Design, implementation, and insights from a volcanology Virtual Field Trip to Iceland

Abstract

Virtual field trips (VFTs) are an effective form of geoscience teaching to support or provide alternatives to in-person field trips. We report on the design and implementation of the Iceland VFT aimed at teaching physical volcanology in a third-year undergraduate course. An evaluation exercise administered following the VFT allowed students to reflect on their learning and provided insights into the student experience. Students found the VFT an interesting and motivating learning experience due to the three-dimensional visualisations, entertaining videos, and being exposed to ‘real life’ volcanic environments. Students made suggestions on how to improve the VFT, including minimising technical difficulties and completing the VFT at home to allow more time for classroom discussions. These suggestions were implemented in the second iteration of the VFT and informed the development of two massive open online courses and switch to a flipped classroom.

Keywords

• geoscience education
• virtual field trips
• volcanology