We provide excellent opportunities to be a part of student and staff education by providing experiential education activities - "learning by doing." Our Adventure Education Program provides a non-competitive holistic approach for groups to work together and work on skills to to recreational activity for the students, faculty and staff of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.

The goal of the IUPUI Adventure Education Program is to inspire leadership qualities in college students by developing and offering programs that address the needs of all students at IUPUI. The skills developed through our programs will assist students in the studies and in their daily lives by promoting confidence, problem solving skills, self efficacy and self-esteem.

It is very difficult for new students to organize themselves into teams when they first arrive on our campus. Research indicates that the more involved incoming students are with their new surroundings and environment within the first three months, the more likely they will complete their degree. Our program can be an integral part of the recruitment and retention of students.

The goal for the Outdoor Adventure Education program would be to provide lifetime leisure, non-competitive activity, like backpacking, camping, hiking, rock climbing, rappelling, and outdoor living / environmental awareness. The outcome of this program is to help establish coping skills necessary to succeed in complete their degree and augment their potential in the job market.

The outdoor adventure education program would allow students the accessibility to equipment necessary for planned educational trips and or for individual recreational purposes.

Skills to be taught include:

Other components would include:

IUPUI Outdoor Adventure Education programs currently offer trips through IU Outdoor Adventures. Here is what is offered for the Fall 2006:

Matt Rota-Autry is the director of the Intramural & Recreational Sports department at IUPUI. His teaching duties include Challenge/ Initiative / Rope Course Activities, Team Building for Educators workshop, Camp Leadership Development, Computer Applications in Physical Education and Tourism Conventions and Event Management and In Line Skating. Matt’s experiential education experience began as the program director for the Indianapolis Public School Outdoor Education Program. He has attended several Project Adventure workshops, currently assists in facilitating low and high rope courses at Butler University and completed the Outdoor Educator Course expedition with the National Outdoor Education School in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana.

What we currently offer.

Explores “thinking outside the box” concepts.
Basic development of communication skills, leadership, trust and group cohesion.

Usually involving “ropes” at a maximum height of 3 feet off the ground.
Develops a greater level of communication, trust building, addresses gender and cultural issues and improves leadership skills using physical and mental challenges involving the entire group.

High ropes focus more on individual issues of trust, addresses comfort zones/limitations and risk-taking.
Usually involves “ropes” at heights of 40 feet and higher.
Used to increase self-esteem, and enhance understanding of how perceptions can limit achievement.