This module is not currently running in 2022 to 2023.
The purpose of this module is to provide students with both a theoretical and working knowledge and understanding of guiding and interpretation (where interpretation is seen as educational activity that aims to reveal meaning and relationships through the use of first hand experience and illustrative media, rather than simply communicating factual information). In offering a rigorous, academic understanding of the subject area, as well as engaging with basic background facts and issues the lectures will cover the theoretical context of each subtopic, whether this is for example, the historical development of guiding, the process of storytelling, or the nature of factual information. Seminars will address the theoretical and evidential background covered in the lectures, address questions and issues that arise, critically examine relevant literature, and consider the practical implications in relation to guiding and interpretation. They will also assess examples of guiding from other sites, discuss and inform student’s private study activities, and include visits to potential guiding sites on campus. Lectures and seminars will be complemented by student presentation exercises and practical guiding and critique sessions. The final assessment will be of a short guided tour of campus focussed on a specific subject/theme, plus a written descriptive and analytical report that sets this tour within the wider theoretical and research framework. Successful completion of the module will enhance prospects of employment and business set-up in conservation and related heritage tourism industries
Topics covered
• What guiding and interpretation are + their history, development and importance
• The visitor experience – expectations, the visit event and outcomes
• Preliminary site surveys and information gathering
• Improving presentation and interpretative skills
• Developing fact lists and interpretative materials
• The nature of narrative and the narrative of nature
• Guiding and interpretation in practice I
• Planning, risk assessment and ‘customer care’
• Guiding and interpretation in practice II
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As a Wild module it does not require reference to a specific programme (although the initial teaching focus on the only established University Trail, namely the Nature Trail, would make it particularly suitable to students on the BSc in Wildlife Conservation)
Fact list (information gathering and organisation)
Narrative presentations (communication skills)
Guiding practice (relating practice to theory; organisation and planning skills; communication skills)
Final guiding narrative text and practice (writing skills; skills application; critical evaluation)
Biodiversity Project – http://www.biodiversityproject.org
Elder, J., Coffin, C. and Farrior, M. 1998. Engaging the Public on Biodiversity: a road map for education and communication strategies Wisconsin: The Biodiversity Project.
Farber, M.E. and Hall, T.E. 2007. Emotion and the Environment: Visitors’ extraordinary experiences along the Dalton highway in Alaska. Journal of Leisure Research 39(2): 248-270.
Gough, N. 1993. Environmental Education, Narrative Complexity and Postmodern Science Fiction. International Journal of Science Education 15(5): 607-625.
Herrick, T.A. and McDonald, C.D. 1992. Factors affecting overall satisfaction with a river recreation experience. Environmental Management 16(2): 243-247.
Jacobson, S.K. 1997. Rapid assessment for conservation education (RACE). Journal of Environmental Education, 28(3): 10-19.
Lee, B., Shafer, C.S. and Kang, I.H. 2005. Examining relationships among perceptions of self, episode-specific evaluations, and overall satisfaction with a leisure activity. Leisure Sciences 27(2): 93-109.
Malone, K 1999. Environmental Education Researchers as Environmental Activists. Environmental Education Research, 5(2): 163-176. PCC + OLL
Mehmetoglu, M. 2007. Typologising nature-based tourists by activity – theoretical and practical implications. Tourism Management 28(3): 651-660.
Nabhan, G. and St. Antoine, S. 1993. The Loss of Floral and Faunal Story: The Extinction of Experience. in S.R.Kellert and E.O.Wilson (eds.) The Biophillia Hypothesis. Washington: Island Press. pp. 229-250.
Palmer, J. and Neal, P. 1994. The Handbook of Environmental Education. London: Routledge. SLC
Rickinson, M. 2001, ‘Learners and Learning in Environmental Education; a critical review of the evidence’ Environmental Education Research, 7(3):207-320.
Society for Conservation Biology 2004. Principles of Conservation Biology: Recommended Guidelines for Conservation Literacy from the Education Committee of the Society for Conservation Biology. Conservation Biology 18(5):1180-1190.
Tait, J. Practical conservation: site assessment and management planning. The Open University in association with the Nature Conservancy Council, 1988.
WWF – A Biodiversity Education Framework: key concepts and skills.
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
Carry out appropriate research to gather the information necessary for the design of a guided tour of part of the University campus
Design and plan an effective guided tour of part of the University campus
Conduct and critically assess an effective guided tour of part of the University campus
Relate the above practice to the wider theory and practice of guiding
Research, design and plan more effectively and more creatively.
Demonstrate improved organisation and communication skills.
Critically evaluate his/her own guiding performance and that of others.
Critically evaluate interpretative materials.
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