Student Perceptions of Fieldwork Utility across Three International Field Courses

Year 2013, Volume: 3 Issue: 2, 163 - 188, 01.06.2013

Albert L. Rydant Christopher Cusack John P. Smıth Brian A. Shıplee Bryon Mıddlekauff

Abstract

We started this study after noticing that university students make certain mistakes when elaborating column charts. The objectives of our research were to: 1) analyse the knowledge integrated into the competence of elaborating column charts; 2) analyse the procedure(s) to elaborate these charts; 3) analyse the mistakes that university students make in elaborating these charts; 4) analyse the causes leading to their mistakes; 5) identify ways to improve the educational process and students’ performance results. In order to achieve these objectives, we studied the activity for forming students’ competence to elaborate column charts and we analysed 704 such charts realised by 410 students at the Faculty of Geography within the University of Bucharest, Romania, during the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 academic years. In this paper, we describe the competence to elaborate column charts and present an analytical assessment grid with a dichotomous scale according to the way of presentation proposed by Maria Eliza Dulamă. In the analysis, we assessed charts using this assessment grid that included 20 criteria. We conclude by proposing ways to better the activity that underlies the formation of elaborating column charts (e.g. discussing chart types with students, discussing mistakes and how to correct them, discussing causes of their mistakes and an assessment grid before elaborating charts, creating a check list, etc.).

Keywords

Geography teaching in higher education, competence, column chart, assessment criteria, indicator, assessment grid

Student Perceptions of Fieldwork Utility across Three International Field Courses

Abstract

Keywords

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• Dr. Gabriela OSACI-COSTACHE is a lecturer at the Department of GeomorphologyPedology-Geomatics, Faculty of Geography University of Bucharest, Romania. Her didactic activity focuses on teaching Cartography, Thematic Cartography, and Techniques and Methods for Cartographical Representation. Her fields of interest for research are Historical Cartography, Thematic Cartography, Landscape Dynamics, GIS, the Didactics of Geography, and Toponymy. She is also the Cartography editor of the online journal Romanian Review of Geographical Education and organiser of the international conference Contemporary Trends in Teaching and Learning Geography, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Dr. Maria Eliza DULAMĂ is an associate professor at the Department of the Didactics of Exact Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Sciences of Education, “Babeş-Bolyai” University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Her didactic activity focuses on Geography teachers’ initial and continuous formation. Her main fields of interest for research are the Didactics of Geography, the educational process in Geography, and forming and assessing competences. She is also the editor in chief of the online journal Romanian Review of Geographical Education and coordinator of the international conference Contemporary Trends in Teaching and Learning Geography, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Dr. Oana-Ramona ILOVAN is a lecturer at the Department of Regional Geography and Territorial Planning, Faculty of Geography, “Babeş-Bolyai” University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Her didactic activity focuses on teaching General Regional Geography, Research Methods in Regional Geography, Regional Planning and Local Development. Her main fields of interest for research are Regional Geography, Research Methods in Regional Geography, Territorial identity and its role in regionalisation, and the Didactics of Geography. She is also the executive editor of the online journal Romanian Review of Geographical Education and organiser of the international conference Contemporary Trends in Teaching and Learning Geography, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.