Virtual Vistas: Creating and Implementing Virtual Field Trips
Jeffrey Hall
Tift College of Education
Mercer University, USA
Lucy Bush
Tift College of Education
Mercer University, USA
Colleen Stapleton
Penfield College
Mercer University, USA
Abstract: Virtual field trips (VFTs) can be a compelling supplement or alternative to real-world field trips for students. By utilizing the latest technologies, educators can create and/or implement experiences for their students that are engaging, memorable, and relevant to target standards. Stoddard’s (2009) Conceptual VFT Model can be used to identify the characteristics of successful VFTs, while the MathCaching (Mathbits.com, 2017) model can be used to integrate assessments and achievements into VFTs. This article provides an introduction to VFTs, a literature review of the topic, a tutorial on how to create a VFT, and a discussion of VFT implementation in a higher education classroom.
Introduction
Field trips are often touted as excellent ways to engage students in authentic and memorable learning experiences. For example, in the field of social studies, “historical field trips have long been viewed as providing the opportunity for students to engage in authentic learning activities through the examination of historic sites, interaction with interpreters and experts, or exposure to artifacts” (Stoddard, 2009, What Makes a Field Trip Authentic? section, para. 1). However, field trips can be challenging to coordinate and manage, so field trips are sometimes avoided by educators who are unable or unwilling to make the effort required (Tuthill & Klemm, 2002). Other potential field trips are impossible to implement due to cost and logistical reasons. As a result, the benefits to student learning that can accrue from field trips are sometimes lost or unrealized.
As an alternative or supplement to real-world field trips, Virtual field trips (VFTs) are a compelling way to expose students to places and events that they are unlikely to physically experience themselves. Current mainstream technologies such as website builders and panoramic cameras enable educators to create VFTs that can be engaging, educational, and transformative, while emerging technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality promise even more potential for VFTs in the future. This article provides a summary of research related to VFTs, provides guidance for creating VFTs based on the authors’ experiences, and discusses the implementation of VFTs in higher education classrooms.
Literature Review
A review of prominent VFT literature identified some central themes. First, VFTs can be compelling and educational on their own, but they should serve as supplemental material to real-world field trips whenever feasible. Spicer and Stratford (2001) noted that VFTs can be positive, worthwhile experiences, but “one of the most fruitful ways forward seems to be the use of VFT to prepare for, or to revise, real field trips” (p. 353). This theme is echoed by Tuthill and Klemm (2002), who note that while “VFTs cannot offer the total sensory and experiential learning opportunities that are available for students in effective, well-planned actual field trips” (p. 463), VFTs can still “offer valuable tools for instructional augmentation and enrichment of actual field trips” (p. 464). As such, VFTs should not be seen as a replacement for real-world field trips but rather as a supplement to them when real life travel is possible.
Another theme in the literature is that VFTs should focus on central problems and grand challenges to promote authentic learning. Stoddard (2009) states that “field trips need to be issue or problem based, and students need to be engaged actively in disciplinary (and disciplined) inquiry” (Implications and Conceptual VFT Model section, para. 11). Similarly, Jacobson, Militello, and Baveye (2009) note:
By engaging students with big questions that are both enduring and contemporary, promoting intellectual inquiry and analysis, stimulating critical thinking, expanding intercultural knowledge, encouraging global and local engagement, and by encouraging the application of knowledge to complex problems, the VFT stimulates higher cognitive processes, and facilitates the learning outcomes…deemed essential for students of the 21st century. (p. 579)
These statements suggest that VFTs should not be created or implemented to be pleasant diversions from the classroom, but should rather be developed and utilized as tools for deeper and transformative learning.
Finally, Tuthill and Klemm (2002) note in their Further Research section that they are “especially interested in questions associat[ed] with teachers developing their own customized VFTs, using the powerful technology tools available now” (p. 465). We concur that teacher-developed VFTs can be compelling, and we recognize that the technological tools available to teachers have only gotten more powerful since Tuthill and Klemm published their work in 2002, so we believe that our experiences described in this article will help address questions pertaining to the development and implementation of VFTs by educators in their own classrooms.
