The Impact of an Outdoor Orientation Program on First-Year Student Perceptions of Life Effectiveness and Campus Integration

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by awa

Exploratory mixed-methods pilot research examines how an outdoor orientation program influences first-year students’ perceptions of life effectiveness and campus integration. Seven incoming students joined the Brock BaseCamp, a five-day Algonquin Park canoeing experience in Ontario, Canada, supported by networking with student facilitators and outdoor skill training. Using three pre/post surveys plus a later focus group, the study measures life effectiveness, sense of community, and sense of place, finding positive effects across all measures.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Study Design and Participants

Program Description (Brock BaseCamp)

Measures and Survey Instruments

Discussion Topics and Learning Goals

16 The Impact of an Outdoor Orientation Program on First-Year Student Perceptions of Life Effectiveness and Campus Integration Anna H. Lathrop, Timothy S. O’Connell, & Ryan A. Howard Brock University Although outdoor orientation programs, as a special type of orientation designed to enhance student retention, are relatively commonplace in the United States – we are not aware of any such campuswide initiatives in Canada. Research indicates that outdoor orientation programs impact students ina positive way, enhancing academic success, personal development, and integration into campus life. This exploratory, mixed methods pilot study reports on the results of an investigation that administered three pre andpost surveys that measured indicators of “Life Effectiveness,” “Sense of Community,”and“Sense of Place” on a group of seven, first-year students who participated on a five-day canoeing trip in the wilderness of Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada. The program, entitled “Brock BaseCamp,”exposed students to a curriculum that included networking with student facilitators about campus life, in addition to acquiring technical skills of canoeing and outdoor living. Results indicated that students were positively influenced in all three measures and that the Brock BaseCamp experience enhanced their social integration into campus life. Introduction C anadian universities in the 21st century face the challenges of lower enrolments, enhanced global competition, and the desire to increase and foster diversity. In the province of Ontario, the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) has issued a report that indicates the Ontario university system will begin to follow a model of differentiation defined on the basis of structure, type of programs offered, how research and teaching are provided, institutional status, and student composition (Rae, 2005) . This model is also hinged to a move toward greater accountability and the development of performance indicators (such as the National Survey of Student Engagement, or NSSE) that determine whether universities are meeting the outcomes expected of them – including student retention. One strategy to enhance student success and promote student retention, driven by statistics that indicate that over 20% of students who enter university fail to complete their degrees (Finnie & Qiu, 2009), are first-year or pre-term orientation programs (Hollins, 2009) . The goals of these orientation programs are to provide information in the form of education and peer network support that will lead to higher levels of academic performance, emotional and social maturity, and a more positive view of the institution. These first-year programs have historically been delivered as classroom-based, theory-oriented courses, seminars and/or support group interventions (Lamothe et al., 1995; Tinto, 1997) . Over the past several decades in the United States, a number of universities have adopted an alternative approach to orientation program delivery– one that includes a wilderness component designed to enhance personal growth (Davis-Berman & Berman, 1996), positive peer relationships (Gass, Garvey, Sugarman, 2003), academic performance (Oldmixon, 2007), and retention (Wolfe & Kay, 2011) . Barefoot and Koch (2011) report that over 20% of the 1,300 public and private colleges and universities they surveyed offered pre-term orientation programs with a wilderness or outdoor education component. Interestingly, we are not aware of any such campuswide wilderness orientation programs for first-year students in Canadian universities or colleges. This exploratory pilot study was designed to assess the impact of one such outdoor orientation program, entitled Brock BaseCamp, on students’personal development and their integration into university life. The program was initiated at Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario – a medium sized university (with 17,000 full-time students) located atop the Niagara Es

FAQs

What outdoor orientation program was evaluated in the study?

The study evaluated Brock BaseCamp, a five-day wilderness canoeing trip in Algonquin Park, Ontario, focused on outdoor skills and structured discussions about student life.

How many first-year students participated, and what was the program length?

Seven incoming first-year students participated, and the program ran for five days during the summer of 2010.

How were students’ perceptions measured?

Researchers administered three surveys (pre-trip, post-trip, and four months later) and conducted a post-trip focus group, measuring life effectiveness, sense of community, and sense of place.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by awa