Curriculum

A lone pine tree sits perfectly before a mountain lake during a sunset.

Learning Goals

NOLS courses teach wilderness and leadership skills on expeditions and in classrooms. You will apply these skills to challenges in a supportive learning culture with high expectations. You’ll have the opportunity for a positive, transformational experience and leave your course inspired and empowered to act.

We craft NOLS courses so graduates will be able to:

Assume leadership roles
Live and travel in the outdoors
Act with confidence and competence
Respect and collaborate with others on expeditions, on teams, and in communities
Care for themselves and others
Understand their strengths, habits, and areas for growth
Function under difficult circumstances
Make informed and thoughtful decisions
Communicate effectively
Connect with natural places
Appreciate living simply

Students enjoying sailing out in the Pacific Northwest.

Leadership

NOLS teaches leadership as, “situationally appropriate action that directs or guides your group to set and achieve goals.” Students will be able to:

Serve a team in a variety of roles: self leader, peer leader, designated leader, and active follower
Demonstrate good expedition behavior—take initiative, balance group and personal goals, and remain respectful and inclusive of their team members
Demonstrate competence
Communicate effectively
Make sound decisions
Display a tolerance for adversity and uncertainty
Demonstrate self awareness
Display initiative by setting and achieving goals

Students backpacking the Talkeetna Mountain Range

Wilderness Skills

NOLS teaches the expedition skills necessary to live and travel in the wilderness. Students will be able to:

Live comfortably (select a campsite; set up shelter; organize, pack, and maintain gear; cook; manage nutrition; and use clothing as protection from the elements)
Travel (hike, climb, paddle, row, sail, ski, snowboard, cave, and/or horsepack)
Navigate using maps, charts, compass, GPS, and/or terrain
Prevent, assess, and treat injury and illness in the wilderness

Risk Management

NOLS teaches risk management by applying leadership and wilderness skills and facilitating experiences to develop judgment. Students will be able to:

Identify and assess hazards and understand risks in the wilderness
Use technical skills, leadership, judgment, and situational awareness to manage risks
Use risk management terminology and models to assess and communicate decisions and actions
Create and implement contingency plans

Environmental Studies

NOLS connects students to wild places. Students will be able to:

Explore the natural world through observation and application of ecological concepts
Develop a sense of place by experiencing wilderness and exploring relationships with their surroundings
Articulate an environmental ethic
Understand land management and environmental issues
Apply Leave No Trace principles to camping and travel

A student rappelling down the spectacular Golden Cathedral in Neon Canyon.

Supporting Your Goals

Your course will use experiential learning, a process that engages you in a direct experience and focused reflection to maximize your learning. You will practice skills in real time and actively reflect on them. Educational tools we use to help maximize your learning include:

Briefing an activity before we begin: designing a plan of action or integrating learning from previous experiences
Debriefing an activity after it’s completed: reflecting on what happened to maximize learning
Community building: a crucial element of leadership is actively building healthy, inclusive, and supportive learning teams where individuals strive to understand each other and invest in each other's growth
Scenarios: simulations that allow us to practice skills in ways that reflect real-life variables
Expedition skills (climbing, paddling, backpacking, sailing etc.): our backcountry activities both teach us how to travel in the wilderness and provide the challenges that support other learning objectives (leadership, wilderness medicine, risk management, etc.)
Direct instruction: whether the classroom is in a building or the wilderness, our passionate educators deliver effective, focused content based on specific learning objectives
Challenge: we avoid contrived challenge but seek opportunities for genuine challenge within our programs to enhance experiences and maximize learning
Fun: fostering a fun environment remains a foundational tool for bringing people together and supporting learning