“GO WITH THE FLOW”: ADAPTIVE COLLABORATION FOR ACCESSIBLE VIRTUAL HYDROLOGY FIELD EXPERIENCE RESOURCES (Invited Presentation)

This presentation describes the efforts of the Virtual Hydrogeology/Environmental Field Experiences working group, as a part of IAGD and NAGT’s Designing Remote Geology Field Courses effort. In March of 2020, courses and field camps started to move to remote delivery. A great need emerged for resources that were scientifically rigorous and educationally sound, available for almost immediate implementation. A group of geoscientist and science educators met weekly via Zoom to develop virtual field experiences. Based on discussion in our first meeting and a follow-up survey to engage others asynchronously, we co-created group goals and determined how we would work together. The team divided into three subgroups: surface water, ground water, and karst environments. The groups leveraged personal, SERC, and other preexisting teaching materials and modified them as well as developed new resources as needed. Guided by NAGT-established learning outcomes for virtual field experiences, subgroups collaborated in a virtual setting to submit the products to the SERC Virtual Field Experiences repository. Weekly agendas were guided by a Google doc-based agenda to which notes were added, to promote accessibility. Because this effort was undertaken in an uncertain time, we paid special attention to cultivating a safe, supportive environment. Going forward, we recognize the need for collaborative efforts to continue, for virtual and in-person field experiences alike.