School Of Electronic, Electrical And Computer Engineering: Priestley Outdoor Center Activities, Coniston

Submitted By zgzdamien
Words: 2255
Pages: 10

School of Electronic, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Priestley Outdoor Centre Activities, Coniston
Introduction
The School has taken groups of students to the University of Birmingham, Priestley Centre, for a number of years. This facility is located on the shores of Lake Coniston in Cumbria and provides an ideal base for a wide range of outdoor activities. The aim of such trips is to address UK Spec softskills components and to bond diverse groups of students into teams (where this is required group project work).
Management of Expectations
Most students thoroughly enjoy these activities and regularly highlight them as the best component of an academic year. However, it is important to realize that you have duties and responsibilities to your fellow students, academic staff and the centre instructors – you accept the whole experience including communal housekeeping duties.
This booklet contains an example outline programme, suggestions for suitable clothing and a copy of the medical forms that you will be required to sign.
Day 1


A coach will leave the School promptly at 0815 – do not be late!



The coach will arrive in Torver approximately four hours later. It will park on the main road approximately 1.5 km away from the centre and you will walk down a narrow track. Your luggage will be transported on a trailer towed by a Land Rover.



When you arrive, Team 1 will serve lunch to everyone and wash up afterwards. The kitchen area and dining tables will be wiped and the floor swept. Usually, bread and hot soup is served on arrival. •

After lunch, you will collect a sheet, duvet cover and pillowcase from the Games Room and make up your bed. The centre can sleep up to forty students in rooms designed for four, or six, people. Bunk beds are fitted in all rooms – so half of you will be sleeping up in the air.



You will then meet up in the lounge for a safety briefing by the
Centre Manager. This will be followed by an overview of the activities you will be undertaking during the following days. You will then split into your teams and meet up with your instructor.


The rest of the afternoon will be spent undertaking a number of simple, but challenging, tasks.
Usually, these take the form of a set of written instructions that you have to interpret and execute within a limited period of time. These may include sensory deprivation, such as wearing a blindfold.



A review of the day’s activities will be conducted by your instructor.



An evening meal will be served. Vegetarian food will be available as well as a basic cooked meal such as pasta, or a curry. Team 2 will be responsible for serving, washing-up and cleaning the kitchen and dining areas. A team (often the academics) will be responsible for preparing packed lunches for the following day. A further team will be responsible for cleaning the communal areas, including the toilets.



A lecture-theatre session will be conducted on the roles and characteristics of teams. You will then be presented with a major activity to be undertaken on the following day. You will be expected to plan and schedule this activity and to devise contingency plans.



You may walk to the local public house (about 2km away). Take extra care as it will be very dark and some students have ended up several kilometres in the wrong direction – totally lost!



Please ensure that you are in bed and asleep by a suitable time, such that you performance during future days is not impaired. Please try not to disturb others who may require more sleep than you. Day 2


The team responsible for serving breakfast will be expected to be in the kitchen by 0745.
Breakfast will be served at 0800 and completed by 0815. This will allow the washing-up and cleaning of the kitchen areas to be completed by 0830.



A briefing session will be conducted in the lounge at 0845 and the exercise is expected to be