The aim of these workshops is to provide inspiration and practical advice over four days for planning and implementing successful international field courses through discussions on pedagogy, health and safety, innovation, networking, logistics, and dealing with challenges. The workshops will be held in Portugal from October 2019 to March 2020, with 10-16 participants selected from UK universities in each workshop. The workshops aim to maximize student learning through effective field activities in a variety of environments and disciplines.

1. The aim of these workshops is to plan, manage and innovate international field courses in a variety of
environments and disciplines. Leading field scientists from nine partner universities and experts from the
British Ecological Society, The Data Place and Bluestone Corporate Wellbeing provide inspiration and practical
advice for planning and implementing successful field courses over the duration of this unique four days.
Topics include:
⁞ Pedagogy : design effective field activities that maximise student experience and focus on learning outcomes
⁞ Health : learn how to deal with mental and physical health problems (students and staff)
⁞ Innovation : use (and build) new field equipment, manage field data more efficiently, work interdisciplinary
⁞ Networking : meet and link with people who share an interest in science field work and experiential learning
⁞ Logistics : master the technicalities of a field course (pre-, during and post course)
⁞ Administration : manage the paperwork more efficiently (time allocation, inclusivity, legal constraints, H&S)
⁞ Coping with eventualities : discuss obstacles and solutions (inappropriate behaviour, accidents, health problems, etc.)
Contextualised discussions provide the theoretical framework and underpin practical activities in the field.
Interactivity is key.
Where and when: nine 4-day CPD workshops will be held in the heart of the Vincentia Natural Park in Aljezur,
Portugal from October 2019 to March 2020. 10-16 participants will be selected for each workshop.
Who can apply: UK university staff. The course is equally for novices who have not led an off-site activity
before (e.g. PhD students and early career academics) and experienced colleagues.
Costs: the workshops are subsidised by Erasmus+ Staff Mobility funding (limited places available).
Flights, accommodation, course fees and bio-regional food are covered by the grant.
How to apply: send an email to astrid@ceresinternational.org with a) your name and institution
b) your subject area c) your experience with field work. We will provide you with course details and send you
a list of available workshop dates.
Multidisciplinary FIELD workshops
f ield cou rse
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2. Multidisciplinary FIELD workshops
“The FIELD workshop provided me with several important ideas and allowed
me to benefit from the experiences of other participants. The workshop also
enabled me to reflect on my practice in the context of what others are doing
across Europe and therefore design a better field course for my students.”
“The F.I.E.L.D workshop is an amazing opportunity to learn more about field course from
experienced people surrounding by stunning nature and in a friendly environment.”
Feedback from participants 2019:
“Both extremely enjoyable and very valuable career development”
“I'm not sure where else I would go for such a detailed and effective teaching on all aspects of
running a field course, and I am so grateful for having the opportunity to attend. I really enjoyed the
workshop, Astrid, Axel, their family and helpers were all so lovely and welcoming; on top of that I
learnt so much and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is taking students into the field.”
“It was an opportunity to meet and learn from
other academics but not in a conference room
but outside in the environment that you have to
teach in. That made all the difference.”
“The CERES workshop helped me to feel more confident and enthusiastic about organising field
trips for my students. Working outside in the beautiful natural surroundings was inspirational. “
“This workshop was a great experience. I think that the act of getting
experienced field course teachers together and share their ideas in an
engaging environment was very productive and I'm sure that everyone
had at least one new idea to take away by the end (I had many!).”
“As a soon-to-be PhD graduate, this course was very useful for me to begin to understand
what is required to develop and lead field courses both for schools and higher education.
The workshop has strongly prepared me for a teaching role in academia. “