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Small-Scale Learning and Teaching Research and Development Projects: 2001

Atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere: Cross-disciplinary virtual fieldwork

Roger Suthren, Geology, BMS, Oxford Brookes University

The project will develop virtual fieldwork (VFW) across the disciplines of geography, geology and environmental sciences, by active collaboration between staff in all these areas. We shall focus on field courses to remote areas or dangerous phenomena in which we have expertise, including two or more of: arctic environments, major storms, volcanoes, and tropical marine environments. The VFW will initially be developed to support and enhance existing courses at Oxford Brookes, particularly those modules which cross boundaries between disciplines. It will be revised by the end of project funding for use by staff and students in all degree courses in HE, through the LTSN-GEES web site. Through VFW, students will be exposed to environments and processes which they would not normally experience firsthand. Resources will be interactive, using web technology, CAA, and software tools developed by the national Virtual Field Course project (VFC), for which Geology at Brookes is an evaluation site. Where possible, good existing resources will be converted to electronic form. As is our current practice, students will be actively involved in producing, testing and evaluating course materials. The staff involved range from those who have used the web for teaching for several years, to those who are investigating C & IT in learning for the first time, and will be provided with guidance on using and adapting the software. The project is supported by our academic schools, with technical and pedagogic collaboration from appropriate support departments.

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Popweb

Jeff Blackford, Department of Geography, Queen Mary College, University of London

Many Geography, Environmental Science and Geology departments in UK institutions run courses in palaeoecology, biogeography and Quaternary science. This project aims to develop an existing internal web-site used in teaching these subjects, improve it, and make it nationally available by December 2001. The outcome will be a web-site with detailed information and numerous illustrations covering at least the 40 most common plant types and families in NW Europe. For each species, there will be a photograph of the plant and diagnostic features for recognition, photomicrographs of the pollen grain and of diagnostic features, with accompanying text pages for each. A description of the habitat, distribution, history and indicator value of each type (species or family) will be included, and then links to reading lists and other relevant sites.

We currently run an internal-only web site with 20 plant types and some of the relevant data. We have the equipment and expertise already in place to rapidly produce an enhanced site. The success of POPWEB will be evaluated by monitoring its use, student feedback, and by obtaining feedback from students and lecturers in other institutions via the web-site itself. The framework in place will be expandable over future years to provide more comprehensive spatial and species coverage.

Direct benefit will be the site itself, which will enhance student learning in palaeoecology, pollen studies and biogeography. Indirect benefits will be the development of expertise in running this type of facility.

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Reflective Learning in Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Margaret Harrison, School of Environment, University of Gloucestershire

Reflective learning, a fast developing area in education, is the ability to reflect on action or observation and respond. Learning through reflection is an important skill, which enables students to progress and improve the quality of their learning experience. This project aims to investigate the appropriateness and application of reflective learning in Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences in HE institutions in the UK. A review of education literature will provide a context to the project and expert advisors in reflective learning will inform the production of all project material.

There are two sections to the project: a survey of UK departments to obtain information about the knowledge, use and practice of reflective learning, and a trial test of a range of reflective learning approaches in an interdisciplinary module at C&GCHE. Analysis of the survey will establish the amount and form of reflective learning undertaken within the disciplines. The C&GCHE experiment will document the experience and response of students in the three disciplines to reflective learning exercises.

Outcomes from the project will be an on-line guide on reflective learning including the findings of the department survey, an account of the C&GCHE experience, and examples of reflective learning exercises. C&GCHE will host a reflective learning workshop for the Subject Centre. The proceedings of the workshop will be incorporated into the on-line guide. Other anticipated outcomes are journal articles and conference presentations.

This project will incorporate fresh talent, investigate the application of reflective learning in all three disciplines and disseminate good practice to the disciplines.

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Developing Team Skills in the Curricula

Kenneth Lynch, School of Earth Sciences and Geography, Kingston University

Team based learning is a key skill in which the 'field sciences' are widely perceived to excel. Much has been written about the importance of team skills to graduates and employers. However, much of the educational research is based on analysis of individual team-based learning projects. Little work has been done to integrate these skills into the relevant curricula ensuring appropriate progression at each level. This project intends to develop a framework for achieving this. Being carried out in a School which covers the three Subject Centre disciplines it is well placed to benefit the Centre's target population. The project will develop work currently completed, including a skills audit, a published team-based learning research project and the on-going integration of the Geography and Geological Sciences course management. The project will analyse a recent skills audit, together with the range of research and guides on team-based learning. It will organise a workshop in the School involving a professional team skills developer with the aim of identifying a strategy of developing students team skills in the curricula. Finally a staff development guide will be produced giving guidance on a framework for ensuring teaching, embedding and development of team skills at appropriate levels in the curricula. This guide will provide indications where possible for how this method may be adapted to suit other key skills in the curricula.

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The Higher Education Academy Subject Centre for Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences,
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