When deciding between a physical or a virtual field trip for undergraduate college students, if both situations take students through a series of interactive experiences designed and controlled to maximize learning, consider:

• Either choice results in similar achievement scores;
• No significant differences are identified relative to learning styles;
• A field trip experience does not significantly impact non-science majors’ attitudes towards science, which means teachers might have to apply other more interesting classroom activities to engage the non-science major students other than having them devote time to a fieldtrip not directly related to their major.

Individual 
The learning experience: Promotes active engagement and real world problem solving.

Citation: Garner, L. C., & Gallo, M. A. (2005). Field trips and their effect on student achievement and attitudes: A comparison of physical versus virtual field trips to the indian river lagoon. Journal of College Science Teaching, 34(5), 14-17. from the ERIC database.
Citation Type: Research