Self-guided field trips allow flexibility in undergraduate student introductory field experiences

Abstract

There is a clear desire in the geoscience community to engage students in field work in ways that minimize institutional (cost, size, liability) and circumstantial barriers (family obligations, financial burdens) that decrease field trip participation at the introductory level. Here we demonstrate that non-major students want accessible field experiences; however, concerns over time and transportation limit students’ ability to engage in field trips outside of class time, even when offered. We used the free NSF-funded Flyover Country mobile app to create self-guided field trips to regional parks and urban areas with geological features of interest. These trips were implemented in a small, non-major focused, Introduction to Geology course which had previously experienced poor attendance for field trips outside of class time. We then compared experiences of students using the app to experiences of students in the same course who attended a traditional instructor-led trip. Lab grades and student survey responses provide evidence that students on the self-guided field trips observed similar geology and reported similar affective outcomes as those students who attended the instructor-led trip. While outcomes at the Introductory level suggest a self-guided modality is a promising option, results may vary for more technical upper division courses.