Time to close the knowledge–practice gap in field teaching

The stakes are high in nature's classrooms. When field-based teaching is successfully implemented, students benefit from knowledge gains and hands-on experiences while deepening a sense of connection to the outdoors. Our education research has shown that field-based undergraduate courses are also a powerful tool for recruiting and retaining diverse students in science. But not all field courses are equally effective. Barriers to participation and a lack of perceived value can discourage students from engaging in field courses. Poor course design or implementation can also cause detrimental student experiences and outcomes in the field. Although education research provides loose guidelines for how to best design field courses to attain desired enrollment and outcomes, formal training on how to teach field-based ecology courses remains rare. It is time to close the gap between what we know about effective field teaching and how it is practiced.