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Virtual Field Trips

Explore the World with Virtual Field Trips

Designed for ages 9-15 but customizable for all ages, virtual field trips allow students to travel the world and explore natural environments without leaving the classroom. Each virtual field trip contains a video, teacher guide and student activities.

Working Trees: Reforestation and Responsible Forestry

Forests represent a powerful opportunity to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, helping to cool our planet while also providing clean air, clean water, and habitat for wildlife.

Less Harm on the Farm: Regenerative Agriculture

Food is more than something we eat to survive; it's a part of how we thrive. Learn how regenerative agriculture can help us feed a growing population while restoring nature.

Climb-It Change

Explore how climate change is impacting alpine ecosystems and go on a climbing adventure with scientists who take you to some of the most stunning mountain ranges in the United States. This film is a Rocket Soul Studios production.

Protecting Our Oceans and Ourselves

More people rely on our ocean for food, energy, transport, recreation and other natural resources than any other time in history.

Climate Heroes: The Power of Trees

Trees are our climate superheroes! From Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States to St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean, trees are playing critical roles in cleaning our air and improving our resilience in the face of climate change.

You’re the Scientist! Citizen Science, Frogs and Cicadas

The conservation community relies heavily on volunteers not only to restore natural areas but to help gauge the success of restoration efforts.

Changing Climate, Changing Cities

Get a front-row, ground-level seat to the challenges cities face as they confront this force of nature, and discover the solutions experts are promoting to mitigate it.

The Secret Life of Corals

Learn how fragile reefs are being damaged by human activity and climate change, and how scientists are developing ways to restore corals.

Borneo: The Symphony of the Rainforest

On this journey, we’ll learn how experts are using cutting-edge science to find out how healthy the rainforest is—and to discover where it needs some help!

View from a Canoe

Can you imagine a place with 100 million acres of forest and 30,000 miles of coastline? It exists. The Emerald Edge is home to the largest intact coastal temperate rainforest.

Wild Biomes: America’s Rainforests & Deserts

Two wildly different ecosystems, both dependent on the same precious resource: Water. On this virtual field trip, we’ll travel to Seattle and Arizona.

The Coral Reefs of Palau

Join our expert scientist, marine biologist Stephanie Wear, on a virtual field trip to the coral reefs of Palau where you'll explore amazing underwater cities.

China’s Great Forests

Join our expert scientist Yue Wang, a conservation planning officer for The Nature Conservancy, on a virtual field trip across the world to two stunning provinces in China.

Powering the Planet: Renewable Energy

Join scientist Alex Wegmann as we embark on a Virtual Field Trip to explore a compelling question: How can we get the energy we need without harming nature?

Journey of Water: Colombia’s Páramo

In this virtual field trip, we will explore the magical páramo ecosystem and the stunning mountain landscapes found just beyond the capital city of Bogotá.

Peru: A Coastal Ecosystem

Join fisheries scientist Matias Caillaux to explore the Humboldt Current Ecosystem off the coast of Peru while learning about the area’s amazing diversity and productivity.

Ridge to Reef: A Virtual Field Trip to Hong Kong

The “Ridge to Reef” (R2R) concept is a holistic approach that takes into consideration all the environments within a watershed — from the top of the mountains down to the ocean — and shows that what happens on land affects what happens in the water.

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Virtual Programs For Schools and Groups

SERC’s new classes include offerings for students and teachers, and provide a variety of opportunities and formats for learning and teaching. All programs are designed to be stand-alone, but many can be used together to build content, knowledge, and understanding. Most programs can be adapted for a variety of ages and to fit the needs of your group.

Our Environmental Literacy (eLit) series focuses on current topics related to better understanding our world and SERC’s research in ecology, biology, chemistry, and science. Costs vary, but the basic rates are below. All classes align with NGSS standards.

Types of Program Offerings

Program topics.

Explore scientific research techniques and bring real-world science into your classroom with fun hands-on learning.

Learn how scientists track and follow animals that visit the Chesapeake Bay, and learn how you can track the migration and movement of life around your location!

