The Future of Geography Field Course Pedagogy in UK Higher Education

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  • Ewan Woodley
    University of Exeter
  • Stewart Barr
    University of Exeter
  • Lesley Batty
    University of Birmingham
  • Karen Bickerstaff
    University of Exeter
  • Chris Darvill
    University of Manchester
  • Raihana Ferdous
    Nottingham Trent University
  • Naomi Holmes
    University of York
  • Ihnji Jon
    Cardiff University
  • Kenny Lynch
    University of Gloucestershire
  • Alan Marvell
    University of Gloucestershire
  • Derek McDougall
    University of Worcester
  • Hannah Pitt
    Cardiff University
  • Aled Singleton
    Swansea University
  • Catherine Souch
    Royal Society and Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)
  • Lynda Yorke
Field courses are widely regarded as integral to geography degree programmes, providing students with opportunities for experiential learning, often in unfamiliar international environments. Yet, this key area of pedagogy appears increasingly unsustainable and complex for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) within the context of the urgent need for decarbonisation, increasing financial costs, and the institutional challenges of comprehensively embedding necessary Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) considerations into these activities. Here, we report on a national-level workshop (April 2024) that brought together a wide range of HE practitioners to discuss the future of UK field course pedagogy,
using the fieldwork principles adopted by the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) (RGS-IBG) in 2020 as a basis for framing future discourse. Using a Three Horizons approach to guide our conversations, we critically explored the (un)sustainability of current academic and institutional practices, alongside future directions and ‘disrupting’ (innovative) practices for promoting transformative change in this area of education. Here, we argue for two sector-wide discussions that require collaborative engagement with practitioners, institutions, and students. Firstly, we highlight the urgent need for transparent and critical reflection on the challenges and hypocrisy of aeromobility in academia and the need for more widespread adoption of low carbon (‘slower’) modes of travel. Secondly, we call for the immediate reconceptualization of field course pedagogy to place EDI considerations at the core of field course design and practice, aiding a transition towards Universal Design for Learning (UDL). As such, we call on the geography community in higher education to engage in critical reflection on how we take meaningful and urgent action to address the disconnect between our stated educational values around environmental sustainability and EDI, and our actual educational practices.

Keywords

  • Fieldwork, Pedagogy, EDI, Sustainability
Original languageEnglish
JournalGeo: Geography and Environment
Early online date11 Nov 2024
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 11 Nov 2024
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