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Fieldwork

  

1. Why do fieldwork?
2. Earth sciences.
3. Reasons given for undertaking fieldwork.
4. Virtual fieldwork.
5. Hints, tips and suggestions.
6. Further information.  

 Download PDF version here

1. Why do fieldwork? 

Taking students out ‘into the field' for part of their studies is common-place in subjects as diverse as geography, languages, archaeology, art history and physiotherapy.  Situating learning in appropriate environments and contexts can have a powerful impact on students and their motivation.  It allows them to see the relevance of more theoretical studies and the direct applicability of what they have learnt.  It also provides an ideal setting for learning many life and professional skills and is therefore valued by employers (and frequently discussed at selection interviews).

Although costly and demanding it remains an important feature of many courses and much appreciated by staff and students alike.  In the Earth and Environmental Sciences the need to undertake fieldwork is written into Subject Benchmark statements, for example:

An education in Geography involves an active engagement with the external world. Fieldwork constitutes an essential element of this engagement and thus has a variety of roles, in:

• Providing an opportunity to apply theoretical, technical and scientific laboratory methods to the more complex, uncontrolled field environment, and to appreciate how processes that might be regarded as 'general' are mediated by the social and environmental character of a specific place.
• Prompting students' capacity to identify a problem or research question, and to develop approaches to solving or answering this through hypothesis testing, research design and data collection.
• Encouraging consideration of the ethical aspects of the research processes.
• Developing a sense of place, awareness of difference, and tolerance for others.
• Finally, but no less importantly, promoting certain transferable skills required in practical work and seminars, such as teamwork and observation.

(QAA, 2007, para 5.7)

 

This view is also reflected in Teaching Quality Assessment reports prepared by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) on behalf of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).

2. Earth sciences

Fieldwork carried out on day trips and residential field courses is a vital component of the study of geology.  The QAA assessors reported that fieldwork provided opportunities for the development of understanding that could not be achieved in the classroom or laboratory.  It also encouraged teamwork amongst students, and helped students to integrate course materials with practical experience.  It was also seen as reinforcing the good rapport between academic and technical staff and students.  In examples of best practice, the assessors noted that group work in the early stages of a course provided a foundation for individual fieldwork at a later stage.  Geology students frequently undertake individual mapping projects for which the prior understanding of practical techniques acquired on field courses is crucial.

 

3. Reasons given for undertaking fieldwork

• Develops observational skills.
• Allows students to visit places they would not normally experience.
• Facilitates experiential learning through a focus on the real world - comparing real examples with model or idealised examples in textbooks.
• Encourages students to take responsibility for their own learning.
• Develops analytical skills.
• Experiencing 'real' research through fieldwork, particularly residential fieldwork, allows concentrated study of a topic not usually possible with the normal timetable structure.
• Develops a respect for the environment.
• Develops personal skills, such as teamwork, leadership and responsibility.
• Breaks down barriers - fieldwork often facilitates a more relaxed social contact between students and their peers and between students and staff.

Based on Gold et al. (1991), and Livingstone et al. (1998)

Compiled by the Geography Discipline Network

 

4. Virtual fieldwork

For a range of practical and financial reasons practical work experiences are limited and providing some of the learning opportunities they provide virtually can be very beneficial.  Virtual field courses have been developed to simulate fieldwork in a number of environments now - whether it be collecting lichens from gravestones, surveying the flora and fauna in deserts or jungles or taking virtual tours around libraries and galleries they provide an insight that paper-based resources fail to equal.

Important uses for virtual field courses have been to supplement traditional field-working experiences for all students - for example, to help them prepare for a real field trip so that students gain more from the real thing.  However, virtual fieldwork can be crucial for students who are not able to access some of the field working opportunities, for example, because of an illness, an absence or a disability.

 

5. Hints, tips and suggestions

If you are arranging field visits you will carry an institutional responsibility for the health and safety of the students taking the field course and legally have a ‘duty of care'.  It is therefore important to consult with the your department or school's health and safety committee about the appropriate planning and organisation that needs to be carried out.  Your head of department/school will have overall responsibility for health and safety and is required to "make suitable and sufficient assessment risks" to both staff and students.

It is important to plan journeys in advance including method of transport, car parking arrangements etc.  Use of private cars is not recommended, but if they are used they must have breakdown coverage and the relevant insurance cover.  If using minibuses there should be a ‘spare' driver on the insurance just in case a driver is ill or unable to drive.

Maximum and minimum party sizes should be set bearing in mind the nature of the work and the environment plus the logistics of managing any emergency.  For example small groups should have a minimum of four people so that if someone is injured one person can stay with them whilst two go for help.

Fieldwork is a form of teaching and learning which closely resembles research activities and this can be stressed to students - that they are developing good practice in the collection and interpretation of research findings.

 

6. Further information

Learning Support for Disabled Students Undertaking Fieldwork and Related Activities.  Geography Discipline Network (GDN) Project.

Virtual Fieldwork.  GeoResources.

Geography benchmark statement, QAA 2007 (PDF download).

Gold, J. R., Jenkins, A., Lee R., Monk, J., Riley, J., Shepherd, I. and Unwin, D., 1991. Teaching Geography in Higher Education: A manual of good practice. Oxford, Blackwell. p22-35.

Livingstone, I., Matthews, H. and Castley, A., 1998.  Fieldwork and Dissertations in Geography. Cheltenham, Geography Discipline Network, Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education.