Peter offers 58 different self-guided, experiential and discovery courses.

What is a Self Guided course?

Self guided courses are meant to be fun and interactive, and can be experienced at your leisure with friends and family.
In a self guided course, you are asked to visit a series of specific site locations. These are the same sites that would have been visited with Peter, had this been a Guided field class.

The goal for each Self guided course is twofold. First, by researching and visiting the sites, teachers will become familiar with the natural, human and/or cultural history of each location. Second, as a result of this acquired knowledge, teachers will develop teaching ideas that will prove beneficial to the teachers and their students. Peter has visited all of the sites in each course on multiple occasions and will provide suggestions to guide you through the process.

The format for each Self guided course is the same. You can earn 500 level credit for each self guided course by completing the following steps:

1. Select a course or courses to complete from the lists you will find on the Self Guided course offerings pages.

2. Contact Peter at walkportland@msn.com to request more specific information on how to complete the self guided course or courses that interest you. Peter will respond with a letter outlining the steps you can follow to complete each course.

3. Call The Heritage institute at 360-341-3020. Request to register for the specific course title as a self guided course at the 500 level.The course fees for 2026 are:

1 credit self guided course, $125
2 credit self guided course, $210
3 credit self guided course, $280

For self guided courses, tuition payment is made to The Heritage Institute when you call the at 360 341 3020 (Monday-Thursday, 9 am until 5 pm).

4. Conduct Internet research to learn about the natural, human and/or cultural history of each specific site location, prior to visiting each site. One credit courses involve 4-5 sites to research and visit. Two credit courses involve approximately ten sites to research and visit and three credit courses require approximately 15 sites to research and visit.

5. Visit each of the specific sites to gain a first hand understanding of the location and the educational opportunities each location provides for students.

6. Write a 1-2 paragraph summary of each site visit, discussing site information and explaining learning opportunities. Accompany each site summary with a photo or two. Submit the site summaries and photos to Peter at walkportland@msn.com.

7. Following the completion of all site location visits, write two lesson ideas that could be implemented with students, based on anything read, seen or experienced during the course. The lessons could be implemented in the classroom, or could involve a field trip to one or more of the locations. The lessons could be integrated with any subject curriculum to enhance your teaching, and your students' learning experiences. Submit these lesson ideas to Peter at walkportland@msn.com.

8. To complete each self guided course, submit a 1-2 page integration paper in which you summarize what you learned in that course. In addition, explain how the overall course experience may influence your teaching, going forward.

NOTE: For one credit, self guided courses, all sites can usually be visited in a single day. It generally takes two days to visit all sites in a two credit course and three days to visit all site locations in a three credit self guided course. Peter can provide ongoing site visit suggestions and lesson ideas, and he will provide feedback throughout the course.

Click the link to see the self-guided classes offered in each region:

One Credit Self Guided Courses in the Centeral and Eastern Columbia River Gorge
One Credit Self Guided Courses in the Mt. Hood Region
One Credit Self Guided Courses in Vancouver & SW Washington
One Credit Self Guided Courses in Central Oregon
One Credit Self Guided Courses Experienced via Bicycle, at a Glance

58 Self-Guided Courses