OE 191/OE 192: Outdoor Living Skills

Fall 2015/2 Credits

Meeting Time: Monday, 1:00 5:00 PM at Gym Classroom /Outside near Lake Susan or at Montreat Campground
Mandatory Class Trip: Thursday, October 29 (8 a.m.) Sunday, November 1 (6 p.m.)
AND Thursday, November 5 (8 a.m.) Sunday November 8 (6 p.m.)
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Montreat College Mission
Christ-centered, Student-focused, Service-driven:
Equipping agents of transformation, renewal, and reconciliation.

Outdoor Education Department Mission

The purpose of the Outdoor Education department is to develop Christ-centered Outdoor Educators equipped
with historical & philosophical foundations, technical skills and teaching/leadership expertise.

INSTRUCTOR
Mark Mullert, Associate Professor of Outdoor Education Office: McAlester Gym / Hours: By Appointment*
Office Phone: # 3412 (*1:1 meetings by appointment are required for this class.)
Email: mmullert14@montreat.edu Please e-mail 24 hrs. in advance for a meeting time.)

COURSE DESCRIPTION
OE 190 provides students with the information and skills necessary to be safe, comfortable, and environmentally
sensitive while living in an outdoor environment. Emphasis is placed on the skills necessary to provide shelter, water,
and food. Foundational principles of map reading, orienteering, expedition behavior and safety, minimum impact
camping, and trip planning are also included. This course is intended to be an advanced outdoor skills course for those
intending to safely lead others in a wilderness setting. Course includes a required four-day, backpacking trip in
November. Prerequisite: OE 180 or permission of professor.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: At the conclusion of this course the student will be able to:
1. Articulate a Biblically-based rationale for taking personal or group trips into the outdoors. (MCEO 1.2)
2. Demonstrate sufficient competence to plan and lead a small group on a short backpacking trip. (MCEO 3, 5)
3. Demonstrate solid outdoor skills, such as selecting proper clothing and equipment, building a fire, orienteering,
and cooking enjoyable meals with a stove. (MCEO 3, 5)
4. Develop two lesson plans and teach topics related to basic outdoor living skills. (MCEO 2, 4, 5)
5. Identify and demonstrate the basic principles of low impact camping (LNT) and expedition behavior (EB) as
well as articulate a Scripture-based rationale for them. (MCEO 1.d, 1.f, 1.g., 3, 5)
6. Demonstrate an ability to do basic outdoor risk management, identifying common hazards and becoming
familiar with how to prevent injuries & illnesses and treat them. (MCEO 3, 5)
7. Articulate a more accurate self-assessment of outdoor skills and instruction based on self-evaluation, peer and
instructor feedback. (MCEO 3, 5, 6, 7)

REQUIRED TEXTS
1. Goldenberg, M. & Martin, B. (2007). Outdoor Adventures: Hiking & Backpacking. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

2. Pearson, C. (2004). NOLS Cookery. (5th Ed.) Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole.

3. Holy Bible Various Scriptural texts related to the benefits of experiencing Gods creation.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCE (On reserve in Library. This is very helpful for developing teaching lesson outlines.)
Drury, J. K., Bonney, B. F., Berman, D. & Wagstaff, M. C. (2005). The backcountry classroom: Lessons, tools
and activities for teaching outdoor leaders. (2nd Ed.). Guilford, CT: Falcon

1
REQUIRED SUPPLIES & PAPERWORK
Orienteering, base plate-style compass (Ask if you need to see an example.)
Properly-sized, broken-in hiking boots
Waterproof-breathable rain gear
NON-COTTON insulating clothing layers
Other personal items needed in preparation for class sessions and the expedition (List provided later.)
Acknowledgement and Assumption of Risk & Medical form. (To be read & signed by each student)

COURSE FEES
*All students will pay a $30 fee for food and supplies for the class trip.

COURSE STRUCTURE
This class will be split into two cohorts. One will meet the first part of the class and the second will meet for the
second half. There are a few days noted on the syllabus when both cohorts will be required to be present during the
entire 4 hour class period. There will also be a required night navigation lesson and a required field expedition. Please
note these on your calendar.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Attendance Due to the participatory nature of this course and only one class meeting per week, attendance at each
class session is very important. One class can be missed without penalty, excused or unexcused. Any other absences
will result in a 10% final grade reduction. (Students are responsible for all material and assignments missed.)
Additionally, completing the entire wilderness trip is required to gain a passing grade in OE 190.

