Enabling Remote Access to Fieldwork: Gaining Insight into the Pedagogic Effectiveness of ‘Direct’ and ‘Remote’ Field Activities

This study considers the pedagogical effectiveness of remote access to fieldwork locations. Forty-one students from across the GEES disciplines (geography, earth and environmental sciences) undertook a fieldwork exercise, supported by two lecturers. Twenty students accessed the field site directly and the remainder accessed the site remotely using a computer network. Similar learning outcomes were achieved in relation to both methods of fieldwork, although the students’ attitudes and perceptions were found to vary. Despite these variations in experience, participants in both types of fieldwork exercise identified a range of situations in which remote access might enhance fieldwork provision.