it's a big field out there!
TRANSCRIPT
It’s a big field out there!
Reflections on over 40 years of residential field courses
Profs Mark Langan
and Phil Wheater
Faculty of Science and Engineering
Manchester Metropolitan University
QAA ES3 Benchmark StatementQAA Geography Benchmark Statement
AQA A Level Syllabus (Environmental Studies)
>140 residential courses covering ~200 weeksfrom 1975 / 1991
~46 weeks on other student based field work
>50 remotely supervised students in the field
Biology field courses taught / ledOther biology field courses
Other biology field workOther field courses
>5000 student participants
Ecological knowledge
Ecological techniques
Statistics
Communication skills
Other knowledge
Experimental design
Report writing
Group work
Information technology
Students’ perceptions of how they benefited from field courses
Data from post-field course feedback surveys, from 5 series of field courses (UK and overseas) covering up to 21 years
Earlier academic years Later academic years
Numbers = number of field course series analysed (maximum = 5)
Information technology (1) Information technology (3)
Ecological knowledge (2)
Ecological techniques (2)
Experimental design (4)
Statistics (2)
Report writing (1)
Communication skills (1)
Group work (1)
Information technology (1)
Ecological knowledge (3)
Ecological techniques (3)
Experimental design (1)
Statistics (3)
Report writing (3)
Communication skills (3)
Group work (2)
Newly established field courses More mature field courses
Students’ perceptions of how they benefited from field courses
Longer series of field courses
Staff number and experience
Questionnaire timing
Assessment type/loading
Student involvement
Feedback timing
Style of delivery
Location
Familiarity
Size of course
Gender ratio
Weather, etc.
Educational bubble
“I go to biology lectures”
“I concentrate in biology classes”
“I am immersed in learning biology”
“I am excited by learning biology”
“I learn with biologists”
“I am a biologist”
Source: Prof Nicola Whitton
A place to (have the confidence to) fail…
Something I learned about games…
Difficulty
Skill
s
See
: Sch
ell,
J. (
20
04
). T
he
Art
of
Gam
es D
esig
n. A
Bo
ok
of
Len
ses.
What is the role of failure in HE?
Engagement improves outcomes
General abilities and critical thinking (Kuh and Gonyea, 2003)
Studentsatisfaction
(Kuh et al., 2007)*Moral and ethical
development (Jones and Watt,
1999)
Practical competence and
skills transferability (Kuh, 1995)
Self-esteem, psychosocial development
(Chickering and Reisser, 1993)
Cognitive development (Pascarella and Terenzini, 2005)
Learning includes goals, purposes, intentions, choice and decision-making, and it is not at all clear where these elements fit into the learning cycle
In the early 1980s, Freire and others stressed that the heart of all learning lies in the way we process experience, in particular, our critical reflection of experience.
(Rogers, 1996)
PsychologyPiaget,Gagne
(etc)
Kolb 1984
Bloom 1956
A place for educational research…
M13
F1
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M4M2
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M11
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M14
F12
M10M9
M8
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M13
F1
F6
M4M2
M3
F5
M11
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M14
F12
M10M9
M8
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S3
S7
S9
S12
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S20
S1
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S10
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S19
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S21
S2
S17S15
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S8
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Student-student interactionsStudent-tutor interactions
(Source: Langan et al. 2007)
Don’t let it stop you…!• Health and safety
• Liabilities (incl CMA)
• Reliabilities
• Costs
• Staffing
• International
• Environmental impact (travel)
• Crime
• Behaviour
• Cultural
• Equivalent experiences for non-participants
• Accessibility (eg ERAC)
• … more?!
Next 40 years?
• Online
• Virtual Reality
• Augmented Reality
• ‘Kit’
• Use of data
• Ethics (etc)
• Student demands
• National curriculum drivers
Next 40 years?
• Online
• Virtual Reality
• Augmented Reality
• ‘Kit’
• Use of data
• Ethics (etc)
• Student demands
• National curriculum drivers
… importance of practical skill development, especially in field situations
… an emphasis on practical (especially field-based) investigation
… integration of fieldwork, experimental and theoretical investigations underpinning the learning experience,
especially in Earth and environmental sciences (although this may also be important in environmental studies)
Practical skills associated with laboratory and field situations
It is impossible for students to develop a satisfactory understanding of ES3 without significant
exposure to field-based learning and teaching
Much of the advancement in knowledge and understanding in these subject areas is founded on accurate observation and recording in the field
Developing field-related practical and research skills is therefore essential for students wishing to pursue
careers in ES3
… conduct fieldwork and laboratory investigations competently
… undertake laboratory and fieldwork ethically and safely
QAA ES3 (Earth Science, Environmental Science & Environmental Studies) Benchmark Statement
An essential and characteristic aspect of geography is the role of fieldwork and other forms of experiential
learning in the development of knowledge and understanding
Programmes develop familiarity with a range of methodologies including: field, laboratory and process-
modelling skills
Geography is intrinsically a field-based subject. Field experience is an essential part and all geographers
require the opportunity to plan, undertake and report significant fieldwork during their programme
Fieldwork and experiential learning constitutes an essential aspect of this engagement and thus has
a variety of roles in:
providing an opportunity to apply theoretical, technical and scientific laboratory methods and findings to
more complex, uncontrolled field environments
identifying problems and framing research questions, testing hypotheses and designing research
encouraging consideration of the ethical aspects of research processes
developing a sense of place, identity, awareness of difference, and sensitivity to others
promoting generic skills such as teamwork and observation.
QAA Geography Benchmark Statement
An honours degree programme in the biosciences is designed to provide graduates with a broad
understanding of the scientific basis of the study of living systems and practical experience of working in a
laboratory and/or field situation
They are aware of the need for good practice in the laboratory and in the field, including health and safety,
and legal and ethical aspects of research design and analysis
… identify individual and collective goals and responsibilities and perform in a manner appropriate to
these roles, in particular those being developed through practical, laboratory and/or field studies
… obtain, record, collate and analyse data using appropriate techniques in the field and/or laboratory,
working individually or in a group, as is most appropriate for the subject under study
… undertake field and/or laboratory investigations of living systems in a responsible, safe and ethical
mannercarry out sample selection; record and analyse data in the field and/or the laboratory
… exhibit practical fieldwork skills including but not limited to ecological survey techniques, taxonomic
identification of organisms and ecological impact assessments
QAA Biosciences Benchmark Statement
Environmental studies Species diversity in the context of ecological stability
Calculation of an index
Candidates should study appropriate examples drawn from fieldwork as far as possible
Students will be given the opportunity to develop fieldwork skills
This gives students the choice of being assessed on a fieldwork investigation
of their choice and fieldwork skills by taking the Geography Fieldwork
Investigation paper (Unit 4A) or by taking the Issue Evaluation Paper (Unit 4B).
… use sampling techniques in fieldwork (one of 12 practical exercises)
Identifies hazards and assesses risks associated with those hazards, making
safety adjustments as necessary, when carrying out experimental techniques and
procedures in the lab or field.
Geography
Biology
AQA A Level Syllabus