The Enhancing Fieldwork Learning Showcase, now in it’s 9th year, was held at Reading University last month. The EFL project team coordinates an annual event that brings together fieldwork educators from a range to disciplines to share ideas and innovations in field teaching and learning with a particular focus on the use of technology. Over 30 people attended, and there was a mix of talks, demonstrations and activities, with time to socialise and exchange ideas, including at a dinner sponsored by ESRI. The EFL showcases are particularly valuable opportunities to share best practice and learn about new innovations and technologies to increase student learning, skill development and accessibility in fieldwork teaching. This event was no exception with lively panel discussions and conversations amongst participants, who took every chance to network also. The quality of and passion for field teaching presented was very inspiring.
As this year marked the 50th year of teaching Botany Masters Degrees (visit here for more details) at the University of Reading, the Showcase included an interactive, field botany-based activity led by Drs Jonathan Mitchley and Alastair Culham.
The slides from all talks are available at this link, a summary of the day’s tweets at this second link, and the talks and activities are listed here:
- Keynote: Virtual Rome and fieldwork learning: Matthew Nicholls (Universities of Reading and Oxford)
- How Real is Virtual? Using Virtual Landscapes in Fieldwork Teaching: Jacqueline Houghton, Clare Gordon, Ben Craven, Geoff Lloyd and Daniel Morgan (University of Leeds)
- Latitude 360: Virtual Reality to enhance fieldwork experiences: Sarah Fielding, Judith Lock, Eloise Monger, Neil Gostling, Jake Snaddon, Bjorn Robroek, Martin Solan, Phil Fenberg (University of Southampton)
- Using mobile technologies in fieldwork: Thailand – UK workshop: Kevin Burden and Ray Kirtley (University of Hull)
- A Field School Assisting the Creation of a New Protected Area in Madagascar: Mark Steer (University of West of England)
- Cats, camera traps and communication – how zoologists and engineers ran an interdisciplinary field project together: Joanna Bagniewska, Rachel McCrindle, Simon Sherratt, Balazs Janko, Ross Wilson (University of Reading) [see blog post]
- “Access Anglesey”: Delivering and Evaluating an Accessible and Inclusive Field Class: Jacqueline Houghton, Dan Morgan, Clare Gordon (University of Leeds) Christopher Atchison (University of Cincinnati) Alison Stokes (University of Plymouth) and Trevor Collins (Open University)
- Tablets to enable learning for autistic students: Clare Gordon and Jacqueline Houghton (University of Leeds)
- Inclusive Field Kit: A Community Resource for Enabling Remote Activity: Trevor Collins, Sarah Davies, Anita Marshall and Chris Atchison
- EFL Field Activity Session: Recording the sounds of botany!
- Students’ perceptions of skills development through fieldwork: Emma Peasland, Dominic Henri, Lesley Morrell and Graham Scott (University of Hull)
- Embedding student-led fieldwork in the curriculum: Lesley Batty (University of Birmingham)
- Using media to support students’ reflections and communicate science: Trevor Collins, Julia Cooke (Open University) and Karen Devine (BES)
- The student as researcher in a longitudinal fieldwork-based research: Liz Lakin (University of Dundee)
- Citizen Science opportunities for ecology undergraduates: Sally Faulkner (Queen Mary University of London)
- Ecology practical field technology training for undergraduates: Tara Pirie (University of Reading)
With thanks to the EFL team: Alice Machine, Katharine Welsh, Derek France, Julian Park and Brian Whalley.
BES TEACHING AND LEARNING 