Mobile Learning in a Human Geography Field Course

Claire Jarvis,Nicholas Tate,Jennifer Dickie,Gavin Brown

doi:10.1080/00221341.2015.1026373

Abstract

This article reports on reusable mobile digital learning resources designed to assist human geography undergraduate students in exploring the geographies of life in Dublin. Developing active learning that goes beyond data collection to encourage observation and thinking in the field is important. Achieving this in the context of large class sizes presents several challenges. Combining in situ learning with spatially accurate historical and contemporary multimedia, a set of location-aware digital mobile tools, or mediascapes, was developed. How scaffolding can be achieved in such a context, focusing on the development of students’ observational, enquiry, and thinking skills in the field was explored.

Highlights

Equating fieldwork with offering a ‘real world’ context to geographic education (e.g., Day, 2012) is at first glance intuitively persuasive with a value beyond question
Using data collected from students on the field course, we focus on two elements: (1) the use of mobile technology to develop students’ observational skills and (2) to assist in deepening linkage with urban theory
To assess how the students responded to the use of mediascapes both in terms of the knowledge and skills they acquired as well as the less obvious pedagogic benefits the mobile equipment offered, we evaluated the field course using:

Summary

Introduction

Equating fieldwork with offering a ‘real world’ context to geographic education (e.g., Day, 2012) is at first glance intuitively persuasive with a value beyond question. Being unequivocal in terms of the pedagogic value and effectiveness of fieldwork is more difficult. This matters given the financial context in which we teach, and it makes sense that we re-evaluate the pedagogic benefits of fieldwork (e.g., costly residential field courses) on an ongoing basis (McEwen 1996; Herrick 2010). The role and value of fieldwork in geography has been subject to some inquiry and discussion (e.g., McEwen 1996; Kent et al 1997; Nairn 2005; Boyle et al 2007; Hope 2009). Perhaps at the very least, the clear value of fieldwork lies firmly in the affective domain as revealed by Boyle et al (2007)

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Conclusion