The 12th Enhancing Fieldwork Learning (EFL) Showcase was held at The Open University and online on the 14 and 15th September 2022. Here Simon M. Hutchinson (University of Salford) reports on the event.
This Showcase was always planned as a hybrid event but, as function of a train strike and on-going COVID infections, ended up more online than probably initially anticipated. Nevertheless, there was both an ‘in the room’ and online presence and Team-based communications were skilfully handled to ensure all 78 participants had the chance to be part of the event.
The theme this year was ‘Towards achieving sustainability in fieldwork’ and the meeting was subdivided into 6 sessions with at least one Keynote each day as well as interactive sessions, demonstrations and a Padlet-based plenary. Here I aim to provide an overview of the meeting, but, as an online participant, I don’t have any insights into the Conference Dinner (and beers thereafter)!
The first session focussed on sustainability and the Keynote by Helen Walkington provided an underpinning by setting out recent RGS work on the principles for undergraduate fieldwork. Principle Two relates to the sustainability of fieldwork and considering its Carbon Footprint, but these principles range more widely and the presentation also discussed access and equity for students, as well as considering the staff who deliver field-based teaching. Within the sustainability session the presentation looked at specific sustainability issues related to both fieldwork activities as well as the transport to get there.
Session Two considered the Student Voice with examples in bioscience from Newcastle University and ‘allotmenteering’ at the University of Bristol where a green space has become both a teaching and food resource. While perhaps not particularly encouraging tourism at Kinmel Bay in North Wales, Katharine Welsh’s demo of a student project using VR to simulate the impact of coastal flooding provided a glimpse of the future (of the application of immersive technology as well as sea level rise).
After lunch Session Three was prefaced by the second Keynote by Judith Lock and Becky Morris which provided an institutional level perspective on field work guidance. This session reported post pandemic approaches to fieldwork including the student co-creation of virtual field trips with some of this session delivered ‘live’ from a coach somewhere in The Netherlands! The last session of the day dealt with Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. The talks ranged from the use of gamification to 3D modelling of outcrops with an illustration of some of the benefits digital field notes can offer. An excellent resource for digital tools to support fieldwork can be found at https://www.cultivate-project.com/.
Day Two opened with Bethan Stagg describing the Field Studies Council’s response to Covid and their initiatives in inclusive digital pedagogies to support secondary school fieldwork. In the session that followed a fantastic range of studies were on offer spanning a UK classroom at GCSE to remote data collection from nut farmers in Africa. Those not online then left the building while Trevor Collins impressed everyone demonstrating video streaming technologies for Remote Access to fieldwork (and even took questions ‘live’).
The final session returned to EDI and also considered fieldwork in schools although, in this case the missed pre-university fieldwork learning opportunities caused by Covid. At the end of the meeting Lesley Batty made the audience do the work and discuss ‘Where next for EFL?’ through a series of break-out and plenary session collating feedback via Padlets. Dr Batty will also host next year’s EFL at the University of Birmingham when there will be an ‘Employment’ focus, and here are some words from another attendee:
“I’ve attended the last two EFL conferences, but wish I’d known about them at the start of my academic career. As an ecologist who’s keen on sustainability but also technology-enhanced learning, the themes of the past two years have been perfect. I’ve picked up some great ideas which I’ll embed into my own teaching practice, and I now have a list of likeminded colleagues around the country with whom I’m considering collaborating with on pedagogic projects. I’m looking forward to next year!” Dr Andy Wakefield, Senior Lecturer University of Bristol
For the Showcase programme and abstracts, so you have the full details, go to this link, once edited, the talks will be available here, and for past events have a look here.
BES TEACHING AND LEARNING 
Reblogged this on Enhancing Fieldwork Learning.
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