[1] Often adventure education is linked to incorporating all five senses within the experiences which can heighten the opportunities for learning and retaining information.
The learning experiences within adventure education programs are structured for a potential increase in human performance and capacity.
An activity with relatively low perceived risk but high actual probability of harm (such as adventure racing or slacklining) may be just as much of an adventure as an activity with relatively high perceived risk but a low probability of harm (such as sport rock climbing, skydiving, or riding a roller coaster).
A meta-analysis of adventure education studies identified forty major outcomes, grouped into the following six categories: leadership, self-concept, academic, personality, interpersonal, and adventuresomeness.
[8] Unfamiliar environments contribute a great deal to program outcomes experienced by adventure education participants.
Overcoming the challenges presented by unfamiliar environments through the mastery of specific tasks results in positive benefits to the individual, such as increased self-esteem.
[11] Positive outcomes are offered by several types of environments, including wilderness, non-wilderness (e.g. ropes-course), or a traditional classroom.
However, wilderness is often considered as providing additional benefits to participants, thus being the optimal environmental setting for adventure education programs.
Programs should include mental, emotional, and physical challenges, and encourage concurrent mastery in all three domains.
The GRABBS model[15] (Goals, Readiness, Affect, Behavior, Body, and Stage of Development) is a good method for matching activities and participants.
[23] Instructors may be required to have a bachelor's degree in Outdoor Leadership to instruct at most Universities and community colleges.
However, student autonomy is considered to be controversial in regards to outdoor adventure educational programs, due to risk management concerns.
[25] Adventure education programming can be implemented in several contexts, including therapy for youth at risk,[26] survivors of sexual assault,[27] families in distress,[28] persons with medical conditions,[29] and Veteran assimilation back to civilian life[30] Many vocational institutes offer training and courses in adventure education.
[31] New Zealand: Auckland University of Technology is offering a bachelor's degree in Sport and Recreation - Outdoor Education.