Fieldwork Benefits
We believe that field learning is best achieved through a combination of active observation and practical exercises at outcrop, combined with supporting classroom sessions. The field environment:
- Bridges the ‘resolution gap’ between cm-scale core data and dm-scale seismic data
- Provides a true sense of scale that can be related back to available subsurface data
- Reinforces classroom learning
Studies have shown that people learn best through direct observation and experience, interpreting their observations, reflecting on these experiences, then putting the learnings into practice through both exercises and on their return to the workplace. While ‘virtual field trips’ can address direct observation to a degree, the experience of seeing and examining a section of rock outcrop physically (with the accompanying sensory stimuli of the environment, weather conditions, personal interaction and discussion) cannot be replicated. These aspects contribute fundamentally to the learning experience and consolidate this in ways that classroom-based learning does not.