The future of geography field course pedagogy in UK Higher Education

Woodley, Ewan, Barr, Stewart, Batty, Lesley, Bickerstaff, Karen, Darvill, Christopher, Ferdous, Raihana, Holmes, Naomi, Jon, Ihnji ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3812-8168, Lynch, Kenny, Marvell, Alan, McDougall, Derek, Pitt, Hannah ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9636-7581, Singleton, Aled, Souch, Catherine and Yorke, Lynda 2024. The future of geography field course pedagogy in UK Higher Education. Geo: Geography and Environment 11 (2) , e00158. 10.1002/geo2.158

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Abstract

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.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Business (Including Economics) Geography and Planning (GEOPL)
Publisher:	Royal Geopgraphical Society
ISSN:	2054-4049
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	21 October 2024
Date of Acceptance:	18 October 2024
Last Modified:	15 Nov 2024 15:21
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/173221

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