If you miss class because of a Montreat College sanctioned activity (athletics, conference, etc) or illness and you
provide me with official written documentation (legitimate doctors note, official school excuse, etc.), you will be
allowed to make up individual work you may have missed on the day of your absence. Make-up work must be turned in
to me no later than the beginning of the next class period. After this point, make-up work will not be accepted.

2. Class Preparation & Readiness Please come to class each week prepared to go outside regardless of the weather. I
will contact you via e-mail if we are going to change the schedule and be inside the entire class period.

It is your responsibility to come to class with the readings and assignments completed. When a chapter or article is
listed on the schedule, it is your responsibility to come to class having already read the assigned passage(s). As it
regards group work, it is your responsibility to come to class prepared to fulfill your assigned role and contribute to
your group.

Your work will be evaluated for quality, clarity, and completeness. All written assignments must be typed and
double-spaced in 11 or 12-point font and submitted in paper copy unless otherwise instructed. The grade of any
written work with more than 10 spelling and grammatical errors will be reduced. Please use APA 6th Edition
(American Psychological Association) format for citing references. See www.apastyle.org for information.

3. Participation -- This is an interactive course and your input is highly valued! Each student is expected to come to
class ready and willing to participate (verbally) in the class discussion and (physically) in outdoor skills & activities. This
includes capably answering questions asked by the instructor and voluntarily adding content to the days discussion via
comments, stories, etc. as well as actively participating in the Outdoor Living Skills activities. Not only will this kind of
class contribution stimulate your learning, but others will benefit from hearing your thoughts, reactions, and insights.

Class participation will be graded with 5 points per class. There are 12 classes, for 60 total participation points. If you
arrive late or leave early you will not get participation credit, if you are absent you will not get participation credit, if you
sit in the back of the room and pretend to be listening, but are updating your Facebook status or texting your friends,
you will not get participation credit. Please folks no cell phones out during class.

4. Late Assignments You are expected to submit all assignments in person on the due date. Exceptions will be made
only by prior arrangement with the instructor.

2
5. Personal and Academic Conduct Students are expected to demonstrate courteous and Christ-like behavior towards
other class members. Please arrive to class with cell phones turned off and with food items you hope to eat stowed
away for a break time. Alcohol, drugs, tobacco and electronic devices (i-pods, cell-phones, laptop, etc.) are not
to be used during any class session or class trip.

Academic dishonesty, such as cheating on tests and plagiarizing essays, violates the fundamental trust underlying all
academic work: that the work be the product of the student who submitted it. Montreat College defines academic
dishonesty as the representation of anothers words, ideas, or images as ones own. When creating
lesson outlines use texts like Backcountry Classroom as a resource to doing your own work. Do NOT copy! Give
credit to the publication(s) that helped you create good lesson plans.

6. Respect -- Because of the interactive nature of this class, I demand that you exercise the utmost respect for your
classmates. It is perfectly acceptable to express opposing viewpoints and provide constructive criticism, but it is not
acceptable to insult, ridicule, or disregard one another. Additionally, just as I expect you to show respect for your peers,
I also expect respect towards class itself. Respect of this nature includes:
Listening attentively to the instructor and to others
Staying awake in class;
Saving other studying/reading/homework for later;
Not coming to class hung over or under the influence of drugs or alcohol;
Avoiding inappropriate or foul language;
Turning your cell phone to off or silent for the duration of the class (vibrate is not silent!); w Refraining
from texting during class (I will not hesitate to confiscate your phone until the end of class); w Avoiding
whispering to others and/or passing notes
*Blatant disregard for the respect policies of this class will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and may include point deductions in the area
of Class Participation.

7. Students with Disabilities - Students with disabilities who may need academic accommodations are asked to speak
with the professor within the first two weeks of class.

