A comparative study between outcomes of an in‐person versus online introductory field course

Abstract

In their traditional in-person formats, field courses are an important tool for retention, success, and equity in science majors, especially for underrepresented minorities (URM) (Beltran et al., 2020). These benefits emerge from the many positive factors impacted by field courses including self-efficacy (

Online Versus In Person Student Learning Outcomes

“…Fortunately, there are a variety of online teaching techniques exist [12]. Some research has been done that compares online versus in person learning [13][14][15][16][17][18]. However, this research is limited with only a few results.…”

Learning from the Trees: Using Project Budburst to Enhance Data Literacy and Scientific Writing Skills in an Introductory Biology Laboratory During Remote Learning

“…Once the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, higher education institutions worked quickly to move from in-person courses to emergency remote learning (temporary shift of instructional delivery to an alternative mode due to a crisis; Hodges et al 2020). Once the COVID-19 pandemic started, instructors that were not already teaching online struggled to make laboratories accessible remotely and to continue to give students authentic, hands-on experiences (Race et al 2021;Barton 2020;Bacon and Peacock 2021). Laboratory course instructors struggled to find ways to continue inquiry-based, hands-on, and field experiences when the students had to move off campus, and everyone had restrictions in place with stay-at-home orders (Race et al 2021;Barton 2020;Bacon and Peacock 2021).…”

“…Once the COVID-19 pandemic started, instructors that were not already teaching online struggled to make laboratories accessible remotely and to continue to give students authentic, hands-on experiences (Race et al 2021;Barton 2020;Bacon and Peacock 2021). Laboratory course instructors struggled to find ways to continue inquiry-based, hands-on, and field experiences when the students had to move off campus, and everyone had restrictions in place with stay-at-home orders (Race et al 2021;Barton 2020;Bacon and Peacock 2021). One way we overcame these limitations of remote learning was to incorporate citizen science, specifically Budburst (Budburst 2020), into our remote teaching version of our introductory biology laboratory courses.…”

“…Citizen science projects have many positive aspects, such as fieldwork experiences, that make them beneficial components in introductory biology laboratory courses (Shah and Martinez 2016;Mitchell et al 2017). Fieldwork can provide hands-on experiences for students to collect their own data outdoors and learn content from biological components (Easton and Gilburn 2012;Morales et al 2020;Race et al 2021;Barton 2020;Bacon and Peacock 2021). From research to fieldwork, the students learn the process of science and incorporate their knowledge gathered through their different experiences intertwined with citizen science projects.…”

The Mid Atlantic Appalachian Orogen Traverse: a comparison of virtual and on-location field-based capstone experiences

“…Kastens et al (2009) note the value of guided apprenticeship between field instructors and students, which can be especially difficult to achieve in virtual field experiences that are designed for student-centered inquiry (Jacobson et al, 2009;Mead et al., 2019). In addition, aspects of community building and student integration into a community of practice can be lacking in virtual field experiences (Mogk and Goodwin, 2012;Race et al, 2021). However, Orion and Hofstein (1994) note the importance of limiting novelty space in field experiences, which can be somewhat addressed with virtual introductions to learning in the field.…”