Welcome to the field: A survey on practices in introductory geoscience field skills in the USA

Abstract

Introductory courses can have a tension between providing general knowledge about the earth and providing foundational skills for future majors. Within this context, I wondered how important it was to overcome barriers to field experiences at the introductory level, how my colleagues perceived these barriers, and what instructors considered the main goals of offering these experiences. A survey of introductory geoscience instructors across 174 programs and 217 individual courses in the USA showed a high degree of investment in offering field experiences; over 95% of respondents indicated their department offered field experience at the introductory level. The expressed purpose and learning goals varied but tended toward general observation rather than specific skill building. Most programs reported these experiences were helpful, but not integral, to continuing coursework, and attendance at out-of-class experiences varied. Faculty awareness of student discomfort with outdoors travel and scheduling conflicts did not align well with reported practices in overcoming those barriers, suggesting room for growth in how we as an introductory teaching community align the goals of early field outings with student needs. We should continue to engage in discussion about the role of early field experiences in supporting students’ path through a degree program with (1) explicit development of learning outcomes that help students travel and exist comfortably in outdoor settings, (2) scaffolding of experiences with colleagues who teach at upper-division levels, and (3) continuing to explore ways for flexible and virtual modules to meet student scheduling needs.

Keywords:

• Field work
• introductory teaching
• accessibility

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).