From Standards to Practice: Navigating Risk & Learning in a Complex World
How can standards meaningfully support outdoor learning in a rapidly changing world? This session explores how outdoor professionals and organisations can move beyond compliance to use standards as dynamic tools for designing safe, purposeful, and context-sensitive programs.
Framed through a systems risk perspective, the session examines how standards apply—or may be absent—in diverse outdoor learning contexts, and how emergent tools like Benefit–Risk Assessment, variation frameworks, and assurance strategies can strengthen practice when thoughtfully integrated.
Drawing on the 2025–2026 review of the Australian Adventure Activity Standards (AAAS) as a case study, the presentation highlights how a national standards framework can respond to shifting societal expectations, climate resilience, inclusive practice, and the lived experience of participants and practitioners.
Participants will gain a clear understanding of how standards shape risk thinking, what capabilities organisations need to apply them effectively in complex environments, and how a standards-aligned approach can enhance safety, learning outcomes, and professional confidence across international outdoor learning settings.
This presentation aims to support outdoor learning professionals and educators by:
Understanding how standards can shape purposeful and effective outdoor program design, ensuring that learning outcomes, safety considerations, and participant needs are embedded from the outset.
Applying standards within complex, real-world environments, where diverse participant needs, geographical contexts, and operational constraints often require adaptive and context-sensitive approaches.
Navigating the absence of formal standards by drawing on ethical principles, professional judgement, and sector best practices to ensure duty of care and program quality are maintained.
Integrating emergent tools such as Benefit–Risk Assessment, variation frameworks, and assurance mechanisms to support evidence-informed decision-making, enhance program delivery, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
Exploring the Australian Adventure Activity Standards (AAAS) Review (2025–2026) as a case study in systems thinking, highlighting how collaborative, future-focused standard development can respond to evolving risks, stakeholder expectations, and the changing role of outdoor learning globally.
Identifying the organisational capabilities required to operate in dynamic and uncertain environments, including the ability to interpret and apply standards flexibly, manage evolving risks, and maintain a strong learning culture that prioritises safety, relevance, and educational value in outdoor programming.
Dr David Marsden
Principal Consultant for the AAAS, Outdoor Council of Australia
Speaker Bio
Dr David Marsden specialises in outdoor learning, workforce development, and safety and risk management across the outdoor recreation, education, and adventure sports sectors. With more than 30 years of experience, he brings a unique combination of strategic leadership, operational expertise, and evidence-based practice.
David is leading the 2025–26 national review of the Australian Adventure Activity Standards (AAAS), commissioned by the Outdoor Council of Australia. In this role, he oversees the review methodology, stakeholder engagement strategy, and technical drafting of the standards framework that underpins risk management practices for outdoor and adventure-based activities across the country.
He is Director of The OREAS Group, a consultancy working across outdoor recreation, education, and adventure sports. David advises governments, peak bodies, schools, and international partners on curriculum design, safety systems, organisational development, and education and training frameworks that strengthen workforce capacity.
David holds a PhD specialising in the knowledge and skills required of leaders in outdoor learning in Australia. His academic and consulting work is grounded in an evidence-based, benefit–risk approach that advocates for safe yet meaningful learning experiences—particularly in contexts where education and management intersect.
He currently serves as a board member for Outdoor Victoria, is Deputy Chair of the National Centre for Outdoor Risk Readiness (NatCORR) Advisory Board and chairs the Course Advisory Committee for Outdoor Leadership at Victoria University. He has previously chaired AAAS activity working groups, led national training initiatives, and contributed to Communities of Practice both in Australia and internationally.