BackgroundDuring the recent worldwide lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, several institutions around the world, out of necessity replaced their customary field work with virtual field trips, using existing photographic materials gathered over many years conducting the same fieldtrip, causing the lecturers to conclude that this was a reasonable alternative as the marks scored were similar. Several years before the pandemic hit, UWC’s Applied Geology section had already embarked on the development of high-resolution virtual field tours (VFTs)to use as supplementary material in the provision of field education to our geology students, based on the geocognition concept. This was done as rising costs and increasing health and safety rules effectively forced us to keep fieldwork for students to an absolute minimum, which is unacceptable in geology education. Additionally, in this manner, students could be exposed to classical geology sites from anywhere in the world without having to travel there, as an archive of prime teaching outcrops could be built like this.MethodologyWe created the Virtual Field Tours using High Resolution Photography and constructed the tours using Pano2VR enhanced with videos and drone images. In three different projects we tested for learning gain after exposure to our VFTs by using identical pre and post VFT questionnaires. Pandemic restrictions forced us to replace our first-year introductory field trips by VFTs.Key ResultsIn a final assessment testing for understanding of geological principles based on their usage of these VFTs, the assessment results for first year students showed encouraging signs of learning gains. In the second project we exposed second year students, third year students and Honours students as well as graduate geologists to the basic principles of slope stability in engineering geology. In this case we presented a lecture, followed by a questionnaire on the concepts mentioned, followed by the VFT and again the same questionnaire where we demonstrated a distinct learning gain. Finally, we used a lecture on basic characteristics of sedimentary features in turbidite deposits, enhanced by a comprehensive VFT to prepare Honours level students for a weeklong field trip. Comparing their final report with the final report of the previous year’s group of students also demonstrated learning gain.ConclusionWhile we acknowledge that real-life field work can never be replaced, we have demonstrated that properly designed VFTs can be successfully used to enhance learning at real-life field work.

³???? ????????? ????????????? ???????????? ????? ?????? ???????? ?????ò?

As a result of significantly increased class sizes, heightened safety consciousness, significantly increased health and safety regulations, and limited staff resources, a project was started in 2017 to investigate ways and means to improve the impact of field instruction to undergraduate students.This allowed us to hit the ground running when COVID-19 hit the world, as the lock down regulations triggered a switch to teaching remotely. This significantly accelerated the development of our Virtual Field Trips (VFTs), in this case to be able to provide suitable field evidence for the students as group travel to the field was not possible, except the fourth year small groups.VFT’s were therefore developed for use at first year, second year, third year and fourth year level of instruction. In close collaboration with the instructor responsible for teaching the various courses, three different sets of VFTs were developed:A set of four VFTs for the first year introductory Earth Sciences course, illustrating sedimentary, structural, and igneous features in outcrops as well as hand specimen. Three VFTs were used during practical teaching sessions followed by a test, after which the VFTs were available on-line for self-study. This was followed by the fourth, more comprehensive tour, which was used as an end of practical course test. Comparison of the two test results demonstrated a significant learning gain.One multi outcrop tour was prepared to illustrate the features the field geologist needs to look out for when applying structural geology to slope stability assessment in an engineering geological setting in the context of raising an existing storage dam wall to increase the storage lake capacity. This lecture was followed by a test prior to the VFT after which the same test was applied sfter the VFT. Comparing the results of the two tests demonstrated that the learning gain increased significantly in accordance with the level of education of the participants.Finally, a set of seven tours was built to prepare the fourth-year students prior to going to the field by showing them the various sedimentary features they were to visit in the field. Here we used video explanations on the outcrop, 3D LIDAR specimen and drone videos for the spatial aspect. In this case the final report prepared by the students after the field excursion was compared with the results of the previous year’s class where no VFT was available and again we could demonstrate a distinct learning gain.In the last case to show the sedimentological features in preparation for the real field trip, we could demonstrate a positive impact on the outcomes of the field excursion, thus providing an affirmative answer to the question whether VFTs can be used to prepare students for fieldwork.