This document discusses field-based teaching and learning. It defines field-based learning as supervised learning outside the classroom through first-hand experiences. Examples of field-based learning discussed include site visits, exhibitions, and campus-based projects. Benefits highlighted are enhanced student engagement, understanding of course content, and opportunities to apply knowledge in real-world situations. Challenges covered are the complex organization, health and safety risks, issues of accessibility and inclusivity, and costs associated with field-based learning.

1. Centre for Educational Development
Centre for Educational Development
ORHEP Project
ORHEP Project
Fieldwork:
Field-Based Teaching and Learning
Learning & Teaching in Higher Education
(GTAs and p/t tutors)
Peter Hughes, CED www.orhep.brad.ac.uk
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License -
1 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ www.orhep.brad.ac.uk

2. Centre for Educational Development
ORHEP Project
Session overview
• Introduction
• Field-Based T&L: types and purpose
• Activity: Your Campus
• Field-based T&L: influences and elements
• Field-based T&L: issues and challenges
• Review www.orhep.brad.ac.uk
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License -
2 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ www.orhep.brad.ac.uk

3. Centre for Educational Development
ORHEP Project
Session learning outcomes
By the end of this session, you will have:
• identified and discussed characteristics of teaching and
learning through fieldwork, within your own subject;
• experienced and reflected on both tutor-led and
student-led field-based learning activity;
• considered key elements of effective field-based
learning and teaching.
Our focus is on the educational rather than organisational
www.orhep.brad.ac.uk
aspects of field teaching.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License -
3 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ www.orhep.brad.ac.uk

4. Centre for Educational Development
ORHEP Project
Field-based teaching and learning
The „field‟: “any arena or zone within a
subject where supervised learning can
take place via first-hand
experience, outside the constraints of the
four-walls classroom setting.”
Lonergan and Andresen (1988), cited in Maskall and www.orhep.brad.ac.uk
Stokes (2009): 2
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License -
4 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ www.orhep.brad.ac.uk

5. Centre for Educational Development
ORHEP Project
Discussion
• Drawing from this definition of the
„field‟, list and discuss examples of field-
based teaching and learning:
– That you have experienced as a student.
– That occur within the departments/schools
that you are based in. www.orhep.brad.ac.uk
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License -
5 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ www.orhep.brad.ac.uk

6. Centre for Educational Development
ORHEP Project
Examples
• Residential field weeks:
– UK and worldwide
– Range of subjects
• Site visits
• Exhibitions and conferences
• Museums and galleries
• Employer visits
• Observational visits – e.g. court rooms www.orhep.brad.ac.uk
• Locally based project work (campus, locality)
Images from Microsoft ClipArt gallery
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License -
6 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ www.orhep.brad.ac.uk

7. Centre for Educational Development
ORHEP Project
Why do field-based teaching?
• What are the potential advantages?
• Are there particular learning outcomes that
can be developed more effectively in the
field?
www.orhep.brad.ac.uk
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License -
7 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ www.orhep.brad.ac.uk

8. Centre for Educational Development
ORHEP Project
Why do field-based teaching?
• Students can visit places they may not normally
see.
• Real-world engagement rather than idealised
textbook.
• Develops certain skills effectively:
observation, analysis, enquiry, teamwork, leader
ship, responsibility.
• Facilitates more relaxed interaction between
www.orhep.brad.ac.uk
students and staff; development of cohort.
Livingston, Matthews & Catley (1998: 3)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License -
8 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ www.orhep.brad.ac.uk

9. Centre for Educational Development
ORHEP Project
Benefits of field-based learning and
teaching
Kozar and Marcketti (2008)
The experiences contributed to student engagement in the
learning process, increased their understanding of the
course content, and allowed students the opportunity to
apply their knowledge through hands-on, real life
situations.
Overall, the activities enhanced the quality of instruction
for both the students and the instructors, thuswww.orhep.brad.ac.uk
providing a
more interactive, high quality learning atmosphere.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License -
9 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ www.orhep.brad.ac.uk

