Ceperley, Natalie ClaireNatalie ClaireCeperley0000-0002-2260-8426Schaefli, BettinaBettinaSchaefli0000-0003-1140-6244Leiser, PeterPeterLeiser2025-01-232025-01-232024-10-08https://boris-portal.unibe.ch/handle/20.500.12422/203152University of Tartu, Tartu, EstoniaTraditional geography field trips often exclude students due to mobility and flexibility constraints, contribute significantly to travel footprints, and primarily rely on passive knowledge acquisition. Recognizing these limitations, we pioneered a novel approach to geography education in the summer of 2022 at the University of Bern’s Geography Institute. Our innovative master-level course, “Geosensing of the Environment,” was co-taught by a diverse team comprising the institute’s field technician, a master’s student assistant, and a hydrology researcher. This course diverged from conventional pedagogical methods, empowering students to chart their own scientific trajectories. It guided them through a comprehensive scientific cycle, from conceptualization and device development to data analysis and communication. The course’s primary objective was to enable students to utilize Raspberry Pi microcontrollers or similar devices and an array of sensors to construct a scientific measuring device. This hands-on approach maintained the course’s relevance to all physical geography subjects while fostering creativity and problem-solving skills. In 2024, we are conducting the course for the second time, incorporating key changes based on feedback and technological advancements. We have transitioned to using Seed Studio XIAO, an Arduino board, restructured the design thinking exercises, and refocused student evaluation criteria. The course’s pedagogical framework is innovative, combining a self-learning module on programming microelectronic boards, a hands-on workshop for sensor device construction, and a follow-up phase for proposing larger projects. In its inaugural run in 2022, students appreciated the course’s open-ended nature, which allowed for adaptation to their interests. Despite non-technical backgrounds, students successfully developed devices for measuring CO2 over freeways, analyzing temperature variations caused by balcony vegetation, and recording water temperature profiles around Bern. Our revisions to the course emphasize energy management and sensor network communication while preserving the freedom for students to start from scratch with a minimal kit. We view this course as a transformative opportunity to make field courses more accessible, reduce environmental impact, and empower students to create sensing devices from a blank slate. In conclusion, our course exemplifies how real-world problem-solving challenges, such as building a geosensing device, can stimulate creative thinking and practical applicability. In this presentation, we will present the key framework of our course, review the impact of the changes we made, and extract key lessons learned from the two years.enconference_item