Virtual Geoscience Field Trips
Field trips are well-established as highly impactful experiences that enhance learning and improve overall educational outcomes, particularly in geoscience education. At UCLA, approximately half of the advanced geoscience courses include some form of field trip, but these are often costly and limited to local areas, restricting access to certain types of geology. Many previous attempts have been made to create alternative and virtual field experiences. These efforts represent admirable advancements over traditional classroom learning; however, none have achieved the immersive feel of actually being in the field. Clicking and dragging around a panorama on a computer screen cannot match the impact of being surrounded by the walls of a canyon, peering over the rim of a crater, or standing next to a stalagmite in a cavern.
Until recently, replicating the immersive “wow factor” of being in the field was not possible virtually. However, commercially-driven advancements in virtual reality (VR) headsets over the past five years now make total immersion entirely feasible. In this project, the PI and students will create 10 virtual field trips showcasing world-class geology in Iceland. Using a 3D/360 stereo video camera, ten graduate students and two faculty members will travel to Iceland and record some of the most outstanding geologic sites in the world. The group of students will include diverse representation, and each student will be responsible for serving as a guide for a particular site. The result of this work will be a library of virtual field trips providing a persistent educational resource unlike anything currently available. This resource will be available to enhance future geoscience education at UCLA in perpetuity, but requires upfront travel costs to make this vision a reality.