COS 27-1
Virtual field hikes: Opportunities to expand field-based learning in and out of the traditional classroom
Water resource management and stewardship remains one of the great challenges facing California, requiring development of new and innovative approaches to engaging students in field-based environmental science. Building on a highly successful interdisciplinary field course on watershed science and management for undergraduate students, we have integrated a virtual field hike into the classroom-based preparatory sessions to maximize understanding of features and processes prior to participation in the ‘real’ field course. While students still gain invaluable hands-on experience in the field including stream survey techniques, aquatic species sampling, and basic geomorphic analysis, they have the opportunity to virtually visit the field site on multiple occasions during the preparatory sessions. The primary component of the virtual field hike is ‘virtual reality’ panoramas, which immerse the viewer within a scene using full screen high-resolution zoomable 360-degree photos and recorded environmental sounds. The interactive modules also allow the viewer to move between multiple panoramas to contrast different locations and watch embedded video clips covering topics such as lecture material, field demonstrations or expert interviews. The modules help students to develop their skills in identifying and mapping features of interest as well as providing an overview of the field site they will eventually visit.
Results/Conclusions
We created a virtual field hike of Tuolumne Meadows in the headwaters of the Tuolumne river watershed that was incorporated into a ‘source to sea’ focus for the undergraduate class at the University of California, Davis. In preparation for a 10-day field excursion that spanned the headwaters of the Tuolumne River to the confluence with the San Joaquin River in the central valley, students completed a virtual two mile hike through the meadows while viewing two embedded online lectures regarding watershed ecology and geomorphology. The content of the embedded lecture material and the field site features observed in the virtual hike were discussed in a traditional classroom setting over several weeks prior to visiting the field site. Students felt that the additional time spent in the virtual field hike helped increase their understanding of the processes they observed during the field excursion, but could not fully replace the hands-on experience they gained. Future development of lecture material for the virtual field hike could be easily expanded to include content aimed at K-12 science teachers, natural resource agency personnel, or the general public interested in engaging more fully in watershed science and management.