Immersive In-Person Field Courses during the Pandemic: Minimizing Risk while Maximizing Efficacy

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• STEM Education

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted traditional field courses, necessitating a shift to online instruction.
• In-person field experiences are crucial for STEM education and reducing disparities.
• Some institutions successfully maintained in-person field courses during the pandemic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a risk-management approach for conducting safe, in-person expedition-based field courses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To evaluate student learning outcomes from field courses employing this risk-mitigation strategy.

Main Methods:

• Implemented comprehensive risk management, treating COVID-19 as a hazard requiring mitigation.
• Utilized a "bubble" strategy: pre-departure PCR testing and isolation from external contacts.
• Incorporated additional safety measures to minimize risks requiring medical evacuation.

Main Results:

• Achieved zero COVID-19 infections and no serious incidents among participants.
• Reported transformative student learning outcomes.
• Demonstrated the feasibility of maintaining in-person field courses under pandemic conditions.

Conclusions:

• The described risk-management approach effectively enabled safe and successful in-person field courses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• This model can guide the restoration of valuable field education opportunities.
• The strategy is adaptable for future field courses, incorporating vaccination and ongoing risk assessment.