GEOLOGISTS' PERCEPTIONS OF THE VALUE OF FIELD CAMP

Nearly all college-level geology programs in the USA, UK, and Canada require a field course and/or camp experience. Here we use “field camp” to broadly include multi-day, immersive, instructional experiences in which students engage in guided or independent geologic problem-solving tasks. A perception exists that training in field methods is essential to gaining expertise in the geological sciences, even though many professional geoscientists will never again use the field skills they learn in camps. Given the financial, logistical, and liability challenges of extended field-based instruction, we ask: why does the geology community view field camps as such an essential experience?

To address this question, we developed a survey consisting of 3 open-ended items and 27 Likert items asking about perceptions of field camps, plus 10 demographic and experience items. Data were collected anonymously at the 2010 Geological Society of America meeting where participants (n=91) completed surveys in a booth in the exhibit hall. About two-thirds of participants self-identified as students (28% undergraduates, 35% graduates), and 37% as professional or retired geoscientists.

Survey participants were asked to respond to all items from the perspective of one of three categories: learner, instructor, or industry professional. Of the respondents, 54% self-identified as learners (about half undergraduate and half graduate students), 31% as instructors (dominantly holding academic positions), and 15% as industry professionals (dominantly working in government or industry). Thematic coding suggests that respondents value field camps for providing a “real world” context for understanding geologic processes, and first-hand experience where students learn by “doing.” When rating the importance of possible field camp learning outcomes, all groups highly valued developing a better understanding of geologic concepts, improving problem-solving skills, and increasing confidence in problem-solving skills. Instructors also highly valued integrating knowledge from different disciplines, whereas industry professionals highly valued developing a better understanding of how geologists think. This work could help the geology community identify long-term goals and outcomes of field camps and courses.