8. Writing Center To write a successful paper in this course, you will need to follow a process of planning, writing,
and revising your work. The Writing Center is available to assist you in becoming a better writer. The Center is located
on the 1st floor of the Library in Room 105. An appointment is not necessary. In addition, an excellent Internet
resource is available to you at all times--Purdue Universitys OWL (On-line Writing Lab). This site provides an always
on and authoritative resource for composition, grammar, and citation. The address is http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

Student Responsibility & Accountability:

As your instructor, I am always here to help. But it is your responsibility to take advantage of this resource. Take
initiative to ask any and all questions you have about readings, lectures, assignments, etc.... and avoid waiting until the
last minute to do so. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed. If you are late to class, it is
your responsibility to make sure I have counted you present. You are the master or your destiny in this class, not I.

This class will be outside for all or part of the class period. Please come prepared to go outside and learn in nature. We
may sit in the grass, we may be in the rain, we may go for a hike. You may want to bring something to sit on- crazy
creek or stadium chair. Flip-flops are not acceptable footwear in this class.

INSTRUCTOR INTERACTION

My Role: I am always here to assist you with your progress in this course Im on your team. Contrary to popular
belief, Im not here to make your life miserable; instead, my goal is to provide an engaging, fun learning environment
and equip you with practical skills & principles for operating safely in the outdoors. Please know that my office door is
always open. Feel free to utilize my designated office hours or make an appointment to discuss any issues you might be
having in the course.

Contacting Me: Email is the best and quickest way to reach me. I will always attempt to reply in a prompt fashion.

3
Contacting You: Throughout the semester, I will communicate with you regularly via email regarding assignments and
reminders. Moodle will also be utilized for posting information, assignments, and grades. Please make it a habit of
checking your designated Montreat College email account and Moodle on a regular basis.

OE 190/191: Tentative Class Schedule - Fall 2015

Date Description Read Prior Chapters/Pages prior to Class

Mon. 8/24 Introductions
Syllabus & Skill Signup
Hopes & Concerns / Medical & Risk forms
Lesson Plans Sample & Topic Guides
Mon. 8/31 Lesson 1: Shelter Construction & Basic Knots Hiking & Backpacking, Ch. 8
Mon. 9/7 NO CLASS LABOR DAY
Mon. 9/14 Lesson 2: Shelter Construction & Basic Knots
Fine Tuning Hiking & Backpacking, Ch. 8

Mon. 9/21 Lesson 3: Fire-building & Site Restoration https://lnt.org/blog/campfires

Mon. 9/28 Lesson 4: Fire Building & Site Restoration Hiking & Backpacking, p. 9-12 (LNT)
Mon. 10/5 Lesson 5: Leave No Trace Travelling Trainers Ethics Paper Assigned
(All 4 Hours Mandatory)

Mon. 10/12 Hiking & Backpacking Chapter 4: Finding your Way

Lesson 6: Land Navigation
Night Navigation Clinic Black Mountain Campus Environmental Ethics Paper Due
(2 hrs.)
Mon. 10/19 Outdoor Skills Olympics Hiking & Backpacking Chapter 5:
(All 4 hours Mandatory) Trail Safety & Survival Skills
Mon. 10/26 Group B Off Pack for Trip
Lesson 7: Trip Planning Considerations, Daily Travel
Plan & Risk Management Basics
Lesson 8: Personal & Group Equipment Requests
Clothing Check / Fit & Pack Backpack

Gear Shake Down Group A

Thurs. 10/29- GROUP A EXPEDITION Equipment Pack Out and Begin
Sun. 11/1 Equipment Pack Out and Begin 4-Day Group Expedition
4-Day Group Expedition Skill Checklist / LOD self-evaluation
Skill Checklist / Student self-evaluation
Mon. 11/2 Group A De-Issue Gear with Gear Room Staff Clean Gear

Lesson 7: Trip Planning Considerations, Daily Travel

Plan & Risk Management Basics
Lesson 8: Personal & Group Equipment Requests
Clothing Check / Fit & Pack Backpack

Gear Shake Down Group B Pack for Trip

Thurs. 11/5 -- GROUP B EXPEDITION Equipment Pack Out and Begin
11/8 Equipment Pack Out and Begin 4-Day Group Expedition
4-Day Group Expedition Skill Checklist / Student self-evaluation
Skill Checklist / Student self-evaluation

Mon. 11/9 Group B De-Issue Gear Expedition Debrief

Group A&B- Debrief Expedition with Individuals

Turn in Self Evaluation Reflection Paper Assigned

Mon. 11/16 Final Thoughts Course Eval
Looking forward to Spring Outdoor Living Skills Reflection Paper Due