Virtual reality can provide immersive experiences that engage students and provide new opportunities for instruction. In the case of field sciences, virtual field trips can allow us to take students to locations that would not be feasible (or perhaps safe) to travel to. Also, for field sites that are used in the course, having virtual field trips developed for those sites allows instructor and students to preview the sites before traveling to them, in order to maximize the use of time at the site, and makes it possible to review the locations later in the term.

I am developing virtual field trips for my Geology course, including sites in New York and Connecticut that we visit for the course and other sites that are further afield, and have begun to pilot the use of these sites as part of the course. In this interactive session we will explore virtual field trips in a variety of formats, and will briefly look at some of the tools for creating such resources. Participants would benefit from having their smart phones and other mobile devices at this session.