Attending horizon scan workshop on ecology teaching and learning

This week I attended a very interesting one-day horizon scan workshop on teaching and learning in ecology organised by the British Ecological Society, which took place at the Open University in Milton Keynes. During the workshop we discussed how political and technological developments are likely to shape higher education teaching in ecology in the near future.

Particularly, to me, interesting discussions centered around the use of artificial intelligence and apps for automatic species identification, the potential use of virtual reality to partly replace long distance residential field courses and to allow students field experiences in extreme environments such as Antarctica, the bottom of the sea and subterranean habitats. We even discussed that virtual reality might reduce the need for students to also physically attend lectures and seminars.

There is no little doubt that new technology will have a profound influence on university teaching in ecology (and in general) within the next few decades.