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Outreach: Virtual Workshops: A new era for GeoBus
6 December 2020
Originally planned as a stop gap, the workshops have evolved into a new platform for delivering engaging outreach.
Caption: GeoBus resources (Image Credit: Helen Tsui)
Virtual Workshops: A new era for GeoBus outreach by Dr Amy Edgington
The UCL Earth Sciences GeoBus is back in the classroom! Virtually! As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, GeoBus, our mobile outreach programme, had to pause direct delivery. So, the GeoBus team instead turned their talents to creating exciting online content such as lesson packs, videos, short experiments and more. However, as the new 2020 academic year rolled closer, it was clear that face-to-face workshops were still not possible… so we became virtual.
GeoBus demonstrators are now live on screen, and students are sent individual activity packs including cut-out models to craft, 3D glasses and 3D images to create an interactive and hands-on workshop. With this new mode of engagement comes new advantages: demonstrators can be beamed into multiple classrooms with entire year groups able to take part simultaneously and providing maximum flexibility to suit a busy school timetable. Plus, we no longer have any limit on location - schools once too far away (as we are limited by travel time) have now been able to take part, thereby increasing our range of schools and resulting in the GeoBus reaching close to 3,500 students in this past academic term alone.
Caption: Dr Edgington Live on screen at Brunswick Park (Image Credit: Brunswick Park Primary School)
What was originally planned as a stop gap has evolved into a new platform for delivering engaging outreach. Whilst face-to-face workshops will always be a part of the GeoBus this new virtual method warrants investment. It is a new string to the GeoBus bow and can provide a vital link between the cutting-edge research here at UCL and the future scientists and innovators sitting in the classrooms across the country.
If you would like to be kept updated with GeoBus activities you can follow them on twitter @GeoBus_UCL or book virtual workshops at www.geobus-london.org.uk.
The GeoBus team are always looking for new ideas, so if you’d like to work with us to present your research as a GeoBus workshop please get in touch at geobus@ucl.ac.uk.