Geography, Earth And Environmental Sciences Research Articles

Not just muddy and not always gleeful? Thinking about the physicality of fieldwork, mental health, and marginality

AbstractThis paper acknowledges that geographical fieldwork and fieldtrips can be deeply stressful, anxiety‐inducing, troubling, miserable, hard and exclusionary for many colleagues, students and pupils. Building on the critical insights of Bracken and Mawdsley's (Area, 36, 2004) ‘Muddy Glee’ we empirically extend disciplinary reflections on fieldwork, drawing on qualitative data from research with UK university‐based Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES) academics who self‐identify as having mental health conditions which substantially affect their daily lives. These data prompt reflection on the nature and experience of fieldwork in two ways. First, they require acknowledgment of fieldwork as not just ‘muddy’, widening disciplinary imaginaries of fieldwork accessibility to encompass marginalities in/of Human Geography fieldwork practice. Second, contrary to pervasive disciplinary idealisations, these data demand recognition that fieldwork and fieldtrips are not necessarily gleeful but can be sites of intense latent anxiety and intersectional marginality. They evidence how fieldwork can often be experienced as sites of anxiety, isolation, marginalisation, and often silent or hidden distress. These data are not easy to read, and we argue that they require us to widen our disciplinary senses of what fieldwork is like. In conclusion we offer some prompts for reflection to think‐with this unease.

Six simple steps towards making GEES fieldwork more accessible and inclusive

AbstractFieldwork is a defining aspect of Physical Geography, Earth and Environmental Science (GEES) programme curricula. At its best, fieldwork offers students valuable opportunities to develop independent research skills in real‐world situations, examine analogues for a range of scientific concepts, and socialise with peers. It offers experiences that are challenging to replicate using virtual/remote learning. However, at its worst, traditional fieldwork practice and culture can present barriers to access and hostile environments that epitomise the broader equity, diversity, and inclusivity problems faced by GEES disciplines. With the role of fieldwork increasingly being called into question, here we promote simple adaptations that can make fieldwork more accessible and enjoyable for all.

The value of ‘having a go’: Trialing a project-based learning activity to inform curriculum design

Active, student-centered pedagogies such as project-based learning (PjBL) can offer significant potential for engaging undergraduates with complex sustainability issues. Driven by institution-wide curriculum changes and informed by educational theories and evidence from previous studies, a trial PjBL activity was designed and delivered on three separate occasions, to three different student groups, at a university in the United Kingdom. In these trials, students from geography, Earth, and environmental science (GEES) programs worked in small (5 to 6 people), multiple-discipline teams to explore a single research question focused on a global sustainability issue. The perceptions and experiences of the trial participants (students and faculty) were investigated using data from surveys and interviews, and the findings applied to designing a new, multiple-disciplinary module focused on energy and climate change. In general, all participants engaged positively with the PjBL approach, although issues around the nature and extent of support available to the students and appropriate methods of assessing PjBL outputs emerged as requiring further consideration. The findings demonstrate that a single research question need not constrain the approach students take when completing a PjBL activity and identify clear potential benefits in terms of developing students’ wider professional skills. This study also highlights the value to curriculum developers in trialing new pedagogic approaches, as the opportunity to “have a go” enabled potential issues for learners and instructors to be identified and mitigated prior to the final module design and implementation.

“The show must go on!” Fieldwork, mental health and wellbeing in Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Fieldwork is central to the identity, culture and history of academic Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES). However, in this paper we recognise that, for many academic staff, fieldtrips can be a profoundly challenging “ordeal,” ill‐conducive to wellness or effective pedagogic practice. Drawing on research with 39 UK university‐based GEES academics who self‐identify as having a mental health condition, we explore how mental health intersects with spaces and expectations of fieldwork in Higher Education. We particularly focus on their accounts of undertaking undergraduate residential fieldtrips and give voice to these largely undisclosed experiences. Their narratives run counter to normative, romanticised celebrations of fieldwork within GEES disciplines. We particularly highlight recurrent experiences of avoiding fieldwork, fieldwork‐as‐ ordeal, and “coping” with fieldwork, and suggest that commonplace anxieties within the neoliberal academy – about performance, productivity, fitness‐to‐work, self‐presentation, scrutiny and fear‐of‐falling‐behind – are felt particularly intensely during fieldwork. In spite of considerable work to make fieldwork more accessible to students, we find that field‐based teaching is experienced as a focal site of distress, anxiety and ordeal for many GEES academics with common mental health conditions. We conclude with prompts for reflection about how fieldwork could be otherwise.

