EXTENDING STUDENT LEARNING GAINS THROUGH VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS WITHIN TRADITIONAL FIELD COURSES

Although geologists rally around the slogan that “geology is best taught in the field,” students are often unable to closely examine all interesting geologic features because of accessibility, and/or because of physical limitations. In summer 2018, Mississippi State University and University of Southern Mississippi collaboratively offered a traditional 24-day geology field course through the southwest US with prolonged investigations in Gunnison and Saguache Counties in Colorado. During the first 10 days of the field excursion, the researchers investigated ways to improve students’ field learning experience with virtual techniques. Since not all areas visited on the field course are easily accessible to the students (e.g., cliff scarps), the researchers photographed outcrops and utilized an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to create 360-degree panoramas to provide bird’s-eye views. The researchers also photographed rock samples and fossil specimens from the area, most of which were collected by the students themselves. From the panoramas and digitized samples, we created 3D models and Gigapixel images for the geologic outcrops, rocks, and fossils. Approximately 2.5 months after the field camp concluded, we e-mailed these digital materials to student participants and sought feedback through surveys and interviews on how the virtual field trips (VFTs) from the field course helped students recall their field experiences and construct their geologic assessment of the outcrops. Analysis of student feedback provided a better understanding of the role of virtual technologies for students enrolled in field courses. Our results will help instructors extend student learning in traditional field courses, and potentially provide alternative field course investigations for physically impaired students.