A review of the benefits and drawbacks to virtual field guides in today's Geoscience higher education environment (original) (raw)
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Real and Virtual Fieldtrips in Earth and Environmental Science Teaching
Fieldwork is widely regarded as an essential part of undergraduate education in earth and environmental sciences, and lecturers generally agree that it represents one of the most effective and enjoyable forms of teaching and learning for both staff and students. Field studies provide the opportunity to experiment with a wide variety of different modes of course delivery and have a valuable role as a vehicle for the integration of many theoretical and practical concepts taught within an earth and environmental science degree. Field experience is also seen as vital for the development of students as qualified practitioners in all aspects of these disciplines since a great deal of research in the subject is fieldwork-based (Çalıskan, 2011; Gürgen & Çalışkan, 2009; A. Kent & Foskett, 2000; M. Kent, Gilbertson, & Hunt, 1997).In recent years, the number of students gradually increased despite the decreasing educational resources per capita in the earth and environmental science department...
Journal of Geoscience Education, 2019
Recent literature has demonstrated the importance of fieldwork in geology. However, as resources become scarce, field experiences are often targeted for cuts. This was the case at the University of Calgary when massive enrollments placed a tremendous burden on resources. In courses throughout, field trips and other excursions were eliminated, making it so students do not have any field experiences until their third year. In response, we have developed three virtual field experiences (VFEs) of geologically relevant locations near Calgary. A burgeoning technology, VFEs offer advantages of convenience and versatility when compared to actual field trips. Our VFEs comprise drone-captured images used to form high-resolution 2-D photomosaics and 3-D computer models. We piloted one VFE in an introductory geology course. We wanted to understand how students engaged with the models so that we could make the VFE as effective as possible. Observing student engagement over two iterations allowed us to make changes to the activity. We found that students had difficulties with the VFE’s open endedness. They also demonstrated difficulty with the relationship between observations and inferences. This is indicative of a broader issue with how geology (or science in general) is taught. Traditional instruction in geology places great emphasis on the “what” of geology as opposed to the “how.” We contend that teaching geology with more emphasis on how geology works will help students develop a better understanding of the relationship between inference and observation, enhancing their fieldwork and their understanding of science.
"The benefits of virtual fieldtrips for future-proofing geography teaching and learning"
Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 2022
This resource paper explores the benefits of developing virtual fieldtrips to help future-proof geography teaching and learning in times of uncertainty and change. Drawing on a case study from a second-year biogeography module which saw cancellations to in-person fieldtrips in the first UK COVID-19 lockdown and the development of a virtual fieldtrip by the third UK COVID-19 lockdown, we offer some insights and lessons learnt to help other academics and practitioners adopt this approach.
Students’ Beliefs Regarding the Use of Virtual Field Trips in Higher Education Geography Courses
Zbornik radova - XXX Skup TRENDOVI RAZVOJA (TREND 2024), 2024
The literature argues that field trips and fieldwork activities are crucial parts of geography higher education since specific characteristics of places/spaces can be completely grasped only in realistic environments. In the past few years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the massive cancellation of actual field trips, many higher education institutions started looking for alternatives for field-related activities and practical place-related courses. Virtual field trips are not a complete novelty in geography higher education, but up until now, they were mostly underutilized (both as a substitution for actual fieldwork and as a supplement) because of various reasons. We should be mindful that the use of virtual field trips comes with specific advantages and disadvantages as well as technical requirements. Additionally, the effectiveness of utilizing virtual field trips is influenced by beliefs held by both students and teachers. The goal of this paper is to present the beliefs and opinions of final-year geography students regarding the use of virtual field trips in their courses. The results of the content analyses illustrated common advantages and disadvantages, as well as factors that according to the students would facilitate or complicate the use of virtual fieldwork in geography courses.
Role of Virtual Reality in Geography and Science Fieldwork Education
2018
Fieldwork has a long tradition in geography, and in certain sciences, notably geology, biology and environmental sciences. Fieldwork involves leaving the classroom and engaging in learning and teaching through first-hand experience of phenomena in outdoor settings. Exploration in natural habitats introduces students to the complexity and unpredictability of the real world, stimulates their curiosity, and increases their interest in scientific inquiry. However, over the last decade, there has been a decline in field-study opportunities in schools. This policy paper describes the first extensive user-centered research programme into the role of technology-enabled virtual field trips as a means for improving the effectiveness of the outdoor fieldwork experience. It draws on a year-long research project that investigated how Google Expeditions, a smartphone-driven mobile virtual reality application, bridges virtual fieldwork with physical field trips and facilitates inquiry-based fieldw...