“Choice may not necessarily be a good thing”: student attitudes to autonomy in interdisciplinary project-based learning in GEES disciplines

Project-based learning (PjBL) is argued to foster a more democratic approach to education, particularly through increasing students’ autonomy over their learning. This article presents the findings of research into students’ views relating to autonomy over topic choice and group constitution during a series of trial interdisciplinary PjBL activities with first-year geography, earth and environmental sciences (GEES) undergraduates in a UK university. Semi-structured interviews with participating students and tutors, in addition to audio-recordings of staff–student discussion during student-led presentation sessions, formed the data set analysed for this article. Findings suggest that while some degree of autonomy was welcomed, participants largely favoured prescription regarding research question and group membership. This has implications for the implementation of PjBL and its potential to foster democratization within the GEES disciplines.

Developing Key Skills as a Science Communicator: Case Studies of Two Scientist-Led Outreach Programmes

Outreach by scientific researchers in school classrooms often results in widespread benefit for learners, classroom teachers and researchers. This paper presents a consideration of these benefits using two case studies in the Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES). In each case, different school classroom-based activities were designed by scientists, but were improved by input from educational professionals, which helped to maximize the mutual learning experiences and to ensure the quality of the content and its delivery. Each case study suggests an improvement in scientist’s working knowledge of best practices for classroom-based outreach activities, which can translate to improved practices for University-level teaching, among other tangible career-relevant benefits. Despite these benefits, these projects highlight the well-established need for improved training for researchers in effective outreach practices, increased value on programme evaluation, and the growing need for meaningful professional recognition for researchers involved in these important, and ever-growing, outreach activities.

Linking employability and sustainability skills through a module on ‘Greening Business’

AbstractThis article describes the development of a module on ‘Greening Business’, which aims to provide practical and skills-based sustainability education to students from any subject discipline and provide students with the knowledge, understanding and skills to drive positive environmental change in their future workplaces. The module proved popular particularly for students on Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES), and business-related courses, providing an alternative and complementary angle to their chosen degree routes. Students perceive modules of this nature to be useful to them in their future careers, potentially giving them an advantage in the job market. Curriculum developments in this area can help develop both sustainability-specific and generic employability skills. It is also an area where the GEES community can play a key role linking the wider employability and sustainability agendas in higher education, in addition it contributes to a more sustainable society through deve...

Teaching post-socialism, twenty years on

AbstractThis paper considers the challenges involved in teaching about post-socialist transformation twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and reports some innovative practices, including a fieldwork-based module for Year 3 undergraduates, in place at the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES), University of Birmingham.

From Harvard to Bradford - experiences of running a peer education for sustainable development project

There has been a signifi cant growth of interest and recognition in fi nding ways to bring sustainable development into the formal curriculum of UK students (Hopkinson et al., 2008, Sterling and Scott 2007, Roberts and Roberts 2007, Blewitt and Cullingford 2004). However, student learning can take place in many different settings and the ‘student experience’ comprises many diverse infl uences (refs). In this paper we provide a case study of an informal curriculum project – the Ecoversity ambassadors funded as part of a Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES) Subject Centre small grant in 2006/7 and subsequently funded as one element of a Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) funded programme known as Ecoversity StuDent (2007-2010). The paper describes the origins of the StuDent ambassador scheme, its management, emergent data related to the impact on students and the ways in which the project evolved with time.

