Virtual Field Trips (VFT) - Approaches and Learning Opportunities for Higher Education

Virtual field trips (VFTs) have gained considerable importance for education in recent years (Friess et al. 2016, Stainsfield et al. 2000), offering innovative approaches to teaching and learning in higher education and beyond.The presentation will entail different approaches to implementing VFTs in higher education including teacher training and highlights the learning opportunities. The main ways to create a virtual field trip based on digital maps are presented. There are two basic variations of application: First, utilizing existing VFTs, which are available for numerous geoscience topics and places. Second, enabling students to create their own VFT or digital map based on obtained or existing data. A range of tools with varying levels of complexity can be employed for this purpose (Leininger-Frézal & Sprenger, 2022). Selected case studies will be used to show how virtual environments can be developed to explore spatial themes in different places. In addition, first empirical evidence is presented (Leininger-Frézal & Sprenger, 2022) that depicts learning opportunities in VFTs from the perspective of students. The results show that these are seen particularly in the accessibility of places and to promote inclusion. Limitations arise from the perspective of students due to the fact that no direct real experience is possible or also due to inadequate technical equipment. The experiences and results from three virtual field trip projects (Virt-Ex (Leininger-Frézal & Sprenger, 2022), V-Global, and V-GeoSciEd)) will be presented in order to highlight opportunities and challenges for teaching and learning in Higher Education.

Friess, Daniel A., Grahame J. H. Oliver, Michelle S. Y. Quak, and Annie Y. A. Lau. 2016. “Incorporating ‘Virtual’ and ‘Real World’ Field Trips into Introductory Geography Modules.” Journal of Geography in Higher Education 40 (4): 546–564. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2016.1174818.

Leininger-Frézal, Caroline, and Sandra Sprenger. 2022. “Virtual Field Trips in Binational Collaborative Teacher Training: Opportunities and Challenges in the Context of Education for Sustainable Development.” Sustainability 14, 12933. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912933.

Stainfield, John, Peter Fisher, Bob Ford, and Michael Solem. 2000. “International Virtual Field Trips: A New Direction?” Journal of Geography in Higher Education 24 (2): 255–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/713677387.