Field experiences are an integral part of teacher education programs because they provide preservice teachers with an opportunity to put the theory, they are learning in their university classrooms into practice. The purpose of this research study was to explore the preservice teachers' virtual field experiences at two universities during the…

Climate change is a nuanced global issue with a scope that is often difficult to fully appreciate. This study examined an undergraduate course focused on the impacts and responses to climate change on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, USA. The course utilized a socioscientific issues (SSI) approach to examine global climate change in a local…

In this qualitative study, we consider student experiences with and perceptions of teaching methods that are clinical skill-based (e.g., simulation role plays). Focus groups included Master of Social Work students (N = 40) from six universities in the United States. A framework-guided content analysis was used and revealed four discussion areas:…

Undergraduate field courses are important learning experiences in many of the natural sciences, but they are not accessible to many students. Virtual field experiences (VFEs) have been evolving as a plausible alternative. A Delphi study, a method to seek systematic and iterative ideation from experts in a discipline, was conducted to synthesize…

At a time when traditional fieldwork is coming under pressure, be it from shrinking budgets, reducing carbon footprints, increased concerns for personal safety or the desire to make field skills accessible to all, how do we ensure that the key skills of observation, data collection and landscape analysis can still be developed in our students?…

This applied dissertation was designed to investigate student responses to three different instructional strategies used to fulfill level I fieldwork requirements: traditional in-clinic rotation, a combination of virtual simulation and traditional in-clinic rotations, and virtual simulation. A multi-decade occupational therapy (OT) fieldwork…

The demand for technology integration has presented teachers with new pedagogical choices for designing engaging learning experiences for students. These technology choices are becoming abundant and varied, confronting teachers and administrators with determining how effective these methods are for teaching. This research was focused on one of…

Fieldwork education is a critical component in occupational therapy education, aiding in the transition from classroom learning to practical application. It has been cited recently that therapists have expressed concern regarding student preparedness for fieldwork in a hand therapy setting. Hand therapy is a specialty practice area where…

In this single case study, we explored how seven preservice teachers engaged emotionally and cognitively in case-based learning through three Teacher Moments cases to consider and reflect on their teaching practices. A thematic analysis of the transcripts of online case simulation (Teacher Moments) entries, class recordings, questionnaires and…

This article outlines how Virtual Reality (VR) technologies, software and content can be used as a resource for teaching and learning in Geography. Drawing on the authors' first-hand experiences of using VR for undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, we explore firstly how VR can enhance the development of fieldwork observational techniques,…

If there was a bright side to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly related to education, it was the massive and rapid introduction of educational technologies to scaffold teaching and learning. Most notably, within teacher education, this included extended reality (XR) technologies to supplement or replace face-to-face field experiences. With the…

A convergent parallel mixed methods study was employed to investigate teacher candidates', peers', and the instructor's perceptions of teacher candidates' teaching performance during an online field experience using virtual simulation in a mixed reality environment. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected simultaneously, analyzed…

Fieldwork is an essential part of a student's education and development to become competent in entry-level occupational therapy skills (ACOTE, 2018). The implications of COVID-19 coupled with staffing shortages and an increase in academic programs resulted in academic fieldwork coordinators competing for a limited number of spots. The…

During COVID-19, sudden field placement cancellations impelled schools of social work to find immediate means to support students in the completion of practicums remotely, whilst accreditation standards had yet to be re-articulated and permitted adaptations were unclear. Early "panic-gogy" moved to strategic development of new field…

With the introduction of in-class group-based virtual reality (VR), multiple students can interact in a single shared "metaverse". One geography-focused group VR option is the Wooorld app, available on various Meta Quest unit models. To evaluate the feasibility of group VR in a higher education geography lecture classroom, a pilot study…