Using Digital Mapping Tools and 3-D Visualisation to Improve Undergraduate Fieldwork

Abstract Digital mapping methods for capturing and visualising field data are increasingly used in industry and provide alternatives to the traditional mapping techniques that students learn in their academic courses. Over the past two years, a range of digital mapping and 3-D visualisation methods have been introduced into the teaching programme in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Durham and are used in preparation for field classes, during fieldwork and in post-field class activities. The introduction of digital mapping into fieldwork classes provides the opportunity to use research results to enhance student learning and understanding of the natural environment, encourage more rigorous and quantitative data collection and increase student awareness of industry practice. We recommend this approach as one way to achieve stronger links between teaching and research in Earth Science departments.