| Title | Virtual Field Trips to Interior Forests |
|---|---|
| Faculty/College/Unit | Forestry |
| Status | Active |
| Duration | 1 Year |
| Initiation | 04/01/2023 |
| Project Summary | Students in the Faculty of Forestry frequently engage in field-based learning, but primarily in coastal temperate rainforests (because they dominate near campus). However, this experience is not representative of the diversity of BC forest ecosystems. In a core forestry course, FRST 211 – Forest Classification and Silvics, students learn about the different forest ecosystem types in the province, but their exposure to Interior forests is limited to still photographs and analysis of numerical data, which are very limited representations of those ecosystems. To help students gain a better understanding of other forest ecosystems, I will develop virtual field trips and lab activities where students engage with the ecology, structure, and management of three Interior forest ecosystem types. These will be immersive experiences that make use of 360° VR video and photographs and drone-acquired aerial video. |
| Funding Details | |
| Year 1: Project Year | Year 1 |
| Year 1: Funding Year | 2023/2024 |
| Year 1: Project Type | Small TLEF |
| Year 1: Principal Investigator | Patrick Culbert |
| Year 1: Funded Amount | 14,818 |
| Year 1: Team Members | Patrick Culbert, Associate Professor of Teaching, Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry |