The role of virtual field trips in Geography higher education: A perspective paper

In this perspective paper, we explore the role virtual field trips (VFTs) may play in creating a more resilient, sustainable and equitable field education for Geography students in higher education as we move away from the pandemic but into a financially precarious higher education environment. While in-person field trips are a fundamental part of Geography (and allied subjects) education, there is growing recognition of the equality, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI) barriers presented by fieldwork, the environmental and financial costs of trips, and the vulnerability of field education to disruptions. During the pandemic, there was a shift to online remote learning, which saw innovation and growth in the development of VFTs. Written from a staff perspective, this paper aims to review the opportunities and challenges VFTs present in education and consider future directions for this pedagogical practice. We argue VFTs should not replace in-person trips, but they can enhance field education and may help to address EDI and sustainability challenges. We identify that the resourcing and development of VFTs is a particular challenge and suggest that developing communities of practice and cross-institutional global collaboration could be one effective way to avoid duplication of time and effort as well as sharing valuable knowledge and expertise. Cross-institutional sharing of VFTs would also support the development, implementation and evaluation of VFTs as a teaching tool and would support continued innovation in this teaching practice.