Course Objectives

The course will expand the pedagogic qualifications of the students, with an emphasis on general leadership skills.

Course Description

- Guide training - trip norms, procedures, leader responsibilities and leader roles, leadership development
- Practical specialisation in Coast II, Waterways II or Mountains/Glaciers II

- Teaching practice
- Guide practice with advice given by the teacher before and after the practice period

Teaching practice:

During the period of teaching practice, students will design and execute teaching plans for various groups. Students will concentrate primarily on filling their roles as independent and responsible leaders and organising and carrying out a teaching plan with a group.

Guide practice:

During the academic year, guide practice will be carried out with a relevant target group. During part of this practice period, the individual student will be supervised by a subject teacher, who will advise the student before and after the practice period. The subject teacher will also provide a thorough assessment of the student’s strong and weak points with respect to the guide practice. The assessment will be based on a general list of the qualities we should expect of a guide. This list is created in plenum. The students should expect to be assigned guide practice associated with the foundation programme Outdoor Life, Culture and Nature Guiding I or the specialisation programme Outdoor Activities.

The practice period will be a minimum of 12 days duration. Written practice reports must be submitted.

Skills and Knowledge:

• How to use the coast as an educational environment to teach subjects such as natural science and culture to target groups from, for example, primary or secondary schools
• How to choose suitable trips, groups and areas according to the participants’ abilities

How to plan and execute teaching plans and trips in the mountains and on glaciers

Trip planning, trips on mountains and glaciers, safety procedures and norms for participants

Trip procedures: didactics, organisation, working methods, guidance and leadership

The various roles of a guide

The role of a glacier-guide

Safety, responsibility and consequence-analysis for trips in the mountains and on glaciers

The improvement of skills, knowledge and competence at a high technical level within glacier and climbing-related activities throughout the year, with particular emphasis on guiding groups on trips in the mountains and/or on glaciers

Rock-fall walking, bouldering

Basic rock climbing in cliff areas, use of ropes, belaying points, rappelling and rock climbing techniques on cliffs

Basic ice-climbing, ice walking, climbing on ice

Specialisation in glacier exploration: equipment, walking in rope-teams, safety, rope-handling, movement solutions, belaying points, lowering, repelling, rescuing, climbing /

Specialisation in mountain climbing on skis and alpine expeditions: orienteering and route selection, walking through steep rock falls, safety in the mountains, trips on uneven terrain: trip practice and building experience, weather and weather-signs

Specialisation around the theme of ‘people in the mountains and on glaciers’, the use of mountains and glaciers in a cultural-historical perspective

Specialisation around the theme ‘the natural environments of mountains and glaciers’ and glaciology

Learning Methods

The instruction takes place in the autumn and spring semesters.

The course includes lectures, group work, teaching practice (8 days) and guide practice (4 days) with three practice reports, obligatory specialisation course with guide (14 days) and obligatory trip carried out independently (6 days). On the independent trip, students will work on self-chosen topics related to their area of specialisation.

NB! All introductions to trips and group exercises associated with trip planning are obligatory.

Assessment Methods

Guide qualification on the basis of the student’s portfolio. In order to have the portfolio approved, the student must successfully complete the teaching practice, guide practice, submit 3 practice reports and have them approved, submit a self-evaluation report, participate in a specialisation course with a guide and carry out a trip independently.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean