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journal article Open Access Jul 01, 2024

The future of geography field course pedagogy in UK higher education

Ewan Woodley ORCID Stewart Barr Lesley Batty Karen Bickerstaff Christopher Darvill Raihana Ferdous Naomi Holmes Ihnji Jon Kenny Lynch Julian Martin Alan Marvell Derek McDougall Hannah Pitt ORCID Aled Singleton Catherine Souch Lynda Yorke ORCID
Geo: Geography and Environment Vol. 11 No. 2 · Wiley
View at Publisher Save 10.1002/geo2.158
Abstract
AbstractField 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.
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Metrics
8
Citations
97
References
Details
Published
Jul 01, 2024
Vol/Issue
11(2)
License
View
Authors
E
Ewan Woodley

Geography, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy University of Exeter Exeter UK

S
Stewart Barr

Geography, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy University of Exeter Exeter UK

L
Lesley Batty

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Birmingham Birmingham UK

K
Karen Bickerstaff

Geography, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy University of Exeter Exeter UK

C
Christopher Darvill

Geography, School of Environment, Education and Development University of Manchester Manchester UK

R
Raihana Ferdous

School of Animal Rural & Environmental Science Nottingham Trent University Nottingham UK

N
Naomi Holmes

Department of Education University of York York UK; Department of Environment and Geography University of York York UK

I
Ihnji Jon

School of Geography and Planning Cardiff University Cardiff UK

K
Kenny Lynch

Education and Science University of Gloucestershire Gloucester UK

J
Julian Martin

The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) London UK

A
Alan Marvell

Business, Computing and Social Sciences University of Gloucestershire Gloucester UK

D
Derek McDougall

Geography and Environment University of Worcester Worcester UK

H
Hannah Pitt

School of Geography and Planning Cardiff University Cardiff UK

A
Aled Singleton

Cardiff Business School Cardiff University Cardiff UK

C
Catherine Souch

The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) London UK

L
Lynda Yorke

School of Environmental and Natural Sciences Bangor University Bangor UK

Cite This Article
Ewan Woodley, Stewart Barr, Lesley Batty, et al. (2024). The future of geography field course pedagogy in UK higher education. Geo: Geography and Environment, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/geo2.158
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