Tim O’connell
Associate Professor
Recreation and Leisure Studies
Brock University
Canada
Biography
I am a Full Professor, former Chair of the Department and specialize in teaching outdoor recreation, outdoor education, adventure-based learning, and outdoor leadership. In 2017, I was named a 3M National Teaching Fellow. This recognition is considered Canada’s most prestigious award for teaching excellence at the university level. I am a co-founder of Brock BaseCamp, an outdoor orientation program for incoming students. I am the Co-Editor of Research in Outdoor Education, a peer-reviewed journal sponsored by the Coalition for Education in the Outdoors.
Research Interest
Psychological sense of community in organized outdoor pursuits trip groups; Impacts of participation in outdoor orientation programs; Reflective practice (with a focus on best practices of using reflective journals); Motivations to participate in outdoor activities; Sense of place; Experiential education and experiential learning
Publications
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Potter, T. G., Socha, T. L., & O’Connell, T. S. (2012). Outdoor adventure education (OAE) in higher education: Characteristics of successful university degree programmes. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 12(2), 99-119.
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Lathrop, A., O’Connell, T. S., & Howard, R. (2012). The impact of a wilderness orientation program on first year student perceptions of life effectiveness and campus integration. Collected Essays on Learning and Teaching (CELT), V, 92-97.
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Hutson, G., Anderson, L., Breunig, M., O’Connell, T. S., Todd, S., & Young, A. (2012). A qualitative exploration of sense of community through reflective journals during wilderness outdoor education curricula. Research in Outdoor Education, 11, 1-17.
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Dyment, J. E., & O’Connell, T. S. (2013). The impact of playground design on play choices and behaviors of pre-school children. Children’s Geographies, 11(3), 1-18.
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Dyment, J. E., & O’Connell, T. S. (2014). When the ink runs dry: Implications for theory and practice when educators stop keeping reflective journals. Innovative Higher Education, 39(5), 417-429.
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O’Connell, T. S., & Dyment, J. E. (2014). “I’m just not that comfortable with technology†– Student perceptions and preferences for Web 2.0 technologies in reflective journals. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 40(3), 392-411.
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O’Connell, T. S., Dyment, J. E., & Smith, H. (2015). Students’ appropriation, rejection and perceptions of creativity in reflective journals. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 27(1), 1-13.
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Howard, R. A., O’Connell, T. S., & Lathrop, A. H. (2016). Community development, transitional value and institutional affinity: Outdoor orientation program impacts. Journal of Experiential Education, 39(1), 45-58.
