Abstract

A learning program of outdoor environmental education for university students was conducted to make stream ecosystem diversity understandable from 22 to 26 August 2016 in the Yusuhara-gawa River of the Shimant-gawa River branch, Yusuhara, Kochi Prefecture, Japan. In order to improve the educational effect of nature experience learning, we conducted an indirect experience of the research site using Google Earth in advance learning and confirmed the educational effect. The students repeatedly learned while repeatedly moving through a section of the river including various environments, for example, riffles and pools with sand, gravel and bedrock. From the after questionnaire survey, it was confirmed that the students understood that the river contained various environments. Students in teacher education course accounting for half of the participants were strongly requested to learn knowledge about safety, looking at their own near future. From the descriptions of the students written in the questionnaire it was confirmed that this program was able to respond adequately to their needs.