Learn how to use leaves to study climate change and get an introduction to the Native Orchids of Maryland and the orchid-gami 3D models.

Introduce your students to the superpowers of plankton and river otter food webs!

Please remember, for a virtual program, you need:

• A reliable internet connection
• A laptop or computer
• A computer camera, microphone, and speakers
• A projector (as needed)
• The ability to do a Zoom conference or call-in

For more information, or to book a program, contact Karen McDonald at [email protected] .

Science Videos

The Amazon Rainforest

Introduce your students to the layers of the rainforest and the many animals who live there. Explore the adaptations that have evolved over time to make for a successful existence of life in the rainforest.

Video length: 18:42 minutes.

How Coral Reefs Are Formed

Explore the underwater world of coral reefs. Here, in Part 1, we’ll find out how coral reefs are formed over time. Learners will be able to see how a tiny coral polyp can create structures large enough to be seen from space. They will also begin to appreciate the diversity of life that exists in coral reefs around the world.

Video length: 13:20 minutes.

Who Lives On A Coral Reef?

Life on a coral reef is both bizarre and beautiful! Let’s get a first-hand look at the neverending roles of predator and prey. Introduce vocabulary such as adaptations, camouflage, symbiotic, and nocturnal. Lastly, students will be highly entertained by the remarkable array of animals that call a coral reef home.

Video length: 15:55 minutes.

Sahara Desert

Welcome to the Sahara Desert –  the largest hot desert in the world!  We cover the climate and landforms of the Sahara and then move on to meeting the many insects, birds, reptiles, and mammals that live in these harsh conditions. Find out about the many adaptations that allow plant and animal life to survive and thrive here, along with the people who have called the Sahara home for many millennia.

Video length: 31:30 minutes.

African Safari

Enjoy a trip through an African Safari park to see an incredible variety of wildlife. Take a first-row seat at the waterholes where the action is. You’ll see elephants, giraffes, warthogs, rhinos, zebras, lions, and so much more.

Video length: 15:15 minutes.

Galapagos Islands

Utterly unique and enchanting, the volcanic Galapagos Islands provide a captivating zoological adventure unlike any other. Marine Iguanas grazing from the sea floor, Vampire finches, giant tortoises and many other animals provide fascinating insights into adaptation and survival in this harsh and otherworldly environment.

Video length: 27:05 minutes.

Amazon Rainforest: People & Threats (Grades 2-5)

Meet the people who have called the Amazon rainforest home for centuries. Learn about the threats facing all who live there and how everyone can help overcome these challenges.

Video length: 12:40 minutes.

Amazon Rainforest (Grades 5-9)

Introduce your students to the layers of the rainforest and the animals who live there. Explore the adaptations that have evolved over time to make for a successful existence of life in the rainforest.

Video length: 21:55 minutes.

Amazon Rainforest: People & Threats (Grades 5-9)

Video length: 15:05 minutes.

National Parks - Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Colorado

Dramatic glacier-covered rugged mountains, a temperate rainforest, craggy rock-towered coastlines, giant sand dunes, ancient cliff dwellings, and steep sheer rock canyons. All of these landscapes, their history, and more are explored in this tour of the National Parks of the northern part of the Western region.

Video length: 27:05 minutes

National Parks - Wyoming & Utah

Introduce your students to the magnificent landforms throughout the National Parks in Wyoming and Utah. In Wyoming, we’ll gaze in wonder at the drama of the Grand Teton Mountain Range, as we also find out about fault-block mountains.   We’ll contrast that experience with the ever-moving, always-changing landscapes of Yellowstone N.P. including the “Old Faithful” geyser. Moving on to Utah, we’ll compare and contrast 3 National Parks – Bryce, Zion, and Arches National Parks.   We’ll see how erosion and ancient salt beds have created these wondrous sites.

Video length:   22:40 minutes

National Parks - California & Nevada

Come along as we visit Nevada’s one and only National Park – Great Basin.   Then, we move on to visit 5 parks in California, comparing and contrasting along the way. Joshua Tree and Death Valley demonstrate high desert vs. low desert landscapes and conditions.   Sequoia and Redwood NP’s show us the difference between trees that are gigantic in circumference vs. height. Lastly, we visit one of the crown jewels of National Parks – Yosemite N.P.

