The CETL research programme set out with an aim to further the understanding of the processes by which students learn in experiential environments such as fieldwork, labwork, and work based learning. The knowledge gained from this research has been applied to curriculum development in order to enhance the effectiveness of teaching and learning within these environments.

Many assumptions are made about the value and effectiveness of experiential learning, particularly fieldwork, but relatively little empirical evidence exists to substantiate these assumptions. Decreasing funding and increasing student numbers are two of the key challenges facing Higher Education today, and these pose a direct threat to the provision of experiential learning.  It is, therefore, vital that we clearly establish the pedagogic value of learning in the field, laboratory and workplace, if their place in the undergraduate curriculum is to be maintained.  We believe that this can only by achieved through understanding the learning processes operating in experiential environments, and by identifying ways in which both the students’ learning experience and learning outcomes can be enhanced.

The focus of the EL CETL's work can be split into three main projects:

1. Student and staff conceptions in environmental and natural sciences
2. Understanding learning processes in experiential environments
3. Capturing the student experience

There have also been contributions to research in emerging domains which are relevant to understanding learning in the CETL disciplines.

Outcomes from our research include presentations at over 20 national and international conferences, as well as internal workshops, conferences, and seminars. Written outputs include articles and reports published internally and in national and international publications, along with a GEES Subject Centre Teaching and Learning Guide on fieldwork design.