| The purpose of the study was to document and interpret the NOLS Experience. The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) is a non-profit school headquartered in Lander, Wyoming and is recognized as a leader in the field of wilderness education for both adult and youth audiences.;The documentation consists of a chronology of people, places, and events critical to the founding of NOLS. Paul K. Petzoldt, Ernest (Tap) Tapley, the Colorado Outward Bound School, and events of 1965, the first year of NOLS' operation, are of special significance.;The analysis includes: (1) A comparison of NOLS to a generic model for the foundation of adult education institutions. (2) A definition of wilderness education--Wilderness education is: education in the wilderness, implying a place; education about the wilderness, implying a topic, and education for the wilderness, implying a reason. (3) A three-dimensional model-the Wilderness Education Matrix. The matrix is composed of: (a) a philosophy, experiential education; (b) a methodology, wilderness education; and (c) the domains of learning: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. (4) A three-dimensional model-the Wilderness Managers' Matrix. This matrix is composed of: (a) a philosophy, experiential education; (b) a methodology, wilderness education; and (c) the concept of carrying capacity. (5) Wilderness education is discussed as a preferred alternative to regulation in wilderness management. The author suggests that wilderness management and wilderness education programs can improve the judgment and performance of participants and instructiors by providing both primary and reflective experiences in, and about and for the wilderness that result in positive change in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domain. |