Influences on Future UK Higher Education Students' Perceptions and Educational Choices across Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES)

Literature on student perception is evaluated in relation to the evolution of perception of Geography, Earth and Environmental Science (GEES) through the school years. Four pervasive themes are identified. An ‘expectation framework’ generated by family and social class exerts a dominant influence on student choice, yet rarely is it addressed in studies of degree subject choices. Each student follows a ‘choice trajectory’ through the school years, which warrants further investigation in the context of GEES. ‘Interest’ is often cited as an influencing factor on educational choice, but rarely is it examined at any depth and in relation to GEES disciplines.

Undertaking a Dissertation from Start to Finish: The Process and Product

The dissertation is still seen as the pinnacle of studies for an undergraduate programme of studies in most geography, earth and environmental sciences (GEES) departments in the UK, yet how do we prepare students to undertake the work and what do students think of the experience? This paper examines the student perspective of the dissertation experience via the analysis of questionnaires issued to former students in two UK institutions. As an extension to this analysis, 32 departmental dissertation handbooks from a range of UK institutions are reviewed. Evidence from the handbooks and questionnaires reveals some of the key issues of putting theory into practice. For example, studying the right topic, student enjoyment of independent fieldwork, and establishing a good student–staff supervisory relationship are important. However, students have difficulty with time management and knowing what is expected. Based on the issues identified, a series of questions is made by way of conclusion. These questions could be used as prompts for GEES departments should they wish to review the management and assessment of the dissertation. Finally, various practical suggestions are provided as to how the student experience of independent learning might be enhanced with specific reference to the student dissertation handbook.

School students’ perceptions of careers related to Geography, Earth and Environmental Science (GEES)

AbstractThis paper discusses some of the findings of a 2005–07 GEES Subject Centre research project investigating school students’ perceptions of the GEES disciplines. Perceived career opportunities and interest in the subject tend to be important factors influencing degree subject choice. The data suggests, however, that there is a mismatch between students’ perceptions of career opportunities in the GEES disciplines and their own idea of getting a job, particularly at school years 7 and 10. The literature review conducted as part of this project noted that there is a cumulative process of evolving perception and achievement that influences degree subject choice and, for most people, this starts well before the age of 14 years. The challenge for the GEES community, therefore, is to find a way to market itself in order to make it highly relevant to children of all ages.

Practitioner Perspectives on the use of Technology in Fieldwork Teaching

During the last decade, technological developments in computer hardware, software and networks, combined with increasing pressures on staff and students, have led to a proliferation of Communication and Information Technology (C&IT) within the Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES) disciplines. This research investigates the role of C&IT within field courses, which in this paper are conceived of as a specific approach to teaching in the GEES disciplines. Through a national survey of field courses, the general level of usage of C&IT in the field was established. This was supplemented by an expert group analysis, which focused on the reasons behind the use of C&IT in the field. It was concluded that most use of C&IT in the field is driven by technological rather than pedagogic innovation.

Field safety training for staff in geography, earth and environmental sciences in HE: establishing a framework

Abstract The need for,and requirements of,staff developmentopportunities in fieldwork leadership for higher education (HE)staff have been explored by consultation with representatives ofsubject organizations and the Outdoor community. This articlesummarises the outcomes of that consultation (a full report isavailable on request). Currently available opportunities forrelevant training are identified,and a ‘framework’ for consideringstaff development is proposed. This includes a list of thecompetencies that it is suggested field leaders should endeavourto develop. This list is intended to be a facilitative tool,forexample in assisting self-assessment of development needs.Finally,a number of avenues for further work are recommendedin order to provide increased support for higher education staffinvolved in leading fieldwork. Introduction This project was established to enable the higher education (HE)Geography,Earth and Environmental Science (GEES) communityto learn from the expertise of the Outdoor (mountaineering /outdoor pursuits) community in relation to issues of fieldworksafety. Fieldwork often takes place in potentially hazardouslocations,including rivers,woodlands,coastal/tidal locations,moorland and mountains and urban areas.HE subject organizations and Outdoor organizations wereinvited to be involved in a consultation (either through meetingsor electronic communication) to investigate the need for,andrequirements of,staff development opportunities in the safemanagement of fieldwork specifically tailored to HigherEducation. This article summarises the key findings,with a fullreport available on request.Fieldwork has long been recognized as playing a central rolein GEES subjects (Kent

