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Volume 30 Issue 9
(September 2020)
GSA Today
Article, pp. 4-10 | Full
Text |
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Using Mobile Technologies to Enhance Accessibility and Inclusion in Field-Based Learning
Steven J. Whitmeyer*
Dept. of Geology and Environmental Science, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia
22801, USA
Christopher Atchison
School of Education and Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221,
USA
Trevor D. Collins
Knowledge Media Institute, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, UK
Abstract
The relevance of field education in the geosciences has been subject to increasing scrutiny, in
part due to the exclusionary nature of traditional field practices that require independent work
and physical agility. As an alternative, this article presents strategies for increasing
accessibility and inclusion in collaborative field-based education through the use of mobile
technologies. We present a series of examples to show how the use of mobile technologies in the
field can enable collaborative observation, data collection, data sharing, and interpretation.
The strategies developed in these examples provide equitable access to instruction, peer
engagement, and participation in every field exercise. We suggest that technological approaches
to accessibility and inclusion in the field can facilitate opportunities for all students to
gain field experiences that are an important component of geoscience education.
* whitmesj@jmu.edu
Manuscript received 24 Apr. 2020. Revised manuscript received 11 June 2020.
Manuscript accepted 14 June 2020. Posted 26 June 2020.
© The Geological Society of America, 2020. CC-BY-NC.
https://doi.org/10.1130/GSATG462A.1
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