Camping/Survival Product Prototype Assignment at UW Platteville

College is designed to prepare students for the next step in their lives; however, one class in the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Health and Human Performance program takes that idea literally. In HHP 3390: Lifetime and Outdoor Activities, students are learning survival skills in a hands-on way. Combining creativity, teamwork and high-tech tools, they partnered with the Huff Family Innovation Center on campus to design and 3D-print prototype components for survival shelters. The project titled “Camping/Survival Product Prototype Assignment” challenged students to combine their knowledge of outdoor education with innovation and entrepreneurial thinking.

Gail Hoffman, professor of health and human performance at UW-Platteville and former instructor at UW-Richland said, “This assignment gives students an opportunity to work in teams and design multipurpose 3D printed components to build a survival shelter using an Adventure Education problem solving tactic called ‘The Hand. Each finger symbolizes a letter that directs their attention to solving the problem and completing the task as a group including ‘ask questions,’ ‘brainstorm ideas,’ ‘choose an idea,’ ‘do it’ and ‘evaluate’ their choice to make a functional product.”

Hoffman says the course in general is designed to prepare physical education and health and human performance majors to teach a wide range of outdoor and lifetime activities. Students not only learn theory and planning but also take part in peer instruction and hands-on learning opportunities like this one.

Each group was tasked with designing a portable, efficient product suitable for a real-world camping or survival scenario. Working in small teams, students developed products that could serve as structural elements, fastening systems, or utility tools for survival shelters. While the final products were prototypes, they were designed with real-life functionality in mind.

The Huff Family Innovation Center, which supports interdisciplinary innovation across campus, provided students with access to 3D printers, laser cutters and digital design tools. For many students, it was their first experience translating a conceptual idea into a tangible product. The project underscored the unique opportunities the Huff Family Innovation Center offers for hands-on learning. The experience also allowed students to gain experience in the Huff Center, producing high-quality outdoor products, rather than relying on costly commercial alternatives for their future outdoor and lifetime instruction activities.

The experience concluded with each group presenting their final prototype and providing a brief explanation of its function, portability and practical application in outdoor education contexts.

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