eRock: An Open-Access Repository of Virtual Outcrops for Geoscience Education

Cawood, Adam J.; Bond, Clare E.

doi:10.1130/gsatg373gw.1

Cited by 24 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Whitmeyer & Dordevic, in press), outcrops (e.g. Cawood & Bond, 2019) and thin sections (e.g. Herodotou et al 2018) that support traditional classroom learning is here.…”

Section: Virtual Outcrops For Supplementing Field and Classroom-basedmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…COVID-19 and the cancellation of many field courses globally has resulted in the rapid development of many virtual field trips, virtual outcrops and experiences in what had previously been an emergent area of expertise and teaching resources (e.g. Bond & Wightman, 2012;Whitmeyer, 2012;Granshaw & Duggan-Haas, 2012;Pringle, 2014;De Paor, 2016;Houghton et al 2016;Carbonell et al 2017;Cawood and Bond, 2019). Many newly developed fieldtrips and resources can be found online (e.g.…”

Section: Virtual Outcrops For Supplementing Field and Classroom-basedmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A role for Virtual Outcrop Models in Blended Learning: improved 3D thinking, positive perceptions of learning and the potential for greater equality, diversity and inclusivity in geoscience

Bond

Cawood

2020

Preprint

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Abstract. Virtual outcrop models are increasingly used in geoscience education to supplement field-based learning but their efficacy for teaching key 3D spatial thinking skills has not been tested. With the rapid increase in online digital learning resources and blended learning, most recently because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, understanding the role of virtual field environments to support and develop skills conventionally taught through field-based teaching has never been more critical. Virtual outcrops and virtual field environments have not been evaluated for their effectiveness in teaching and learning in geoscience, however. Here we show the efficacy of virtual outcrop models in improving 3D spatial thinking and provide evidence for positive perceptions amongst participants of using virtual outcrops in teaching and learning. Our results show that in a simple multiple choice scenario, participants were more likely to choose the 3D block diagram that best represents the structure when using a virtual outcrop (59 %), compared to more traditional representations, a geological map (50 %) and field photograph (40 %). We add depth to these results by capturing the perceptions of a cohort of students, within our full participants set, on the use of virtual outcrops for teaching and learning, after accessing a virtual field site and outcrops to which they had previously visited on a day's field teaching. We also asked all participants if and how virtual outcrops could be used effectively for teaching and training, recording 87 % of positive responses. However, only 2 % of participants felt that virtual outcrops could potentially replace in-field teaching. We note that these positive findings signal significant potential for effective use of virtual outcrops in a blended learning environment and for breaking barriers to ensure equality, diversity and inclusivity of geoscience field skills and teaching.

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“…Whitmeyer & Dordevic, in press), outcrops (e.g. Cawood & Bond, 2019) and thin sections (e.g. Herodotou et al 2018) that support traditional classroom learning is here.…”

Section: Virtual Outcrops For Supplementing Field and Classroom-basedmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Virtual Outcrops For Supplementing Field and Classroom-basedmentioning

confidence: 99%

A role for Virtual Outcrop Models in Blended Learning: improved 3D thinking, positive perceptions of learning and the potential for greater equality, diversity and inclusivity in geoscience

Bond

Cawood

2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Whitmeyer and Dordevic, 2020), outcrops (e.g. Cawood and Bond, 2019) and thin sections (e.g. Herodotou et al, 2018) that support traditional classroom learning is here.…”

Section: Virtual Outcrops For Supplementing Field and Classroom-based Trainingmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…COVID-19 and the cancellation of many field courses globally has resulted in the rapid development of many virtual field trips, virtual outcrops and experiences in what had previously been an emergent area of expertise and teaching resources (e.g. Bond and Wightman, 2012;Whitmeyer, 2012;Granshaw and Duggan-Haas, 2012;Pringle, 2014;De Paor, 2016;Houghton et al, 2016;Carbonell Carrera et al, 2017a, b;Cawood and Bond, 2019). Many newly developed field trips and resources can be found online (e.g.…”

Section: Virtual Outcrops For Supplementing Field and Classroom-based Trainingmentioning

confidence: 99%

A role for virtual outcrop models in blended learning – improved 3D thinking and positive perceptions of learning

Bond

Cawood

2021

Geosci. Commun.

