Planning: Multi-Day Off-Campus Domestic Trip

Step 1: Budgeting and Risk Assessment

Off-Campus Activity Risk Assessment Form (PDF) - submit to your School Manager and Director for approval.

• Please ensure inclusive elements of this risk plan are included.
• If Risk Assessment is Red, please contact the Risk Committee

Please ensure any budget considerations are aligned with the Business Travel guidelines.

If students are required to pay a fee to attend, please send this form to students to complete, then send to student accounts to invoice: Field Exploration Commitment Form (PDF)

Step 2: Planning and Task List

Please follow this planning and task list for Multi-Day Off-Campus Trips within Canada.

Multi-Day Off-Campus Trip Planning (XLSX)

Step 3: Planning Accessibility Considerations

For a Multi-Day, Off-Campus Trip, please ensure to:

• Plan with inclusion in mind from the beginning.
• Communicate clearly, consistently, and accessibly.
• Provide multiple ways for students to participate.
• Normalize accommodations for all students.
• Respect privacy and student autonomy.

Please review the Accessibility and Belonging Unit for Resources, Examples and Checklists.

Step 4: Student Correspondence and Orientations

For Multi-Day Off-Campus Trip Domestic, an informed orientation for students prior to any travel is mandatory and part of RRU's duty of care. Orientations can be conducted either face-to-face or online. Please see the links below for correspondence guidelines and an orientation example:

Correspondence Guidelines:

• Correspondence 1 (DOCX)
• Correspondence 2 (DOCX
• Correspondence 3 (DOCX)
• Correspondence 4 (DOCX)

Orientation Example (PPTX)

Step 5: Managing Travel Information

Multi-Day Off-Campus Trip within Canada

1. Student-travel Information Management
2. Emergency Communication

Student-travel Information Management

All Multi-Day Off-Campus Trips must store Trip related information and forms on an accessible site for RRU Risk Management Teams.

Please follow the directions below to request a moodle copy of the "Student Site for Off-Site activities"

• Please contact us here with a course copy request and the name of your destination and travel dates. Please do not email your program's CTET Instructional Designer.
• Please do not copy over Moodle Travel Sites from historical travel experiences or activities:
  • Only the Master copy will be kept updated with emerging risk practices and RRU policies
  • CTET's course retainment will ensure RRU follows FOIPOP requirements.
• The student-facing master site copied from CTET:
  • Contains information for managing your Moodle page for your activity, including how to carry over specific course information.
  • Can be customized to your off-campus field experience.
  • Will provide the structure to share information with participants and collect and store forms.

Emergency Communication

Pre-departure

• Ensure copies of participant travel documentation, forms, messaging, itineraries etc., are stored in your Student Site for Off-Site activities.
• The trip itinerary, including transportation methods, is forwarded to the Risk Committee.
• *If you are travelling to locations where internet may be intermittent, or non existent, include relevant student emergency information on a secure, password protected USB.

Incident Response

• Incidents that require reporting could include participant injury, absent or lost participant, long travel delays, medical emergency or breach of policy.
• In the case of a medical incident, provide basic first aid while waiting for medical attention (ambulance or walk-in medical centre). Staff and faculty must not replace medical attention.
• If an incident occurs, complete the Incident Report (PDF) and send to the CARE team. They will respond and follow RRU policy for reporting student incidents.

Step 6: Student and Staff Document Overview

Off-campus activities provide meaningful and robust learning opportunities. Experiential learning opportunities also go beyond expected classroom work and regular academic activities and, therefore, come with increased inherent risk.

In the event of an injury or accident, the court would consider if the associated risks of activities were accurately represented in waivers and informed consent forms and if safety was considered in student information forms and planning and reporting documents.

RRU employees (staff, faculty and associate faculty) will complete and upload all relevant forms to the requested Student Travel site.

NOTE: All employees must be assigned "student" status in the moodle Student Ravel site to allow access to the droboxes and allow document upload.

What is the difference between Waivers and Informed Consent?

*Waivers (PDF) are used for extra-curricular activities that are not academically assessed. They should not be used for curricular or co-curricular activities.

*Use Informed Consent (PDF) forms for all compulsory or academically assessed activities or with participants under the age of eighteen.

Student and Staff Documents for a Multi-Day Off-Campus Domestic Trip:

Relevant Forms to be uploaded to droboxes in your Student Travel Site:

• As Multi-Day Off-Campus Trips are typically academically assessed: Informed Consent (PDF) *must be customized.
• Emergency Contact form (PDF)
• Assessment of Emergency and Medical Emergency Communication Plan (PDF)
• Photo Consent (PDF)
• Student Rights and Responsibilities Confirmation of Understanding (PDF)
• Faculty & Staff: Although RRU provides the required medical insurance, the document is signed to acknowledge the emergency process.
• Associate Faculty: To confirm the required minimum 1 million dollar travel medical insurance coverage. Guard Me can supply this for them, or they can provide their own.

Faculty and Staff Travel Information Management

Group Leaders must be knowledgeable and/or in possession of the following for each Off-Campus Trip or Activity:

• Group Emergency Plan (DOCX) *must be customized
• Risk Assessment (PDF) customized, submitted and approved by RRU Risk Committee, relevant Manager and Director
• The RRU EL Risk Management Handbook (PDF)
• The RRU Team Lead Handbook (PDF) *must be customized

Step 7: Emergency Protocols and Responses

Multi-Day Off-Campus Trips within Canada

Emergency Protocols and Responses

Emergency situations range from natural disasters—such as earthquakes, floods and wildfires—to physical harm—such as a medical emergency or mental health crisis—to localized emergencies—such as gas leaks, chemical spills and transit accidents.

In an emergency or disaster response, RRU employee trip leaders of a multi day trip within Canada are required to:

• First call 911 or, in the country equivalent, follow instructions provided by local police and emergency response authorities.
• Second, call or email the CARE Team.
• Third, contact appropriate RRU employees (Dean, Director, Program Head, etc.) *if able, otherwise CARE will act as the communication hub.

Incident Reporting

An incident report (PDF) must be completed if there is an emergency.

Incident reports will also be sent to the CARE Team. Upon receipt of an incident report, members of the CARE Team will respond to the individual who submitted it and immediately alert RRU’s leadership team.

Incidents that require reporting could include but are not limited to:

• Natural disaster
• Medical emergency or physical harm
• Breach of policy
• Localized emergency

As outlined in the Medical Insurance unit, participants’ medical insurance is individual to the participant. Reporting and filing claims for medical incidents or injuries to extended medical providers is the individual participant's responsibility.