Video length:   17:20 minutes

National Parks - Alaska & Hawaii

The running theme of this video is “extremes”, and there are many in both Alaska and Hawaii! We explore the beautiful and stark wilderness of the parks in Alaska, learn about glaciers and fjords, see some grizzlies and humpbacks, and end off with the volcanoes of Hawaii. A thrill ride for all!

Video length: 23:20 minutes  

La Selva Amazonica (Spanish)

Presénteles a sus alumnos los estratos de la selva y los animales que la habitan. Explore las adaptaciones desarrolladas a lo largo del tiempo para lograr la prosperidad de la vida en la selva.

  Video length: 19:20 minutes

Grade 1 - The Earth Around Us

Video Storyline :  People live in communities, where change happens every day. Around us we see a variety of land and water types which have helped to create our natural resources. We can also see changes around us throughout the four seasons.

Video length: 8:10 minutes.

Galapagos Islands (Spanish)

Absolutamente únicas y encantadoras, las volcánicas Islas Galápagos proporcionan una cautivante aventura zoológica diferente de cualquier otra. Iguanas marinas pastando en el fondo del mar, pinzones vampiro, tortugas gigantes y muchos otros animales proporcionan unas vistas fascinantes de la adaptación y la supervivencia en este ambiente hostil y de otro mundo.

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Ecosystem Exploration

Take a field trip to field stations and marine laboratories around the world and discover the processes that shape the world around you.

Choose one of the terrestrial, freshwater or marine videos. On each video page, you will find:

• An Ecosystem Video where researchers take you on a guided, but unnarrated, tour of their study site.
• Explorer Guides that help you explore the video as you build your powers of observation and identify processes that shape ecosystems. Sites followed by * have a full set of educational materials.

Search Results:

Virtual Field Trips

A collection of virtual field trip resources designed for instructors to lead online trips and to improve in-person field experiences.

Virtual Field Trips (VFTs) take a variety of forms based on the goals of particular courses and the teaching style of instructors. Here at Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability Field Education, we are producing VFT resources that can be flexibly used in a variety of different ways. We distinguish between virtual field sites, self-guided virtual field trips, and virtual field exercises.

Although these virtual resources were jump-started to address the current needs for online learning, these resources will also be useful situations in which in-person field trips may not possible. They can also be used to augment in-person field experiences, provide better accessibility and improve inclusivity. They prepare students, making trips more efficient, safe, and effective. 

These are all in progress, with more features, trips, and topical resources being added regularly. Please contact Ryan Petterson with feedback and suggestions. For Stanford University instructors, if you are interested in collaborations, creating new VFTs for your own local area, or would like to talk about ways of incorporating this content in your teaching, please reach out as well.

Virtual Field Site (VFS) These are “bare bones” VFTs that provide the most flexible experience. They are virtual spaces that can be used for nearly any type of experience, just as the real field site would. They have basic informational content, like maps and a virtual compass. The subject matter content (geology, ecology, forestry, etc) can be presented by an instructor via synchronous lectures, instructor guided tours, or through instructor created field guides and exercises. These can be particularly useful for exercises where students are learning to make their own observations in the field.

Self-Guided Virtual Field Trip (SGVFT) These are virtual experiences that can act as stand alone interactive environments. They contain various informational components, including pop-up text, labels, or videos. As such, they are specific to a topic and may not be suitable for instruction outside of that topic. Since they are intended as self guided experiences, they may lack the engagement, interactions, and social motivations of instructor guided experiences, but they are a great alternative when students are in different time zones or when scalability is critical. These are also useful for course advertising and preparing students for in-person field experiences.

Virtual Field Exercises (VFE) These are examples of exercises that could be used in conjunction with the virtual field trips provided here. These include asynchronous student exercises for making observations, reading maps, or even creating geologic sketch maps. These examples will work best when preceded by synchronous instructor guided introductions to the virtual field site.

