Field courses are widely regarded as integral to geography degree programmes, providing
students with opportunities for experiential learning, often in unfamiliar international
environments. Yet, this key area of pedagogy appears increasingly unsustainable and complex
for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) within the context ...
Field courses are widely regarded as integral to geography degree programmes, providing
students with opportunities for experiential learning, often in unfamiliar international
environments. Yet, this key area of pedagogy appears increasingly unsustainable and complex
for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) within the context of the urgent need for
decarbonisation, increasing financial costs, and the institutional challenges of
comprehensively embedding necessary Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) considerations
into these activities. Here, we report on a national-level workshop (April 2024) that brought
together a wide range of HE practitioners to discuss the future of UK field course pedagogy,
using the fieldwork principles adopted by the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute
of British Geographers) (RGS-IBG) in 2020 as a basis for framing future discourse. Using a Three
Horizons approach to guide our conversations, we critically explored the (un)sustainability of
current academic and institutional practices, alongside future directions and ‘disrupting’
(innovative) practices for promoting transformative change in this area of education. Here, we
argue for two sector-wide discussions that require collaborative engagement with
practitioners, institutions, and students. Firstly, we highlight the urgent need for transparent
and critical reflection on the challenges and hypocrisy of aeromobility in academia and the
need for more widespread adoption of low carbon (‘slower’) modes of travel. Secondly, we
call for the immediate reconceptualization of field course pedagogy to place EDI
considerations at the core of field course design and practice, aiding a transition towards
Universal Design for Learning (UDL). As such, we call on the geography community in higher
education to engage in critical reflection on how we take meaningful and urgent action to
address the disconnect between our stated educational values around environmental
sustainability and EDI, and our actual educational practices.