Conceptual VFT model
Stoddard (2009) created “a conceptual model that incorporates the characteristics for a successful VFT” based on his own review of literature and case study (Implications and Conceptual VFT Model section, para. 2). The core of Stoddard’s (2009) model illustrates that an “Issue or Problem-Based Learning Activity Tied to Field Trip Site” should be the central focus of any VFT (Implications and Conceptual VFT Model section, Figure 3). Immediately outside of this core are shown numerous recommended activities (or “modes of engagement”), some of which are specifically related to social studies VFTs, but some are applicable across the general spectrum of curricular areas, including:
· Email or chat with experts.
· Discussion boards or in-class discussions with other students, teachers, or experts.
· Analysis of digital artifacts as part of disciplined inquiry.
· Virtual or video exploration of a site (present day or past). (Stoddard, 2009, Implications and Conceptual VFT Model section, Figure 3)
Finally, at the four outer corners, the model highlights four key characteristics of successful VFTs:
· Discussions and interactions with experts, classmates, and other students.
· Field trip activities utilize discipline specific strategies (e.g.., historical analysis) and provide scaffolding for students.
· VFT modules are tied to curriculum standards and common issues/events, but are flexible in terms of content delivery and timing.
· Teacher professional development and supports built into the VFT. (Stoddard, 2009, Implications and Conceptual VFT Model section, Figure 3)
Stoddard’s social studies-centric model highlights elements of successful VFTs that we believe could be beneficial in many different curricular areas beyond social studies. For educators seeking to develop their own VFTs, this model should be examined for effective practices and characteristics to include in their own work.
Creating virtual field trips
The authors of this article recently created our own VFTs for use in higher education classes. The impetus for this activity was driven by our involvement in the Interdisciplinary Teaching about Earth for a Sustainable Future (InTeGrate) Project, a program funded by the National Science Foundation and led by the Science Education Resource Center (SERC, 2016) at Carleton College to support “the teaching of geoscience in the context of societal issues both within geoscience courses and across the undergraduate curriculum” (About InTeGrate section, para. 1). Our involvement in the InTeGrate Project motivated us to create and implement curricular materials that emphasized local ecological issues in order to motivate our students to better understand the environmental challenges that confront them.
To support the InTeGrate Project, the authors created two VFTs focusing on two real-world sites in the state of Georgia (where the authors are based) with significant ecological, geological, and historical value: Arabia Mountain and Providence Canyon. Arabia Mountain is significant because its “unique topography and geology of a monadnock allows for unusual plant and animal species to thrive” (Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, 2017, para. 1) and because it is home to five federally endangered species. Providence Canyon is significant because it serves as a “testament to the power of man’s influence on the land,” showcasing “massive gullies…caused simply by poor farming practices during the 1800s” (Georgia Department of Natural Resources, 2017, para. 1). Each of these sites is relatively accessible to our students from our university, so there was a strong likelihood that our students would attempt to visit these sites in real life (if they had not already) due to their exposure with the VFTs. This would help ensure that our VFTs provide value and enhance the real life experience of visiting these locations as described by Spicer and Stratford (2001).
The VFTs created by the authors incorporate many of the concepts highlighted in Stoddard’s (2009) conceptual VFT model. Our VFTs are tied to curriculum standards, are flexible in terms of timing due to their asynchronous nature, include a virtual exploration of each site, and encourage analysis of digital artifacts. Other concepts, such as discussions and interactions with experts, were not possible to include in our VFTs, but discussions with classmates and other students could certainly be added to the implementation of any VFT.
The MathCaching Model
In addition to using a modular approach as prescribed by Stoddard (2009), the VTFs created by the authors were also inspired by Mathbits.com’s (2017) MathCaching games. In these MathCaching games, players must solve a series of math problems on a webpage in order to determine the correct Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for the next webpage of math problems. If an incorrect URL is typed into the address bar, players are told that their answer is wrong and that they must go back and check their work. If the URL is correct, players are presented with a new webpage of more math problems and make progress in the game. After solving several pages of math problems, players are eventually presented with a printable certificate of completion, representing their successful completion of the game.