Stanford Conservation Program - California Tiger Salamander

A tour of the Stanford Conservation Program 's work to protect California tiger salamanders—a species listed by the Federal and State Endangered Species Acts. This conservation work and this tour take place on Stanford’s main campus, specifically at Lagunita and the Dish Area.

Possible topics: endangered species management, urban ecology, conservation, population monitoring, herpetology, Lagunita, Stanford’s local ecology

Transcript for the tour audio .

Pebble Beach at Bean Hollow State Beach, CA

Death Valley, CA

Aotearoa New Zealand

A series of collaborations between  University of Auckland  and Stanford University, showcasing coastal geology and volcanology around Auckland and the North Island.

Credits:  James Muirhead (UoA) , Ryan Petterson (Stanford)

Chalfant Quarry - CA

A pumice quarry north of Bishop, CA. Part of a series on the Bishop Tuff. This is STOP 13, in the USGS  Geologic field-trip guide to Long Valley Caldera, California .

Aeolian Buttes, CA

Part of a series on the Bishop Tuff. A collection of rock outcrops just north of the Long Valley Caldera, overlooking the Mono Basin.

Chalk Bluff - CA

A small site on on the edge of Pleasant Valley, near Bishop, CA. Part of a series on the Bishop Tuff. This is part of STOP 14, in the USGS  Geologic field-trip guide to Long Valley Caldera, California .

Devil's Gate (White Mountains, CA)

A narrow canyon filled with structurally complex exposures of the Reed Dolomite.

Possible topics: faulting, folding, sedimentary structures, entrenched stream

May Lake (Yosemite NP)

A short hike to a classic Sierra lake. Offers striking views of the glaciated peaks of the Yosemite National Park, as well as metamorphosed sediments that were likely transported from the Mojave!

Possible topics: lodgepole pine forests, glaciation, granite batholiths, metamorphism, xenoliths, tectonics

Gaylor Lakes (Yosemite NP)

Possible topics: glacial history, kettle ponds, metamorphic rocks, batholithic margin

Horseshoe Lake

This short VFT takes you to an area near Mammoth Mountain, CA where CO2 seeping into the soil due to subsurface magma has killed a large area of trees. For more details see the USGS Long Valley Caldera Field Guide - Horseshoe Lake .

Sierra Nevada (Yosemite NP)

This virtual field site covers some highlights of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Yosemite National Park along the CA 120 Highway.

More details about the geology of the park can be found in " The geologic story of Yosemite National Park ," from the USGS .

Possible topics: glacial history, regional tectonics, volcanism, metamorphism, petrology.

Long Valley Caldera

An iconic location in the Eastern Sierra region of California. This VFS covers a large area in and around the Long Valley Caldera, with specific stops for the Bishop Tuff and several post-caldera eruptions. Field guides and other information about the geology can be found at USGS - Long Valley Caldera .

A Field-trip guide to Long Valley Caldera is also available as a PDF for free from USGS .

Possible topics: volcanism, regional tectonics, Bishop Tuff, Mammoth Mountain

McGee Creek

Possible topics: glacial history, geomorphology, faulting, regional tectonics

Heritage Grove, Sam McDonald County Park, CA

Pinyon-Juniper Woodland (White Mnts, CA)

A short trail through a Pinyon-Juniper woodland in the White Mountains of California. With some rocks in there too! (you might even see some ghost ooids!)

For more information about Pinyon-Juniper woodland, check out this article series from the National Park Service .

Stanford Dish

This Stanford Dish VFT is part of a collaboration for GEOLSCI 42: Moving and Shaking in the Bay Area . This VFT includes videos and other content specific to that course. Its a good example of how these VFT can be tailored to more specific needs.

The Dish at Stanford is generally open to the public for personal visits. Please be sure to check https://dish.stanford.edu/ for up to date times and restrictions. Any off-trail activity or educational tours must be authorized and approved prior to the activity ( application here ).

