In response to the academic shutdown caused by COVID-19 pandemic, the Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS) launched an emergency grassroots effort to create and distribute virtual learning resources from field stations and marine laboratory (FSMLs) to support faculty, students, and others. The initial effort resulted in a coalition of 50+ member FSMLs across the world that began developing virtual content, with the focus of teaching observational skills through virtual experiences. Virtual materials have been developed with the aid of field station staff using the 4DEE Ecological Framework.
To assist the field sites and educators in developing and accessing these experiences, a core team of scientists and educators was awarded a RAPID grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF # 2031815). This web portal is one result of the grant. The portal allows collaborators to create experiences, and educators to access both the experiences and the associated instructional materials. All users can view (and enjoy!) the Ecosystem Experiences Videos, the Live from the Field events, and the resources listed in Discover More.
Following that initial development, The Virtual Field project has expanded through additional NSF funding, including a Research Coordination Network Incubator and full grant and an Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Hispanic Serving Institutions education research grant.
2020–2022 | The Virtual Field begins
COVID response → OBFS grassroots initiative → NSF RAPID → development of the original platform and virtual resources.
2023–2027 | Building a national network
Full NSF RCN-UBE award → expansion from individual resources into a coordinated network of FSMLs, faculty, students, and partner institutions → iterative development and evaluation of virtual field experiences.
2026–present | Expanding institutional pathways
NSF IUSE:HSI project → applying and extending the TVF model through partnerships with Hispanic-Serving Institutions and FSMLs, with a stronger emphasis on student pathways, institutional partnerships, and access to field science.