10. Centre for Educational Development
ORHEP Project
Activity: Your Campus
• Aims:
– To consider the influence of the campus on the
student learning experience.
– To experience and reflect on a field-based L&T
activity.
• Based on concept of „campus curriculum‟ developed
as part of Bradford Ecoversity‟s 3-Curriculum Model
www.orhep.brad.ac.uk
(Hopkinson, Hughes and Layer, 2008)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License -
10 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ www.orhep.brad.ac.uk

11. Centre for Educational Development
ORHEP Project
Activity: The Task
• Tutor-led activity
– Brief guided walk highlighting elements of
campus.
• Student-led activity
– In small groups touring campus to discuss and
identify:
• Elements/locations that stimulate a positive learning
environment www.orhep.brad.ac.uk
• Elements/locations that detract from the learning environment
• One proposal for change – related to a specific location
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License -
11 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ www.orhep.brad.ac.uk

12. Centre for Educational Development
Centre for Educational Development
ORHEP Project
ORHEP Project
www.orhep.brad.ac.uk
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License -
12 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ www.orhep.brad.ac.uk

13. Centre for Educational Development
Centre for Educational Development
ORHEP Project
ORHEP Project
www.orhep.brad.ac.uk
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License -
13 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ www.orhep.brad.ac.uk

14. Centre for Educational Development
ORHEP Project
Issues and Challenges in Field-based T&L
• What are the main issues and challenges
in developing effective and inclusive field-
based teaching and learning opportunities
for students?
• Are there some key barriers to developing
field-based learning and teaching
www.orhep.brad.ac.uk
opportunities for our students?
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License -
14 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ www.orhep.brad.ac.uk

15. Centre for Educational Development
ORHEP Project
Issues and Challenges
• Complex organisation and preparation.
• Health and Safety – risk assessment.
(see Fieldwork Safety Notes by Ben
Stern, AGES, University of Bradford)
• Duty of Care.
• Cost.
• Accessibility and inclusivity –
physically, economically, educationally.
• Balancing these with the desirability www.orhep.brad.ac.uk
of
providing student-led learning experiences.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License -
15 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ www.orhep.brad.ac.uk

16. Centre for Educational Development
ORHEP Project
Review
• Field-based L&T presents significant
opportunities for
active, collaborative, enquiry-based
student activity.
• Those opportunities exist in a wider range
of subjects than typically engaged in the
activity.
• Effective field-based L&T requireswww.orhep.brad.ac.uk
careful
design, planning and organisation.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License -
16 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ www.orhep.brad.ac.uk

17. Centre for Educational Development
ORHEP Project
References & Resources
College of the Atlantic (2009) Field Based Teaching: Thoughts and Experiences [online]
Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B13xAl30HYg
Hopkinson, P., Hughes, P. and Layer, G. (2008) Sustainable Graduates- a whole
Institutional approach. Environmental Education Research vol 14 (4) pp 435-454.
Kozar, J.M. and Marcketti, S.B (2008) Utlizing field-based instruction as an effective
teaching startegy, College Student Journal, June 2008 [online] Available at:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCR/is_2_42/ai_n25454138/ Accessed
19/02/2011
Livingstone, I., Matthews, H. And Castley, A. (1998) Fieldwork and Dissertations in
Geography, Cheltenham, Geography Discipline Network.
Maskall, J. and Stokes, A. ( 2009 ) Designing Effective Fieldwork for the Environmental
and Natural Sciences, Plymouth, GEES Subject Centre, [online] Available at:
http://www.gees.ac.uk/pubs/guides/fw2/GEESfwGuide.pdf Accessed 19/02/2011
Wilkinson, P. And Bissell, G. (2006) Human geography and questions for social work
www.orhep.brad.ac.uk
education, The Journal of Practice Teaching in Health and Social Work, 7, 2, 55-68.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License -
17 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ www.orhep.brad.ac.uk

18. Centre for Educational Development
ORHEP Project
www.orhep.brad.ac.uk
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License -
18 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ www.orhep.brad.ac.uk