Out There Learning: Critical Reflections on Off-Campus Study Programs - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1487523149 ISBN 13: 9781487523145

Publisher: University of Toronto Press, 2019

Synopsis

Universities across North America and beyond are experiencing growing demand for off-campus, experiential learning. Exploring the foundations of what it means to learn "out there," Out There Learning is an informed, critical investigation of the pedagogical philosophies and practices involved in short-term, off-campus programs or field courses. Bringing together contributors’ individual research and experience teaching or administering off-campus study programs, Out There Learning examines and challenges common assumptions about pedagogy, place, and personal transformation, while also providing experience-based insights and advice for getting the most out of faculty-led field courses.

Divided into three sections that investigate aspects of pedagogy, ethics of place, and course and program assessment, this collection offers "voices from the field" highlighting the experiences of faculty members, students, teaching assistants, and community members engaged in every aspect of an off-campus study programs. Several chapters examine study programs in the traditional territories of Indigenous communities and in the Global South. Containing an appendix highlighting some examples of off-campus study programs, Out There Learning offers new pathways for faculty, staff, and college and university administrators interested in enriching the experience of non-traditional avenues of study.

About this title

About the Author

Deborah Curran is associate professor in the Faculty of Law and School of Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria.
Cameron Owens is associate teaching professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Victoria.
Helga Thorson is associate professor and chair in the Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies at the University of Victoria.

Elizabeth Vibert is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Victoria. She is the author of Traders' Tales: Narratives of Cultural Encounters in the Columbia Plateau, 1807-1846 (University of Oklahoma Press, 2000).

Review

"I am stunned, inspired, and in admiration of the work and thoughtfulness that has gone into Out There Learning. From the selection of contributors, to the range of topics and disciplines covered, to the depth of the theoretical discussions, this is undoubtedly a significant contribution to the literature on short-term off-campus experiential learning programs. The various perspectives on transformational learning are rich and offer some of the best, and most rigorously informed, discussions of transformational learning for study abroad that I have seen."

(Rebecca Hovey, Dean of the Office for International Study, Smith College)

"Out There Learning makes several important contributions to the field through its coverage of a diverse range of disciplines, types of fieldwork, evaluation, and outcomes. Most importantly, it provides an overview of research on the transformative potential of short-term off-campus programs from both cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives, examining several theoretical advances and practical challenges."

(Kate Lloyd, Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Planning, Macquarie University)

"A welcome contribution to literature on off-campus programs, Out There Learning will help instructors better design, implement, and evaluate student learning experiences."

(Christian Brannstrom, Professor in the Department of Geography, Texas A&M University)

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Toronto Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1487523149
• ISBN 13: 9781487523145
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 296
• Editor: Curran Deborah Louise, Owens Cameron, Thorson Helga, Vibert Elizabeth