in the outdoor recreation industry. Confidence in interview skills and presentation skills will be strengthened through workshop activities. Students will develop a personal career plan to help in identifying workplace opportunities consistent with defined career and educational goals.

This course is designed to increase the students' understanding of experiential and transformational leadership, and to help build the skills required to be effective outdoor educators and leaders. Students will develop experiential educational techniques and skills, to lead outdoor education and instructional programs. The course will provide a set of engaged, hands-on experiences for exploring and mastering the capabilities for effective individual and team leadership. Students will improve their capacities to think strategically, communicate effectively, and act decisively as a leader.

This course familiarizes students with developing, owning and operating their own businesses in tourism and outdoor recreation. Students will be introduced to entrepreneurship concepts, principles and processes as they apply specifically to the tourism industry. Students will gain an understanding of the business planning process by generating innovative ideas for small to medium sized tourism enterprises, evaluating those ideas, preparing formal business plans, and pitching their plans to the class.

In a world that is becoming more focused on environmental and social issues this course empowers students to develop skills to be change agents in their communities. Through the assessment, design, and execution of the course project, students will work within their community to create positive social or environmental change. Through reflection, measurement and reporting they will be able to quantify the impact they have made and take their abilities further to make a larger impact in the world.

The student co-op work experience is designed to provide a period of full-time, productive, paid employment in the field of outdoor recreation. The co-op work experience enables the student to apply classroom theory and skills to employment practices. It provides the student, faculty, and the employer with a measuring device for assessing the student's approach to full-time employment.

This extensive second level course includes patient assessment and extended first aid care, communication, oxygen therapy, and commercial splints.