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Barriers to fieldwork in undergraduate geoscience degrees

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Fieldwork is an integral part of geoscience subjects, but changing career pathways and student demographics have major implications for the future of compulsory fieldwork. The ways in which fieldwork is taught and the learning outcomes it fulfils urgently need updating.

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Correspondence to Sam Giles.

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S.G., C.J. and N.S. are members of The Inclusion Group for Equity in Research in STEMM (https://www.tigerinstemm.org/).

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Related links

GeolSoc Accreditation Requirements: https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Education-and-Careers/Universities/Degree-Accreditation/Aims-and-Requirements-for-Accreditation

Toilet stops in the field: An educational primer and recommended best practices for field-based teaching: https://osf.io/gnhj2

AdvanceGeo In The Field: https://serc.carleton.edu/advancegeo/resources/field_work.html?fbclid=IwAR3l7tyc4Gcfe1HJfKsKVkOg4KuqmrU5DRX5xnSrBQAfs2_QrKqrDE7M2D8

Good Practice in Inclusion, Diversity and Equality in GEES Higher Education: https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/HEN-Higher-Education-Network-Annual-Meeting-2019

Confronting Barriers to inclusion - Opening the gate to accessible fieldwork: https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/Events/Past-Meeting-Resources/Confronting-Barriers-to-inclusion-opening-the-gate-to-accessible-fieldwork

University Geoscience UK: ‘Future Science - a vision for the next 25 years’: https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/UGUK-GSL-17-Future-Science

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Giles, S., Jackson, C. & Stephen, N. Barriers to fieldwork in undergraduate geoscience degrees. Nat Rev Earth Environ 1, 77–78 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-020-0022-5

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