Brent Watkins, Vice President, Program Operations, Rustic Pathways
Quantifying the impact that travel abroad experiences have on students is critical to understanding the mechanisms of learning inherent in international programing.
Sausalito, Calif. (PRWEB) January 24, 2017
Rustic Pathways is a leader in providing international community service, education, and adventure programs for students around the world. Every Rustic Pathways service initiative is designed to give students an understanding of pressing social issues and environmental challenges and the tools to combat them at a local level. Each service initiative falls into one of five categories: infrastructure, education, environment, community health and social services, or economic development.
“Quantifying the impact that travel abroad experiences have on students is critical to understanding the mechanisms of learning inherent in international programing,” states Brent Watkins. “Our approach is to measure baseline beliefs before travel and then compare that baseline to post and delayed-post responses, isolating our program's role in changing students' mindsets. We are pleased to present the results of our study to tourism professionals, during the International Tour Management Institute (ITMI) Symposium."
For its study, Rustic Pathways has compiled unbiased, robust data to show why and how travel must become an essential part of every student's comprehensive education. By examining student impact results across a variety of program design decisions, Rustic Pathways seeks to critically examine the link between design decision and student impact. The goal is to develop industry-wide best practices in learning-centric design that results in more impactful travel abroad experiences for students.
About the ITMI Symposium:
The International Tour Management Institute (ITMI) Symposium is an annual event that attracts domestic and international tour operators, tour directors and guides, meeting planners and travel journalists. Recognized as a leading tourism conference, participants come together to share knowledge, insights, experiences and success stories. Representatives from leading domestic and international tour operators attend this annual event.
About ITMI:
Since 1976, ITMI has been America’s premier training and certification program for professional tour directors, guides and travel staff. For more information about ITMI contact Annemarie Osborne Annemarie.Osborne@gmail.com or 949-237-2906 or visit http://www.itmisf.com.
About Rustic Pathways:
Rustic Pathways is a leader in providing international community service, education, and adventure programs for students around the world. Rustic Pathways focuses on areas of interest from public health, medicine, and education to the environment and community service. Each program is designed to help students make meaning of their travel experiences, identify interests and passions, gain confidence, and grow as individuals. Rustic Pathways employs local staff and fosters lasting relationships with the communities in which it operates, enabling students to have immersive and authentic travel and service experiences. Rustic Pathways was voted the Best Youth Tour Operator at the 2015 World Youth Student and Travel Conference (WYSTC) by 7,500 young travelers. For more information call 800.321.4353 or visit http://www.rusticpathways.com.
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