Utilizing Geo-referenced Mobile Game Technology for Universally Accessible Virtual Geology Field Trips

Declining interest and low persistence is well documented among undergraduate students in Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Math in the United States. For geoscience, field trips are important attractors to
students, however with high enrollment courses and increasing costs they are becoming rare. We propose in this
concept paper that the contextualized learning and engagement of field trips can be simulated by virtual field
trips for smart mobile devices. Our focus is on utilizing the geo-referencing capabilities of smart devices within
spatially scaled educational games. This technology is increasingly ubiquitous amongst undergraduate students,
and consequently is an untapped pedagogical resource. The objective of our games is to give students real-world
experience in selected fundamental principles of geology. Set in Grand Canyon, each module features images of
exceptional geologic sites illustrating these principles. Students navigate “downstream” using their devices’ GPS
and complete at least one interactive activity per location to progress to the next point. Student response to a
pilot game suggests that this indeed is a viable method for making geoscience instruction engaging and
enjoyable, and hopefully will result in greater motivation to pursue the geosciences.