Student-led Presentations in situ: The Challenges to Presenting on the Edge of a Volcano

Abstract

Student-led seminars are commonplace within higher education but few are allowed the opportunity of being delivered in situ. Presentations in situ widen the experience of students and develop a range of transferable skills, encouraging a greater sense of place and facilitating reflective learning. This case study describes the experiences of a group of undergraduate tourism management students who embark on a field course to southern Italy and take responsibility for leading the delivery of tutor-assessed student presentations at a variety of selected sites, including the Mount Vesuvius National Park. Students reflect on their own experiences through written comments in an assessed field course notebook that reveals the positive aspects and challenges to presenting in situ.