Opening up digital fieldwork technology to staff and students in further and higher education
Geographers at the University of Chester conducted research on the application of mobile technologies to solve pedagogic issues faced by practitioners and students during fieldwork.
Issue
Practitioners want to integrate technology into fieldwork in order to develop student digital literacy, and to speed up data processing and analysis whilst in the field, particularly as more departments have replaced residential fieldwork with individual field trips.
Approach
The research team undertook the first substantial investigation into the application of tablets, smart devices, and the concept of Bring Your Own Device in the field. Findings highlighted the need for attention to be paid to the upskilling of staff to ensure they were sufficiently digitally literate. This element is considered a vital part of enhancing student digital literacy, employability, and experience.
Impact
The team ran 7 participatory events with 222 educators from 66 UK and 18 international Higher Education and Further Education providers, as well as 14 non-academic organisations and three schools. The participants were able to gain practical experience of applying mobile technology in a fieldwork environment. This has led to 222 upskilled and more digitally literate educators.
Digital literacy was also improved in three schools as a result of engagement with the research and events. As a result of direct engagement with the research and dissemination events, six UK institutions purchased their own field-based mobile technologies.
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How to cite
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) (2023) Opening up Digital Fieldwork Technology to Staff and Students in Further and Higher Education. Available at https://rgs.org/digitalfieldwork Last accessed on: <date>