Gaining a “sense of place”: students’ affective\ud experiences of place leading to transformative\ud learning on international fieldwork

This paper reveals the extent to which undergraduate students demonstrate transformative learning whilst on international fieldwork in Barcelona, Spain. Groups of students create a series of discrete active learning situations that allow them and their peers to engage more fully with their locale and in turn experience a deeper understanding of “place”. Reflective field trip notebooks are used to capture the experiences of students. Results show that through the use of the affective domain (Krathwohl’s taxonomy) and applying cyclic experiential learning (Kolb) combined with critical reflection (Mezirow), students demonstrate progression and, in some cases, regression along Krathwohl’s taxonomy

Student experiences of facilitating knowledge exchange: Developing an understanding of responsible events through blog writing

To encourage greater awareness of responsible events, a group of final year Events Management students based in a UK Higher Education institution researched a range of contemporary issues affecting the events industry. The results were presented as an interactive online blog to facilitate an exchange of knowledge with peers and event professionals. Although limitations to the approach are identified and discussed, the evidence suggests that this is an effective learning strategy that encourages debate beyond the university classroom and enables a greater awareness of the need to create and manage events responsibly

Unravelling the geographical palimpsest through fieldwork: discovering a sense of place

Fieldwork enables students to gain a greater understanding of the people and places that they encounter. Urban areas are popular destinations for fieldwork because they present a landscape that is in a continual state of change. Yet,as this article indicates, the past is ever present in the urban landscape as each place can be regarded as a palimpsest, where layers of history, geography, culture and politics co-exist. Through active participation in fieldwork, students have the potential to unravel this palimpsest and discover a deeper sense of that place. The example used here reflects upon urban fieldwork in Barcelona as experienced by a group of undergraduate students who, as they carried out and reflected upon their field work, benefited from gaining a sense of place informed by a range of geographical processes and meanings. The article concludes with a series of suggestions for those embarking on fieldwork and wishing to unravel the geographical palimpsest

Creating global students: opportunities, challenges and experiences of internationalizing the Geography curriculum in Higher Education

Killick (2015) defines university internationalization as an institution’s “response to the globalization of our world” which can be viewed as a process of changing the student experience in response to changes in the wider world. Internationalization has become an important feature of universities, stimulated by the generation of fees from international students, the promotion of international “branding”, reputation and prestige (in international league tables), and to address the need for graduates to compete in an increasingly global workplace due to globalization (Haigh, 2002). The internationalization of institutions by attracting foreign students to study has received the most attention, and the opportunities and issues have been well documented (Ryan, 2013). However, the internationalization of curricula is becoming more important for maintaining the quality and competitiveness of Higher Education in an increasingly globalized neo-liberalized market (Harris, 2008) and the desire for branding as a “Global University” (Clifford & Montgomery, 2011), the increasing diversity of student and staff, and the need to broaden the relevance and appeal of higher education to wider society (Kenna, 2017)

Emotional geographies experienced during international fieldwork: an evaluation of teaching and learning strategies for reflective assessment

The benefits and challenges of international fieldwork are well rehearsed. However, understanding of students’ affective experiences during fieldwork is less well developed. Little examination has been given to how tutors respond to the affective and emotional geographies that arise during international fieldwork which also affect perceptions of “place”. Using the innovative strategy of student-led teaching of peers, this paper examines how, firstly, the emotional geographies on international fieldwork can be identified and, secondly, how tutors can respond with appropriate teaching and learning strategies to enhance the fieldwork experience of students in terms of their personal and scholarly development. Based on field courses to Barcelona, Spain, we analyse a range of media from video and oral interviews, field notebooks and reflective essays to reveal students’ perceptions and emotions of participating in international fieldwork. Most revealing are the themes and issues raised by more “immediate” reflection undertaken in-the-field compared to the more “refined” and considered reflexivity completed after the fieldtrip. Such understandings of the emotional geographies can enable appropriate teaching and learning strategies to be employed

Virtually the same: understanding consumer experiences in the digital retail environment

Retailing is heralded as undergoing a sea-change – with consumers touted as moving their purchasing from high-street to digital store. This is evident in industry commentary: Physical retail will no longer be a channel for buying... Rather, these spaces will act as living, breathing physical portals into brand and product experiences. They will become places we go to learn, be inspired, see and try new things, experiment and co-create… My advice to retailers is to stop thinking “stores” and start thinking stories. Stop thinking “product” and start thinking productions. Doug Stephens, 17 June 2018: https://businessoffashion.com/articles/opinion/to-save-retail-let-it-die Irrespective of this prophecy’s truth, understanding consumers’ relationships to what is undoubtedly a changing retail landscape, where the digital environment is becoming more central, is critical. Extensive research considers the physical or virtual retail environment. This is variously framed, drawing on themes including: retail atmospherics (e.g. Helmefalk & Hultén, 2017); servicescapes (e.g. Ballantyne & Nilsson 2017); store environments, and the sensory [often stimulus-organism-response frameworks] (e.g. Garaus, 2016; Fujiwara, Resnick, Cassidy, & Brown, 2017). Research in this domain has yet to develop an integrated position on how to comprehend consumer retail environment experiences– particularly when that environment is virtual

Analysing barriers in the business ecosystem of European MaaS providers: an actor-network approach

As new Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platforms are being established in Europe, researchers and practitioners seek evidence on the barriers experienced by the MaaS providers in their evolving business ecosystem. This paper conceptualises the MaaS business ecosystem using a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) combined with Actor-Network Theory (ANT) by constructing an actor-network of key actors. This actor-network, along with the identified MaaS business ecosystem barriers, is then used for Multiple Case Study Research, interviewing 18 European MaaS experts. The cross-case analysis revealed how MaaS providers problematise, interest, enrol and mobilise their business ecosystems. Furthermore, the paper outlines and amends key barriers in the areas of (1) technology and data, (2) social and cultural, and (3) policy and regulation. Researchers and practitioners can use the findings of this study to formulate policies, create best practices or conduct further research on the development of MaaS

Looking ahead to the future of GeogEd: creating spaces of exchange between communities of practice

As part of the special issue marking the transition of the Higher Education Research Group to the Geography and Education Research Group, in this final paper we argue that the reformed group has a key role to play in promoting spaces of exchange between the communities of practice that have a stake in the shared endeavours of geography and education. We draw on structured conversations from the group’s launch event, existing literature, and our particular vantage points to identify a range of influences – both heritages that we work with and challenges that we face – that shape the interplay of geography and education in our pedagogical contexts. We argue that the GeogEd Research Group can create spaces of productive exchange between three communities of practice: geographies of education research, geography education research, and pedagogic research. As the research group brings these communities of practice together, it facilitates dialogue, creates new avenues for research, and connects and enhances geography teaching practice across education levels

Looking ahead to the future of GeogEd: Creating spaces of exchange between communities of practice

As part of the special issue marking the transition of the Higher Education Research Group to the Geography and Education Research Group, in this final paper we argue that the reformed group has a key role to play in promoting spaces of exchange between the communities of practice that have a stake in the shared endeavours of geography and education. We draw on structured conversations from the group’s launch event, existing literature, and our particular vantage points to identify a range of influences – both heritages that we work with and challenges that we face – that shape the interplay of geography and education in our pedagogical contexts. We argue that the GeogEd Research Group can create spaces of productive exchange between three communities of practice: geographies of education research, geography education research, and pedagogic research. As the research group brings these communities of practice together, it facilitates dialogue, creates new avenues for research, and connects and enhances geography teaching practice across education levels