Credits: C. Baden, G. Hilley, R. Petterson, A. Steelquist

Marloes Sands, Pembrokeshire, UK

Silurian sediments and intercalated volcanic units on the Pembrokeshire coast, UK. This tour provides examples of variable depositional environments, and unconformable contacts between and within volcanic and sedimentary units, in subvertical strata.

Possible topics: sedimentary rocks, igneous rocks, deformation structures, depositional environments

Collaboration with Dr. Katy Chamberlain , University of Derby

Topography Exercise

This virtual exercise is an example of how a VFS might be used. It is an exercise designed to get students familiar with locating themselves on a topographic map, using bearings and topographic features. This exercise is designed to be used with "The Dish" SGVFT and a Google Jamboard.

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Ocean Explorers Virtual Field Trips

Bring your classroom to life with reef’s ocean explorers virtual field trips.

This program is an interactive field trip simulation that includes engaging lesson plans and activities to give students experiences and connections to the marine environment without leaving their classroom. Students have the opportunity to explore what life is like as a marine scientist, performing exploration tasks and creating research trials as they complete field journals and become citizen scientists themselves. 

Each session is adaptable and can be modified to be taught in-person at school, off-site in the field, or entirely online in a virtual format. REEF Scientists will guide your students through the field trip, allowing for minimal preparation on the teacher's end. The virtual field trips curriculum follows the 5E lesson structure: Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, and Evaluation. By following this structure, the programs are designed to supplement a teacher's classroom curriculum easily. 

Click here for FREE Lessons

Program Information Implementation Guide and FAQ

Take your students on an exciting field trip with REEF to the sunny, salty Florida Keys and experience life as a scientist!

Begin your Ocean Explorers Virtual Field Trip today! Sign up on our Registration Page and receive your materials to start your adventure. To learn more about the virtual field trips, visit our Program Information page or email [email protected].  

Thanks to the generosity of REEF members and donors, at this time, groups can participate in the program at no cost. Expenses associated with the program are supported through REEF’s Oceans for All Fund. The Ocean for All Fund is a pooled scholarship fund supported by businesses, foundations, and individuals committed to investing in a more equitable future for marine conservation. This fund promotes inclusive opportunities for people to connect with, enjoy, and learn about the underwater world. REEF uses the fund in partnership with established organizations. It directly provides both in-person and online programs, ensuring that cultivating connections with the ocean is not limited by zip code. The Oceans for All Fund reduces barriers that restrict participation in REEF’s programs. To learn more about the Oceans for All Fund, visit our webpage .

Virtual Field Trips

If a trip on the Marine Science Floating Lab is not possible, students can still explore the world of the ocean with our Virtual Field Trips . Without leaving the classroom, students can see what lives in the ocean and discover why it is important for all of us to take care of the marine environment.

Each Virtual Field Trip focuses on one of the activities that students participate in when they are on board the Floating Lab, which has been operating since 1974 through the Los Angeles County Office of Education.

Each Virtual Field Trip contains:

• a video – Each activity video is approximately 13 minutes long, but using the built-in pauses will extend the length and allow students to interact with the content.
• student worksheets – Handouts have students record and analyze data from the onboard experiments and identify the marine organisms they see.
• post-video activities – One or more activities can expand the content of the Virtual Field Trip video.

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Teacher Instructions

The Teacher Instructions provide guidelines for presenting the Virtual Field Trip videos and indicate alignment with the Next Generation Science Standards.

Introduction and Wildlife Observation

Get an overview of the Floating Lab activities with this brief 5-minute video for both teachers and students. As the boat motors through the harbor, students can look for and record the various marine wildlife encountered.

Plankton, the base of the food chain, is collected and then viewed under an optical microscope. Students learn about and identify phytoplankton and zooplankton and discover plankton’s importance to the health of our environment.

Fish and Invertebrates

A trawl net is towed behind the boat to collect a representative sample of fish and invertebrates. Students discover the morphology and adaptations of some of the sea creatures brought up in our net.

Bottom Sediment

After a special device “grabs” sediment from the ocean floor, students examine the sediment’s characteristics as well as the organisms that live in this benthic zone of the ocean.

Water Clarity, Color, and Temperature

Using scientific equipment, students measure the clarity, color, and temperature of the water in the harbor. Then they determine why tracking these characteristics is important.

