Online Level 1 Avalanche Course

Module 1 Description - Preliminary and Background Material

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The average student rating for this module, out of 10, is: 8.1
The percentage of students who felt all objectives were met is: 100%
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- As a retired university professor I am interested in all methods of teaching and evaluation. In my opinion, this format is excellent.
- The material was concise and reasonable.
- Excellent overall introduction. Both to teaching style and the module.
- The lesson kept my interest and was presented in an understandable informative way.
- Materials were well put together and easy to follow.
- The exercises were easily studied and applied.
- The assessments were good.
- The material was very in depth, especially considering it is only module 1, so it kept me interested.
- Beat my expectations.

Overview

This is the module with preliminary background material for the Level 1 Avalanche Class developed and supported by AlpenPro and offered here in the Avalanche Institute. This module covers some basic terminology, identification of the three main climate classifications in North America, the five level Danger Scale, and the avalanche triangle.

This is basic background material and is therefore presented almost entirely as PDF notes. This is not representative of the rest of our Level 1 modules which use html, links for case studies, graphics, videos, and other forms of presentation. This module is also not representative in terms of interaction, again due to the nature of the material. Other modules are more likely to require use of the Dropbox, offer forums, and encourage more interaction.

Objectives

Become familiar with the course formats and features
Understand the basic terms which describe avalanches and slabs
List the three most common snow climates in North America
Be familiar with the five-level danger scale
Recognize the limitations of the five-level danger scale
Know the elements of the avalanche triangle
Differentiate between objective and human factors
Know what will not be covered in this course and why

Topics

This basic lesson includes these topics:

Basic avalanche related terms
Climate classifications
The Danger Scale and its limitations
The Avalanche Triangle

Human and technical Resources

This is a stand-alone course covering very basic material. Some links and references are included. There are no human resources available in this class, unlike others where there is often interaction and active participation by an instructor. (While the module does not require or even encourage interaction with an instructor it is certainly possible to contact one if necessary.)

Assessment

There are quizzes incorporated into this course which allow students to check their understanding of the material.

Successful completion of this module requires passing all assessments.

Course material

Most of the materials included in this module are from a workbook developed and used by AlpenPro. A few items are from the Avalanche Center website. Links are provided to external resources where appropriate.