News in 2023

Enhancing Surveying Education through Blended Learning - FIG Publication 81

May 2023

New FIG Publication

Editors: Liza Groenendijk, David Mitchell and Dimo Todorovski

A new publication has been published in May 2023.

This publication aims to assist the FIG community with a summary of lessons learned from the COVID pandemic emergency remote teaching and provides some guidance on good practices in implementing blended learning in surveying education. The content draws on papers presented during FIG events on the lessons, and discussion at online webinars during the FIG Working Weeks and Commission 2 events, as well as discussions on-site at the FIG Working Week in 2019 and the FIG Congress in 2022. 

Surveying education has a strong tradition of face-to-face lectures supported by practical tutorials and field project activities. ‘Learning by doing’ has been fundamental to many surveying programs as well as training and continuing professional development.

In 2010, the benefits that online learning (or E-learning) could also have for surveying education was recognised in FIG Publication 46 “Enhancing Surveying Education through e-Learning”. Since then, the development of ICT and video conferencing, along with the development in Learning Management Systems, has allowed online learning in a way that was not possible previously.

The impact of the COVID pandemic, and the associated lockdowns starting in 2020, resulted in most surveying programs rapidly pivoting to emergency remote teaching mode allowing lectures and tutorials to continue. This pivot to online did show the potential of blending online and face-to-face learning, and that the essential face-to-face activities could be supported by online learning material in very effective ways. 

 

 

 

Louise Friis-Hansen
May 2023