© Think Earth Environmental Education Foundation. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to teachers and other not-for-profit users to download and use the instructional materials and videos. No portion of the videos or other materials may be copied and used for any commercial purposes.

Tahoe Environmental Research Center

Virtual Field Trips

Virtual field trips are currently FREE as either live virtual sessions facilitated by TERC educators or as pre-recorded videos and activity guides. Please click here to submit a field trip request form to schedule a live field trip or to gain access to  all the materials for a pre-recorded field trip. ( https://tinyurl.com/TERCVirtualFieldTripRequest )

Tahoe's Aquatic Food Web

(Grades 3–5, one 1-hr session) Students explore changes in our local Lake Tahoe aquatic food web. As a pre-field trip activity, students learn about a specific Tahoe organism and use that knowledge to construct a food web live with their peers using Google Jamboard. Students work together virtually to create an accurate food web model to demonstrate its complexity and use the model to discuss the many impacts from a single change. NGSS: MS-ESS3-3, MS-ESS3-4

Trees of Tahoe

(Grades 3–5, two 1-hr sessions) Students learn how to identify the common tree species found in Tahoe’s forests. They get to practice and apply these skills by performing a forest survey to assess the local biodiversity. Students then use their survey to determine the health of Tahoe’s forests. Trees of Tahoe is a simplified version of the Forest Health field trip geared toward younger students. NGSS: 3-LS4-3, 3-LS4-4

Formation of Lake Tahoe

(Grades 4–6, three 1-hr sessions) Students are taken on a broad journey of the geological processes that formed Lake Tahoe over millions of years. Through several hands-on demonstrations, students explore big-picture earth science topics such as density, plate tectonics, and earthquakes, and make the connection of how those actions over time led to the formation of Lake Tahoe.

NGSS: MS-ESS2-2, MS-ESS2-3, 4-ESS1-1

Forest Health

(Grades 5–6, two 1-hr sessions) Students will explore and identify common tree species found in Tahoe’s forests. Students then have the opportunity to practice and apply these skills by performing a forest survey that provides insight into the biodiversity of trees around them. They will learn about the main factors that affect forest health and ecosystem dynamics and will use this knowledge, and their collected data, to assess the health of Tahoe’s forests. NGSS: MS-LS2-4, MS-LS2-5

Climate Change at Lake Tahoe

 (Grades 6–8, one 1-hr session) Students start with an active and engaging lesson that discusses ways to combat climate change from a personal to global level. This is followed by an evidence-based exploration into how our changing climate affects Tahoe specifically. The field trip is designed to give students the information they need to understand the implications of this global catastrophe while empowering them to get involved! NGSS: MS-ESS3-3, MS-ESS3-4, MS-ESS3-5

Brief Descriptions of Virtual Field Trips

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Virtual Field Trips

The virtual field.

Take yourself or your students on field trips to ecosystems around the world.

The Virtual Field takes you to field stations and marine laboratories all over the globe to learn new skills as you explore nature.

The Center is leading and collaborating on The Virtual Field , an international coalition of 50 field stations and marine laboratories that creates virtual field experiences. Learning experiences for virtual visitors of all ages and backgrounds include:  

• Curriculum for K-8, High-School and University.
• Curriculum for High-School and University.

Get started at The Virtual Field .

Why take a Virtual Field Trip?

Field experiences in undergraduate research boost motivation, critical thinking and academic success for students of all backgrounds and disciplines. Yet due to logistical and financial barriers, these experiences are limited to only a small proportion of students. Virtual field experiences are one way to remove these barriers. 

History of the Virtual Field

The Virtual Field emerged from a grassroots effort by the Organization of Biological Field Stations during the Covid-19 pandemic,  and is led by Claudia Luke Center for Environmental Inquiry at Sonoma State University, along with Hilary Swain at Archbold Biological Station, and Kari O’Connell of the STEM Research Center at Oregon State University. It was made possible thanks to a foundational National Science Foundation grant.

