Designing an effective Virtual Field trip for e-Learning

Field trips are fundamental to natural science courses and provide a mode for action learning where students observe the artifacts of nature created over long periods of time. Field trips enhance advanced learning skills of the students that cannot be achieved in a classroom. Field trips are constrained by availability of time and funds and by risks from weather, health and safety. As a result, we are exploring the option of deploying Virtual Field trips (VFTs), to replicate the experience of field trips without stepping outside of the classroom. This article looks through designing and dissemination of a VFT design and assesses its effectiveness as an eLearning tool, discussing ways to enhance its effectiveness and relevance.