Enhancing the learning experience in undergraduate geoscience fieldwork through the use of hand-held technologies

Abstract

Aims of project

To evaluate the effectiveness of electronic and lab-based exercises in preparing students to use PDAs in the field; To investigate the pedagogic impact of PDAs during fieldwork; To enhance the learning material delivered through PDAs to support learning in the field. Background to project (or context)

The idea for this project emerged from a development project which evaluated the use of learning technologies during Stage 1 and 2 geoscience fieldwork located in Kingsand/Cawsand, (FitzPatrick, 2009). This previous project provided significant insight into the student experience of using PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) during fieldwork, and raised some interesting questions about how this technology could be further developed and enhanced for use at other sites. This project proposes to extend FitzPatrick (2009) by developing similar learning materials relating to an important geological site at Coverack, The Lizard, Cornwall.