What Programs Can Learn from a Study of 20 Years of Unmet Accreditation Standards
Details:
4:35 – 5:25 pm
5th of December
Room: Outside
Aaron Funnell
The Association for Experiential Education (AEE) has maintained an accreditation service for adventure programs since 1994 and expanded this to therapeutic programs in 2013. It is a voluntary accreditation program aimed at quality assurance and helps programs thrive through engaging in a process of continuous improvement.
This workshop will examine commonly unmet AEE accreditation standards via a study of the last 20 years of unmet standards identified during site visits. Trends and patterns identified may be useful for program administrators interested in quality benchmarking and can provide specific focus areas when reflecting on your organisation.
In this workshop, delegates will first gain an overview of commonly unmet AEE accreditation standards in the areas of experiential education pedagogy and learning, risk management, transportation, environmental ethics, human resources, the use of subcontractors, equipment, meals and hygiene as well as in specific activities. This workshop will then introduce the practical nature of compliance with an accreditation system by using small group work to take a deeper dive into one accreditation standard that is commonly unmet.
AEE’s accreditation program is the longest-running program in outdoor education and increasing has global coverage as more programs recognise the benefits of communicating quality to their stakeholders. Notable accredited programs include NOLS, Harvard University, Project Adventure and OEG.
About the Presenter
Aaron has been working in outdoor education for nearly 30 years and is engaged as the risk management consultant for Outward Bound International, covering risk management reviews for Outward Bound Schools in over 35 countries. He is a program reviewer for The Association for Experiential Education (USA) accreditation program, and secretary of the AEE Accreditation Council. Aaron is based in Sydney and Hong Kong and also provides consultancy services across Asia with Alinta Educational Services.
