Robert Schon
Note: Title was current at time of award and may have changed.
Back from the Field: Supporting Student Researchers through Digital Laboratories and Multi-Semester Mentoring
There is widespread acknowledgement that field schools are essential training in archaeology and other disciplines, and the U of A has an 80–year long tradition of providing field experiences for students. However, field training is mainly a standalone activity, with little continuity of research afterwards. Moreover, fieldwork abroad faces additional hurdles as few materials can be brought back to campus for further analysis. Employing the Arizona Sicily Project’s Excavations at Segesta as a case-study, this CUES project addresses those challenges through the creation of Digital Learning Models: assemblages of artifacts digitally recorded via 3D scans and other media that students can continue to work with back on campus. We will test the learning outcomes of multi-semester mentored research in contrast with the more traditional field school model. By extending hands-on learning through digital tools and studying their impact on student engagement and research continuity, the project supports CUES’s mission to advance innovative, research-driven approaches to teaching and learning at the University of Arizona.