What is the International Registry of Outdoor Leaders?
The International Registry of Outdoor Leaders (IROL) is an online registry of portfolios for current and future professionals in the outdoor leadership industry. The IROL is the forum for portfolio evaluation through institutions accredited by the WEA.
The Role and Value of the IROL
The IROL is designed to provide:
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a place for individuals seeking Outdoor Leader Certification a place to develop their professional portfolios,
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a forum for Accredited institutions to evaluate those student portfolios to validate outdoor leader certification.
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a streamlined method for outdoor leaders and instructors to document Continuing Education Units to maintain their status.
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a platform for documenting outdoor leadership field experiences and training,
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a place for the WEA to manage the OL Certification and to monitor Accredited institutions for consistency in evaluation, and
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a place for individuals in the registry to continue developing their professional portfolio and share those contents with outside organizations when seeking professional advancement or new opportunities.
There are many online portfolio services on the market, but none that provide the focused service to the outdoor leadership industry. This is the first step in creating a centralized location for validating outdoor leaders across the country and beyond.
What are the levels in the IROL?
There are several levels within the IROL that an individual can achieve. The levels are described in described in detail in the Accreditation Manual that is available at on the WEA members page.
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Student Experience Inventory
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Outdoor Leader
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Apprentice
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Instructor Level I
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Instructor Level II
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Terminal
How can I Obtain a Portfolio in the IROL?
Individuals who have obtained Outdoor Leadership status prior to 2010 are eligible for grandfathering into the IROL by renewing their current membership at the IROL memberhship level at the time their current membership expires.
Individuals who are new to the WEA can obtain an IROL portfolio through a WEA Accredited institution. Some Accredited institutions provide services through for credit opportunities through their university system. Many Accredited institutions operate outside of for credit certification so there is something for everyone.
It is possible to enter the IROL at any of the six levels. The entry level is determined in part by prescribed requirements of field leadership experience and in part on the initial assessment by the Accredited institution.
