ABSTRACT
As information technologies transform classrooms and other learning environments, students and educators have become more comfortable with accessing and sharing electronic information. Whereas many educators rely on desktop technologies, textbooks, libraries, and lectures as principal curricular resources, teachers in the natural and biological sciences have included important “outdoor” or “field” investigations in their repertoire of learning, teaching, and research activities. Their students usually find this hands-on experiential learning critical to understanding the subject matter and to developing the practical skills required for engaging in related research. Students of plant biology are frequently attracted to the discipline because of the opportunities it offers to leave the lecture hall to explore and learn in field environments, and the skills developed in the field are a critical component and indicator of professional expertise.
