Analysis of adult sport fishing lesson choices and their application to post-secondary curriculum development

Abstract

"Post-secondary angler education offerings have increased nationally, but little is known about what sport fishing skills anglers desire. I noticed variations in such curricula while developing the University of Alaska Fairbanks course, Fundamentals of Fly Fishing. My study objectives were to 1) determine what fly-fishing skills potential students desire so they invest both time and money attending my education events; 2) refine my offerings; and, 3) determine if students gained angling-related knowledge. I developed a questionnaire gauging the public's fly-fishing educational desires and requirements, and distributed it from 2003 to 2005. After analyzing the results, I revised my class to include more science-based angler knowledge and practical skills. The target audience for my classes is people under 55 years of age with less than three years angling experience who fish less than twice monthly. They want preparatory topics that allow them to continue with the sport once they complete the educational event. After incorporating the results into my offerings, enrollments more than doubled from 2003 to 2008. Students made measurable advances in understanding the sciences behind sport fishing. By surveying potential participants' educational desires and needs, adult educators should be able to build sustainable personal enrichment programs as demonstrated here"--Leaf iii