CREATING A VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP OF THE OLDEST CONTINUALLY OPERATING SHOW CAVE IN THE USA

In the geosciences, fieldwork is an integral part of education programs and professional work. Fieldwork is identified as a high-impact educational experience by the National Survey of Student Engagement. These experiences provide students with a new perspective and deeper understanding of the material discussed in the classroom by practicing data collection and interpretation skills, an alternative way to contextualize knowledge. However, fieldwork may present a barrier to some students, due to different abilities, financial access, and non-academic responsibilities. Although many students eagerly participate in field trips, these opportunities continue to discourage some talented students from continuing in geosciences. Virtual field trips are one possible way to increase inclusion.

At our institution, the introductory physical geology lab includes a local karst field trip. Each semester there are over 300 students enrolled in this general education course. During this trip, the students visit Grand Caverns, the oldest continually operating show cave in the U.S. The students see numerous karst formations and several examples of regional deformation. To remove barriers, a virtual field trip was created. The trip has allowed for a realistic experience that closely mimics the in-person field trip. The virtual field trip was formatted to be viewed on a computer, tablet, or phone. The tour was created with Infiniscope, a NASA-funded software developed by Arizona State University designed to help educators create their own virtual trips. This virtual experience uses 360-degree photos, embedded text descriptions, high-definition images, and videos to highlight the geologic features of the cave. Capturing over 10 of the cavern’s main rooms, students gain a foundational knowledge of karst and local geology. Surveys of students who participated in both the in-person and virtual field trip found 54% of the students felt the virtual field trip was “very similar” or “similar” to the in-person trip, and 88% of the students surveyed felt the virtual tour was easy to navigate. This tour, along with virtual experiences, will enhance inclusivity and offer meaningful alternatives for students unable to join field trips.

Link to virtual tour: https://p.tourit.etx.asu.edu/v1fshqa2/qcb6ahts5e26iz9/index.html