Based on the authors’ experiences, these MathCaching games generate a lot of positive interest from students. The unique URL verification system also ensures that students are provided immediate feedback to their answers, an important aspect of successful assessments. As such, the authors considered the MathCaching model as an ideal way to engage and assess students when creating our own VFTs.
Weebly
In order to create our VFTs, the authors chose to use Weebly (https://www.weebly.com/) to build and host the VFT sites. This decision was based on prior success by the authors in developing and maintaining websites using Weebly. In particular, the simple and full-featured “drag & drop website editor” and its free cost were the most desired features (Weebly, Inc., 2017, para. 2). Although other good options may exist, the authors have had positive experiences with Weebly for approximately five years and continue to recommend it to students and other educators.
Constructing the VFT
Once the decision was made to create VFTs using Weebly and the MathCaching model, the authors determined the main topics that would be addressed in the Providence Canyon and Arabia Mountain VFTs. For example, in the Providence Canyon VFT, the authors wanted to emphasize the impact of human actions on the earth in order to help students recognize the strengths and dangers of human power. As Stoddard’s (2009) Model emphasizes, these topics should be tied to target standards as much as possible in order to develop a VFT that is educationally relevant and focused.
Next, the authors found a variety of websites and online documents pertaining to the main topics that would be used in the VFTs. For example, in the Providence Canyon VFT, the authors chose to feature the official Georgia State Parks website, the New Georgia Encyclopedia website, the Geologic Guide to Providence Canyon State Park document (hosted on the official Georgia Environmental Protection Division website), and more. Each of these sites contained information and photographs that the authors wanted to highlight in our MathCaching-style questions.
Then, the authors developed questions that would need to be answered using our selected websites. In the VFT context, these questions would essentially serve as “tour guide prompts” that could be asked on a real-world field trip. These questions should also be relevant to target standards. For example, in the Providence Canyon VFT, students are instructed to open and read the Geologic Guide to Providence Canyon State Park document. In order to proceed to the next webpage, students must answer the question “What is the primary cause of the development of Providence Canyon?” by typing their answer into the next URL. If their answer is correct, the URL will take them to the next webpage of the VFT. If their answer is incorrect, the student must go back and try again until getting it correct.
This URL verification system is made possible with careful construction of the website using Weebly. By knowing the answer to each question of the VFT, the authors ensured that each unique webpage of the VFT was accessible only when correct answers were submitted properly via URL. By naming and coding each successive webpage as the answer to the previous webpage’s question, the VFT’s webpages were logically linked and ultimately formed a clearly defined path through the curated material.
Finally, the authors added relevant photos to the various webpages to help students visualize key aspects of the real-world sites. This included adding high-resolution gigapixel photos taken by the authors using a Gigapan system. These gigapixel photos allow students to experience panoramic shots of the real-world sites while enabling them to zoom in on geographically interesting areas with impressive detail.
Once these steps were accomplished, the VFT websites were published and hosted via Weebly. The URLs for the two VFTs that the authors created are:
· Arabia Mountain (Hall, Stapleton, & Bush, 2016): http://webquestarabiamountain.weebly.com/
· Providence Canyon (Hall, Stapleton, & Bush, 2016): http://webquestprovidencecanyon.weebly.com/
These VFTs are accessible to the public and feedback is welcome. Our hope is that these VFTs can be enjoyed and learned from by both our students and others who may be interested in these unique geological and ecological locations.
Implementing VFTs in the Classroom
The VFTs created by the authors were implemented during the fall semester of 2016. The Arabia Mountain VFT was assigned as homework, and the students discussed the VFT when they returned to class. The consensus was that the students enjoyed and appreciated the VFT. The Providence Canyon VFT was similarly utilized in two different classes, and the activity had a positive impact on the students. In fact, two students informed their professor that they had made plans to physically visit Providence Canyon with their families as a result of the VFT activity, an outcome that Spicer and Stratford (2001) would welcome and encourage. Our students’ reactions support the identified themes in the literature that VFTs are compelling educational experiences, and can become even more so when they are combined with real-world field trips.