Please contact us if you are interested in working on The Virtual Field - as a volunteer, faculty, student, or donor. 

Dr. Claudia Luke Director Center for Environmental Inquiry Sonoma State University 1801 East Cotati Avenue, Rohnert Park, CA 94928 707-536-8915 (mobile) [email protected]

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Virtual Field Trips + Presentations

The Freshkills Park Education team is pleased to offer virtual field trips and presentations for classes and groups who are not able to visit the landfill-to-park transformation in person. Our virtual education programming focuses on sustainability, waste management, grassland and wetland ecology, park development, and environmental restoration and is aligned with New York State science standards. Our virtual programming is flexible, and we are happy to work with you to adapt the content to your students.

All virtual programs are free of charge, though groups are encouraged to make a donation to the Freshkills Park Alliance. Contact [email protected] with any questions.

To plan a tour:

1. Request a tour using this link .

2. We will confirm your tour by e-mail within 2 weeks.

3. Prepare for your tour:

• Welcome to Freshkills Park Virtual Trip Guide.docx

“ Thanks for your wonderful presentation that opened our students’ eyes to the problem of waste management within NYC and beyond. A few students made it a point to tell us that it was the highlight of the week for them.” -High School Teacher

“The mix of video, VR, photos and a live demo was PERFECT.  It felt like a true experience and not just another powerpoint…Thank you again — I had parents tell me that this was the best trip! “ -K-5 Science Teacher

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Our work: Digital Learning

Virtual Field Trips

Digital field trips offer unique affordances to expand access to locales, capture sense of place, and foreground agency within an experiential learning environment.

The Virtual Field Trips program develops tools and learner-centered frameworks to create and co-experience navigable worlds via immersive, 360-degree photos and videos.

Virtual field trips (VFTs) can take a variety of forms, but at their core, they enable learners to engage with a location, often without physically traveling there, in a digitally mediated way.  VFTs can broaden access to locations and experiences and may help mitigate inequities due to cost, accessibility, or inclusivity. Advances in technology have reduced the barriers to creation, opening opportunities for educators and students to become content creators, embedding concepts in locally or personally meaningful contexts.

The science and design behind how to structure activities to create engaging and effective virtual field trips is lagging behind technology growth. Virtual field trips have the potential to support learning by increasing learner connectedness, whether to the land, to a phenomenon, or to other people. This program aims to explore and promote the use of virtual field trips for supporting meaningful learning.

Faculty leads

Dan Schwartz

The Halper Family Faculty Director, Stanford Accelerator for Learning and Faculty Director, Digital Learning Initiative

Bryan Brown

Professor, Graduate School of Education

Research team

Kristen Pilner Blair

Director of Research, Digital Learning Initiative

Keith Bowen

Director, Learning Design Challenge

Catherine Chase

Research Director, AI + Education

Senior Research Scholar, Graduate School of Education

Social Science Research Professional, Graduate School of Education

Ryan Petterson

Director of Field Education, Doerr School of Sustainability

Ana Saavedra

Postdoctoral Scholar, Graduate School of Education

Joe Sherman

Digital Media Producer, Graduate School of Education

Kendra Sobomehin

Doctoral Candidate, Graduate School of Education

Reuben Thiessen

Project Management Specialist, Stanford Accelerator for Learning

Wilson Wang

Assistant Director of Data Science & Cloud Architecture, Graduate School of Education

Director of Digital Learning Solutions, Graduate School of Education

Rachel Wolf

Social Science Research Scholar, Graduate School of Education

Anna Queiroz

Postdoctoral researcher, Communication

How virtual field trips work

Virtual field trips offer unique affordances to expand access to locales,  capture sense of place, and foreground agency within an experiential learning environment.

Resources for educators

Helping Students and Educators to Create VFTs 

The Stanford Accelerator for Learning is developing resources and frameworks to support practitioners and learners to create and share their environments through virtual field trips.

We are finding that engaging with and creating their own virtual field trips can help students see science as more relevant to themselves and their communities, and support rich learning opportunities. In collaboration with elementary, middle, and high school teachers and informal educators, we are developing lesson plans, templates, models, and guides to support effective creation and sharing of virtual field trips.