Combining student independent learning and peer advice to improve the quality of undergraduate dissertations

The majority of UK undergraduates studying one of the Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES) disciplines undertake a dissertation as part of their studies. Recognising the importance of...

Disabled students’ experiences of fieldwork

This commentary summarizes selected findings of a survey of disabled students in the Geography Earth and Environmental Science (GEES) subjects in six English universities (Hall et al. 2004). It focuses on their experiences of barriers to learning related to fieldwork. The survey targeted disabled students at six English universities in GEES and related subjects. Five out of the six were 'post-i 992' universities. The survey was questionnaire based and included a variety of open and closed questions that allowed the collection of statistical information and detailed qualitative testimony from students. Students were accessed by working with the disability advisors, or people in equivalent posts, at each university. All student responses were anonymous to the research team and only identifiable to disability advisors within each university. While disabled students are undoubtedly under represented in higher education in the UK (Preece 1995, 88), they constitute a significant minority of students. In 2003/04 5.4 per cent of undergraduates self-assessed themselves as having a disability (National Disability Team 2005). However, there is reason to believe that many disabled students are unwilling to self-declare as disabled. The actual proportion may be closer to 10 per cent. Fieldwork is central to teaching and learning in geography and cognate disciplines in higher educa tion (QAA 2000, para. 5.8) and fulfils a number of pedagogic functions. However, fieldwork has the potential to exclude disabled students in a number of ways (Nairn 1996 1999; Maguire 1998; Hall et al. 200

Preparing Geography, Earth and Environmental Science (GEES) Students for Employment in the Enterprise Culture

Changing patterns of employment within the UK and elsewhere have led to a need for geography, earth and environmental science (GEES) graduates to be prepared for a ‘portfolio’ career. It is advantageous for GEES graduates to be able to identify and capitalize on entrepreneurial opportunities. This paper illustrates how one department has addressed this issue through the introduction of a module in ‘enterprise and employability’. The article outlines the pedagogic principles underpinning the module's design and implementation, and the impact it has had on the students' experience. Week Monday (workshop) Tuesday (workshop) 1 Module briefing Introducing employability Introducing enterprise • Job application and interview assignment • What is it? Why should you study it? Its context within your subject • Student motivations • Finding business ideas • Placement procedures • Business support networks Review Monday class • Business planning • Feasibility study assignment • Forming your groups 2 Visit to Science Innovation Centre for talk on intellectual property and insight into the Centre's activities and GIS‐based business activities Review Monday visit Graduate destinations and skills review 3 • Innovation and technology transfer Careers convention • Marketing • Group work on project plans 4 • Operations Review Monday class • People CVs and applications • Finance • Group work on feasibility study 5 Review of Personal Enterprise Group work on feasibility study Interview techniques 6 Feasibility study presentations Assessed interviews start

Designing a curriculum that values a research-based approach to student learning in Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES)

AbstractFor many of us the teaching and research nexus is what distinguishes higher education from other education sectors. Yet, the research evidence cautions us that positive teaching/research links are not automatic. This article sets out a range of strategies that individuals and course teams in GEES can use to examine their current courses and strengthen teaching/research connections to benefit student learning in these disciplines.

Linking Teaching and Research and undertaking Pedagogic Research in Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES)

Teaching and research are Higher Education’s two principal activities but are often seen as separate and in competition, or even in conflict. However, evidence suggests that connecting student lear...

The Research-Teaching Nexus in Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES)

Original article can be found at: http://www.gees.ac.uk/planet/#PSE5. [Full text of this article is not available in the UHRA]