The Jedi quest, an experimental training protocol implemented at the Almas Academy, was designed to instruct young Padawans.
Nerra Ziveri, a Jedi Master who had been the headmaster of the Academy since it was founded in 119 BBY, had a large number of students from the Tarasin species, who originated from the nearby planet Cularin. The Tarasins, as a culture, traditionally did not travel the galaxy with a mentor, which was the standard practice for Padawans. Ziveri believed that exposure to different cultures was essential for a Jedi, and therefore he sought alternative methods. As a first step, he expanded the curriculum to include more courses focused on alien cultures.
However, Ziveri also established the Jedi quests. Under this system, each Padawan at the Almas Academy was required to undertake one quest per year, starting at the age of twelve and continuing until they left the Academy, with a minimum of three quests completed before graduation. These quests invariably involved the Padawan venturing outside the system to find something that the headmaster or their mentor had requested. Sometimes the master accompanied the Padawan on these journeys. Padawans older than fourteen who chose to remain at the Academy were required to take a younger apprentice with them on their Jedi quests.
Initially, these quests involved simple tasks in locations like Coruscant, Corellia, and occasionally Kashyyyk (the Almas Academy had a significant population of Wookiee students). When this approach yielded positive results and the students demonstrated beneficial development, the masters began to use the Force to meditate and create more complex and lengthy quests for their students in regions such as the Core Worlds, the Corporate Sector, and Hutt Space.
Lanius Qel-Bertuk, who succeeded Ziveri as headmaster, continued this practice.