Designing for Balance: Out There and In Here

This paper describes the ‘Out There and In Here’ project, in which we explore the combined use of mobile technologies and staticindoor technologies to support novel forms of collaborative field trip learning. We are currently developing a system to support balanced collaboration between geology students ‘Out There’ in the field, and their peers located in a specially designed ‘In Here’laboratory. Here we explain the background to the project, and describe data collected on perceptions of field learning in geology that is directing design. In particular, we discuss bringing the ‘Out There’ experience ‘In Here’, whilst also enhancing the field experience. This requires the concurrent development of technologies and activities, and balancing the control required for effective learning with scope for user creativity.