to our world. - NOLS

NOWHERE BUT NOLS. NO BETTER TIME THAN NOW.
Abe Goodale
The core curriculum at NOLS is made up
of four integral parts: leadership, outdoor
skills, environmental studies, and risk management.
Every course at NOLS uses these elements
as a foundation, and the lessons learned
within this framework in the backcountry are
lessons that will be transferred to your everyday
life—at home, at work, and at play. Whether it's
a long, stormy hiking day or a long, stormy
recession, you’ll have the tools to endure, to
overcome, and to succeed.
WHAT WE TEACH:
LEADERSHIP AND TEAMWORK
The 4-7-1 Leadership Model
• Four leadership roles
• Seven leadership skills
• Your signature leadership style
OUTDOOR SKILLS
• Equipment care and selection
• Ration planning
• Preparing nutritious meals using a camp stove
and fire
• Staying warm and dry
• Route-finding, navigation, map reading, and
compass use
• Campsite selection
• Sanitation and waste disposal
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
• Leave No Trace camping and resource protection
• Natural history: animal and plant identification,
astronomy, weather, and geology
• Regional environmental issues
• Function and organization of land management
agencies
• Sustainability of ecological, social, and economic
systems
• Wilderness ethics and practices for everyday life
RISK MANAGEMENT
• Health and comfort maintenance
• Wilderness injury prevention and treatment
• Judgment and decision-making
• Identification and mitigation of subjective and
objective risks
• Emergency procedures
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:
"NOLS was critical to the development of my..."
ABILITY TO SERVE IN A LEADERSHIP ROLE
ABILITY TO FUNCTION EFFECTIVELY UNDER DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES
ABILITY TO WORK AS A TEAM MEMBER
ABILITY TO PLAN AND ORGANIZE
ABILITY TO GET ALONG WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE
ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY
OUTDOOR SKILLS
COOKING SKILLS
PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE ON HOW LIFE CAN BE SIMPLER
DESIRE TO BE IN THE OUTDOORS
APPRECIATION OF NATURE
ABILITY TO MAKE INFORMED AND THOUGHTFUL DECISIONS
ABILITY TO MANAGE CONFLICTS WITH OTHERS
0 VERY FALSE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 VERY TRUE 10
Average survey responses from graduates of NOLS wilderness, adventure, and semester courses.
Adapted from: Sibthorp, J., Paisley, K., Furman, N., & Gookin, J. 2008. Long-term impacts attributed to participation
in wilderness education: Preliminary findings from NOLS. Research in Outdoor Education, 9, 86-102. See the full
study at www.outdooredcoalition.org/research08.htm.
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www.nols.edu • (800) 710-NOLS • admissions@nols.edu