The OEG research program, in partnership with the University of Canberra aims to:

• Determine the effectiveness of its courses in particular, and outdoor education in general;
• Improve the effectiveness of communicating the benefits and limitations of participation in outdoor education experiences to current and prospective clients;
• Improve access to learning about Self, Others and the Natural World, by sourcing funding for students to participate in Outdoor Education programs who are currently prevented from doing so for social, economic, or regional reasons;
• Increase the commitment to, and understanding of Outdoor Education by institutions, in order to increase participation from students who are currently discouraged from doing so;
• Report student outcomes to clients; and
• Monitor and improve program quality.

The overall research program has been divided into four studies:

Study 1: Educational Outcomes Research Tool & Reporting System;

Study 2: Literature Review of Journey-based Outdoor Education Outcomes;

Study 3: Comparative Longitudinal Study of the Effects of OEG;

Study 4: ARC grant application: Investigation of Personal, Social & Environmental Processes.

Concurrent to the research program, OEG has embarked on a thorough review and reconceptualisation of its Educational Framework (the foundation of the research). The Educational Framework was independently reviewed by the Australian Council of Education Research (ACER) and modified as a result of its feedback.

These research undertakings will provide the outdoor profession with the potential to further close the academic rhetoric and field practice gap once data has been collected and results reported. Through this project OEG will address the pragmatic need for clear, efficient reporting to clients and field staff, as well as fulfilling the broader goal of contributing knowledge of education and outdoor education to schools, governments, and planning agencies in Australia.

We acknowledge the Murrindindi Shire Council's regional initiative grant in providing the opportunity to create a research structure that will expand OEG's ability to be a leading contributor of pragmatic and academic knowledge for the outdoor education and tourism industry.