Investigating student experiences of botanical field work using a semi-immersive virtual botanical fieldtrip

Abstract

Field teaching is an essential component of botany and ecology;however, field classes were among the most likely to be cancelled during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual alternatives that could be used to meet learning outcomes for botany (e.g. plant identification, surveying skills development) were largely unavailable at this time. To address this, a semi-immersive virtual botanical fieldtrip was developed using H5P. The resource consists of a 360 site tour, an interactive book with a series of interactive videos to mimic quadrat analysis and plant identification, and a plant identification guide to aid students in identifying species. Students responded largely positively to the resource, although they had a clear preference to undertake fieldwork in person in a more traditional manner. The resource is the first such virtual botanical fieldtrip and allows the retention of most learning outcomes for a traditional field class. This type of resource has considerable potential in a post-pandemic world to widen participation and let students experience ecosystems that they might otherwise not have the opportunity to investigate. The resource is available for use under a CC BY-NC-SA licence. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Biological Education (Routledge) is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)