Rob Burton

Rob Burton

Head of Sport and Outdoor Management

School of Sport, Health and Social Sciences

023 8201 3704 ext. 3704 Room no. RM203A

Biography

Rob is a principal lecturer with responsibility for courses in events management, outdoor adventure and tourism management. He has served as treasurer of the Leisure Studies Association (2002 to 2007) and secretary (2011 to present). His teaching and research interests are predominantly in extreme and lifestyle sports where he has published work on subculture and identity in skiing and snowboarding. He has also published research on student learning through field trips and ran a Teaching Quality Enhancement Project developing a model of best practice for student field trips. 

Rob has undertaken a range of consultancy projects including:

  • An audit of water based recreation on the Solent.
  • Analysis of the effectiveness of working practices within the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Sports Partnership.
  • Economic impact analysis of an international sailing event at the National Sailing Academy, Weymouth.

Rob has been interviewed for BBC TV and radio programmes about extreme sports and is acting as an expert consultant to Uspborne Publishing for a book about extreme sports.

His personal hobbies include playing hockey, windsurfing, sailing, mountain biking and skiing.

Taught courses

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BA (Hons) Adventure and Outdoor Management

Further information

  1. Industry experience

    Rob has extensive professional experience and as a watersports instructor has taught sailing, windsurfing, kayaking and waterskiing for several...
    Rob has extensive professional experience and as a watersports instructor has taught sailing, windsurfing, kayaking and waterskiing for several tour operators in Spain and Corsica. He gained experience as an outdoor education teacher at a school in Saudi Arabia, before turning to teaching on undergraduate programmes in tourism and leisure.

  2. Research interests

    Rob's research interests include lifestyle sports subculture and experiences, tourism impacts and cultural interaction in The Gambia, West Africa...

    Rob's research interests include:

    • Lifestyle sports subculture and experiences.
    • Tourism impacts and cultural interaction in The Gambia, West Africa. 
    • Conducting consultancy projects and developing greater links between consultancy outputs and student learning.
    • Student learning on fieldtrips.

  3. Recent publications

    Rob's recent publications include conferences papers. For more information, follow the link below...

    Burton, R. & R. Jones, 2010. '‘Trolls with poles’ vs ‘gays on trays’; Looking beyond the banter to explore the similarities and differences in sub-cultural identity amongst snowboarders and skiers'. In Watson, B & J. Halpin (Eds), 2011. Cultures and Voices in Leisure and Sport. Eastbourne: Leisure Studies Association.

    Burton, R. & R. Jones, 2010. '‘Trolls with poles’ vs ‘gays on trays’; looking beyond the banter to explore the similarities and differences in sub-cultural identity amongst snowboarders and skiers'. Conference presentation at the Leisure Studies Association Conference 2010 Diversity and Equality in Leisure, Sport and Tourism.

    Burton, R. & L. Power, 2008. '“It’s not a holiday it’s an educational field trip!” Identifying student learning on a weeks study visit to The Gambia, West Africa'. The Journal of Teaching in Travel and Tourism. 

    Burton, R. & L. Power, 2008. 'N baabaa la baa be baabaa kono: My father’s goat is in the Big River [Again!]'. Reflections on fostering cultural interaction and learning through student field trips in The Gambia, West Africa. 1st International Institute for Peace Through Tourism European Conference, October 2008: Bridging The North-South Divide Through Sustainable Tourism Development.

    Burton, R. & L. Power, 2008. '“It’s not a holiday it’s an educational field trip!” Identifying student learning on a weeks study visit to The Gambia, West Africa'. The Future Success of Tourism: New Directions, Challenges and Opportunities, 2008. International Society of Travel and Tourism Educators published Conference Proceedings. 

    Burton, R. & L. Power, 2008. 'Searching for the ‘sweet spot’ in The Gambia'. Conference presentation at the Leisure Studies Association Conference 2008 Community, Capital and Cultures: Leisure and Regeneration as Cultural Practice. 

    Burton, R. & L. Power, 2008. '“It’s not a holiday it’s an educational field trip!” Identifying student learning on a weeks study visit to The Gambia, West Africa'. Poster presentation for SBS Advanced Scholarship Conference May 2008.

    Burton, R. & L. Power, 2007. 'N baabaa la baa be baabaa kono: My father’s goat is in the Big River'. A case study in fostering cultural interaction in The Gambia. In JORDAN, F., KILGOUR, L. AND N. MORGAN (Eds), 2007. Academic Renewal: Innovation in Leisure and Tourism Theories and Methods. Eastbourne: Leisure Studies Association.

    Burton, R. & L. Power, 2006. 'N baabaa la baa be baabaa kono: My father’s goat is in the Big River'. A case study in fostering cultural interaction in The Gambia. Conference presentation at the Leisure Studies Association Conference 2006 Making Space: Leisure Tourism and Renewal.