A Student Run Field Exercise in Applied Tourism Geography

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the field project and the field experiences of 60 undergraduates in a lower level geography course. Cumulative based learning was the main teaching technique. The Eisenhower Center, the Dickinson County Historical Society Museum, and Old Abilene Town, a renovatedlreconstructed frontier town, were selected for study. The focus was on determining the appeal of each attraction by the undergraduate cohort and increasing that appeal. As a result of this field experience, students gained a much clearer understanding of the challenges facing those attempting to market tourism successfully in small towns, as well as participating in a practical application of geographical concepts previously discussed in class.

The Challenges and Rewards of Introducing Field Trips Into a Large Introductory Geography Class

“…As other have reported of their projects (Rydant et al 2010;Resler andKolivras 2009, Krakowka 2012), our field activities are scalable to different class sizes and different course material. Designed for students with little or no field experience, our field trips can serve as a template for other introductory courses and for geography courses that draw students from diverse academic backgrounds (De Bres and Coomansingh 2006). It is important that geography departments provide field experiences at a time when students entering the job market require the very skills that fieldwork teaches (Hoalst-Pullen and Gatrell 2011).…”