CHHS 350 Equips Students with Outdoor Leadership Skills

Open to undergraduates of all majors, CHHS 350: Leadership Skills for Adventure Exercise, combines weekly classroom instruction with applied learning in outdoor environments. Taught by School of Health and Applied Human Sciences instructors Tamlyn Shields and Sarah Brownlee, CHHS 350 covers essential skills for leading groups in the outdoors, including backpacking techniques, wilderness and remote first aid, physical conditioning, route finding, equipment selection, and environmental stewardship. The course emphasizes practical leadership in adventure programming, group management, and safety in remote settings.

Students meet in person for three hours each week during the final 10 weeks of the semester. As part of the course structure, students participate in a four-day wilderness trip, either over fall break or after the spring semester ends. This semester, the group traveled to Grayson Highlands, Virginia, for applied fieldwork during fall break. The trip allows students to put course concepts into practice in a backcountry setting, though the primary learning takes place throughout the weekly sessions on campus.

“The course teaches students a lot about themselves, they learn self-reliance, how to communicate effectively and problem solve as a group, and most importantly, they learn that they can do difficult things,” Shields says. “Many students note decreased stress after spending four days ‘unplugged’ in the wilderness. They often develop a newfound passion for nature and outdoor activities. This course fosters leadership and resilience- qualities that will serve these Seahawks well in their careers and future adventures.”

Olivia Morse, a UNCW alumna with a degree in exercise science says of CHHS 350,”The course made me fall even more in love with hiking and backpacking. It was more than fun, it was life changing.” Reflecting on her professors in CHHS 350, Morse says, “You can just tell that they truly have a passion for it, and that definitely showed through during class and during the trip."

Luke Butler, another UNCW alumnus, also had positive experiences with CHHS 350. “Looking back, it was probably the greatest college class I've ever taken,” he says. “It was really amazing, especially Professors Tamlyn and Brown. They were both so helpful in explaining how you can go outdoors, start backpacking and pretty much be completely self-sufficient in the wilderness. They taught us real skills and gave us a sense of being able to go out and go on an adventure with confidence."