Developing Science Instruction Modules for Teachers

Our team works to create, study, and share models of virtual field trips that educators can integrate into their curriculum, advancing rich and responsive science education. We are developing and studying ways virtual field trips can be incorporated in to science curriculum, including:

• Next Generation Science Standards-aligned modules that can be incorporated into high school classes
• Modules for teaching college-level geology that will be empirically tested at Stanford and made publicly available to instructors everywhere.
• Models of integration with in-person field experiences to reduce anxiety when used as preparation and support feedback when used post trip.

Funding opportunities

To catalyze Stanford’s interdisciplinary expertise to advance research, creativity, and implementations of virtual field trips as a way to provide rich digital experiences that go beyond traditional “textbook” content, we fund VFT research and design projects.

To date, we have funded 14 proposals representing 6 of Stanford’s 7 schools. Through this work we are developing a community within Stanford interested in advancing learning through virtual field trips, and we are learning about new models for teaching and assessing with virtual field trips in domains ranging from ecology to civil engineering to music.

The Science and Design of Virtual Field Trips

Explore a virtual field trip.

Fourth grade students from High Tech Elementary North County created a virtual field trip to teach others about the geology of their local county parks. Click the blue arrows to explore.

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No permission slips required! These virtual events let educators take students to amazing places and give them remarkable experiences, without ever leaving the classroom.

Featured and upcoming virtual field trips.

Join us for our Virtual Field Trips or watch them on-demand after their premieres. Each no-cost Virtual Field Trip comes with a companion guide packed with standards-aligned, hands-on learning activities! Select one of the options below to register.

On-Demand Virtual Field Trips

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

Enter to win 10 books for your classroom 📚

3 Incredible Science Field Trips That Don’t Require Permission Slips

Perfect for grades 3–8; watch them in your classroom, any time!

Want to take your students on a virtual field trip? You’re in luck! Check out these incredible, free trips from Nature Works Everywhere .

Can you imagine what it would be like to see a giant panda cub climbing a tree in China? Or watching a giraffe gallop through the grasslands in Kenya? My students would be enthralled. There’s something magical about letting them experience a place far, far away, where they can learn not only about the animals and their homes but also about science and geography.

Below are three virtual field trips we can’t get enough of. Watch these 45-minute videos with your class—any time! They’re perfect for grades 3–8, and each includes a teacher’s guide packed with discussion questions and more. Check them out below.

1. The Deserts and Grasslands of Africa

Head to Africa with scientist Charles Oluchina, where you’ll discover the importance of grasslands and learn how ecotourism in Kenya has benefited both people and wildlife. Students will see giraffes, lions, and elephants; the footage will make you feel like you’re on safari! You’ll also visit Burkina Faso and learn how one farmer invented an ingenious method to help restore forestlands that had been lost to desertification. Get a sneak peek below and then watch the full virtual field trip here .

2. China’s Great Forests: What the Giant Panda and Earth’s Climate Share

Do you know what a takin is? It’s a goat-antelope found in the eastern Himalayas. You’ll get to see some, along with golden snub-nosed monkeys and giant pandas, when you go on a virtual field trip to China’s forests. Expert scientist Yue Wang will explain the role forests and mountains play in the carbon cycle and climate change, and students will get a better understanding of just how important habitats are for both people and animals. Watch the full field trip here .

3. The Coral Reefs of Palau: Nature’s Amazing Underwater Cities

Underwater cities—sounds intriguing, right? The coral reefs of Palau, a network of islands in the Pacific Ocean, are just that. Dive into the water and explore the colorful reefs. Students will learn about the interconnected ecosystem built on symbiosis, where diverse organisms have evolved to protect, clean, nourish, and even mimic one another. It’s spectacular! Watch the full field trip here .

Check out our Best Field Trip Ideas for Every Age and Interest (Virtual Options Too!)

You might also like.

260+ Field Trip Ideas for Grades Pre-K Through 12 (In-Person and Virtual)

Get out of the classroom and explore the world! Continue Reading

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