FIELD LEARNING: ARE YOUR STUDENTS DOING WHAT YOU THINK THEY ARE WHILE OUT MAPPING?

This work builds off prior research (Maltese & Riggs, 2009) where mobile eyetracking devices were used to collect data from students completing field mapping exercises as part of the Field Geology in the Rocky Mountains course offered at the Indiana University Geologic Field Station in Montana. Data were collected from participants who wore tracking devices for approximately one hour while completing field exercises. This talk will focus on comparing student behavior during both an independent mapping exercise and a teaching "walkthrough" of the same field area immediately following the exercise.

Review of the video data reveals instances where students overlooked key features or outcrops, and made questionable use of their field tools (e.g., Bruntons). The collected videos clearly indicate significant difficulties experienced by students when trying to locate themselves using maps and aerial photos. This difficulty often inhibited their ability to give attention to the important content being shared by faculty.

As part of this analysis we asked the teaching faculty to provide a solution for how a student should best work through a section of the field area captured in the videos. When comparing these expectations with actual practices of students, significant disparities became evident. While the data are limited, this review made it clear that students entered the course with a wide range of expertise and often disregarded faculty teaching advice.

Based on these findings we’ll posit hypotheses for why there is a disconnect between faculty expectations and student practice and suggest strategies that may help instructors to remediate these issues. Future directions for research will be discussed.