Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Category
Social Sciences/Humanities
Abstract/Artist Statement
Studies have documented the value of undergraduate outdoor academic programs (OAPs) (Turner et al., 2022) from the perspective of outdoor industry employers (Maningas & Simpson, 2003; Seaman et al., 2017) but few have explored OAP alumni perspectives (Prince, 2005). This perspective is critical to increasing understanding of OAPs. Therefore, this study aimed to explore alumni perspectives on experiences in OAPs and which components of their degree they perceived to be impactful on their careers.
Methods
The research reported here is part of a larger mixed methods study (Fuesler et al., 2025) that used a Significant Life Experience (SLE) theoretical framework (Daniel, 2003). Daniel et al.’s (2022) SLE survey was modified to be OAP- and career-specific, making this the first known time an SLE framework has been narrowed in scope to be career-specific. OAP alumni from three universities were emailed a Qualtrics survey with questions about learning outcomes and a Likert scale to rank OAP components. The quantitative responses were analyzed for frequency (Privitera, 2020) and the qualitative analysis followed Creswell & Creswell’s (2022) five-step coding process.
Results & Discussion
130 alumni completed the survey, although not all respondents answered each question (e.g., 124 respondents answered the question about employment status). When asked if the knowledge learned in their OAP was transferable to their career, 89% (n=110) of respondents said yes, 9% (n=11) said maybe, and 2% (n=3) said no. Of the 97% (n=120) of employed graduates, 42% (n=50) classified their career in the outdoor field. Participants ranked a pre-determined list of their degree program components according to perceived impact, and results indicate immersion semesters, faculty mentorship, and internships were the most impactful. These findings improve our understanding of the value of these programs and may go on to impact the design of OAPs.
Mentor Name
Abigail Fuesler
OAP SLE Poster Presentation GradCon 2025 Fuesler
Alumni Perspectives of Outdoor Academic Program Components
UC North Ballroom
Studies have documented the value of undergraduate outdoor academic programs (OAPs) (Turner et al., 2022) from the perspective of outdoor industry employers (Maningas & Simpson, 2003; Seaman et al., 2017) but few have explored OAP alumni perspectives (Prince, 2005). This perspective is critical to increasing understanding of OAPs. Therefore, this study aimed to explore alumni perspectives on experiences in OAPs and which components of their degree they perceived to be impactful on their careers.
Methods
The research reported here is part of a larger mixed methods study (Fuesler et al., 2025) that used a Significant Life Experience (SLE) theoretical framework (Daniel, 2003). Daniel et al.’s (2022) SLE survey was modified to be OAP- and career-specific, making this the first known time an SLE framework has been narrowed in scope to be career-specific. OAP alumni from three universities were emailed a Qualtrics survey with questions about learning outcomes and a Likert scale to rank OAP components. The quantitative responses were analyzed for frequency (Privitera, 2020) and the qualitative analysis followed Creswell & Creswell’s (2022) five-step coding process.
Results & Discussion
130 alumni completed the survey, although not all respondents answered each question (e.g., 124 respondents answered the question about employment status). When asked if the knowledge learned in their OAP was transferable to their career, 89% (n=110) of respondents said yes, 9% (n=11) said maybe, and 2% (n=3) said no. Of the 97% (n=120) of employed graduates, 42% (n=50) classified their career in the outdoor field. Participants ranked a pre-determined list of their degree program components according to perceived impact, and results indicate immersion semesters, faculty mentorship, and internships were the most impactful. These findings improve our understanding of the value of these programs and may go on to impact the design of OAPs.