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Abstract. Virtual outcrop models are increasingly used in geoscience education to supplement field-based learning but their efficacy for teaching key 3D spatial thinking skills has been little tested. With the rapid increase in online digital learning resources and blended learning, most recently because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, understanding the role of virtual field environments in supporting and developing skills conventionally taught through field-based teaching has never been more critical. Here we show the efficacy of virtual outcrop models in improving 3D spatial thinking and provide evidence for positive perceptions amongst participants using virtual outcrops in teaching and learning. Our results show that, in a simple, multiple-choice scenario, participants were more likely to choose the 3D block diagram that best represents the structure when using a virtual outcrop (59 %) compared to more traditional representations, such as a geological map (50 %) or field photograph (40 %). We add depth to these results by capturing the perceptions of a cohort of students, within our full participant set, on the use of virtual outcrops for teaching and learning, after accessing a virtual field site and outcrops which they had previously visited during a day's field teaching. We also asked all participants if and how virtual outcrops could be used effectively for teaching and training, recording 87 % of positive responses. However, only 2 % of participants felt that virtual outcrops could potentially replace in-field teaching. We note that these positive findings signal significant potential for the effective use of virtual outcrops in a blended learning environment and for breaking barriers to increase the equality, diversity and inclusivity of geoscience field skills and teaching.

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“…To lay the foundation for an accessible digital drill core repository on Svalbard, all generated models have been integrated into the Svalbox database, which is a showcase geoscientific database for high Arctic teaching and research [58] conforming the recommendations outlined above. Other examples of such geoscientific databases include SafariDB [59] and eRocK [60], which may be expanded to include digital rock samples as well.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Drill Core Models: Structure-from-Motion as a Tool for the Characterisation, Orientation, and Digital Archiving of Drill Core Samples

et al. 2020

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Structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry enables the cost-effective digital characterisation of seismic- to sub-decimetre-scale geoscientific samples. The technique is commonly used for the characterisation of outcrops, fracture mapping, and increasingly so for the quantification of deformation during geotechnical stress tests. We here apply SfM photogrammetry using off-the-shelf components and software, to generate 25 digital drill core models of drill cores. The selected samples originate from the Longyearbyen CO2 Lab project’s borehole DH4, covering the lowermost cap rock and uppermost reservoir sequences proposed for CO2 sequestration onshore Svalbard. We have come up with a procedure that enables the determination of bulk volumes and densities with precisions and accuracies similar to those of such conventional methods as the immersion in fluid method. We use 3D printed replicas to qualitatively assure the volumes, and show that, with a mean deviation (based on eight samples) of 0.059% compared to proven geotechnical methods, the photogrammetric output is found to be equivalent. We furthermore splice together broken and fragmented core pieces to reconstruct larger core intervals. We unwrap these to generate and characterise 2D orthographic projections of the core edge using analytical workflows developed for the structure-sedimentological characterisation of virtual outcrop models. Drill core orthoprojections can be treated as directly correlatable to optical borehole-wall imagery data, enabling a direct and cost-effective elucidation of in situ drill core orientation and depth, as long as any form of borehole imagery is available. Digital drill core models are thus complementary to existing physical and photographic sample archives, and we foresee that the presented workflow can be adopted for the digitisation and digital storage of other types of geological samples, including degradable and dangerous ice and sediment cores and samples.

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eRock: An Open-Access Repository of Virtual Outcrops for Geoscience Education

Cited by 24 publications

References 2 publications

A role for Virtual Outcrop Models in Blended Learning: improved 3D thinking, positive perceptions of learning and the potential for greater equality, diversity and inclusivity in geoscience

A role for Virtual Outcrop Models in Blended Learning: improved 3D thinking, positive perceptions of learning and the potential for greater equality, diversity and inclusivity in geoscience

A role for virtual outcrop models in blended learning – improved 3D thinking and positive perceptions of learning

Digital Drill Core Models: Structure-from-Motion as a Tool for the Characterisation, Orientation, and Digital Archiving of Drill Core Samples

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