It's a big field out there!

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

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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…

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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