The Application and the Development of Documents on Creative Hands-on Experience of the Baekryong Cave (Natural Monument Number 260)

While natural caves are generally viewed as a difficult topic for hands-on experience, the strong sense of awe and fear students have towards living organisms and stalactites in caves are sufficient to evoke their academic interest and curiosity. Recently, various nations across the world have developed a number of academic and experience programs on natural caves, but in Korea, natural caves are used only as a tourist attraction with no existing outdoor educational program for experiencing natural caves. Therefore, this study has gathered educational documents related to natural caves in relation to geological sciences and aims to develop and present a method for better learning and application. The Baekryong Cave is located in Maha-ri, Mitan-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun of Gangwondo and was designated as the 260th Natural Monument in 1979 to be closed to the public. In July of 2010, the cave was opened to the public so that visitors can experience the cave while listening to the cave guide, transforming the cave into a “living academic experience.” The Baekryong Cave has been preserved very well, and the cave was selected to teach the public of the basic concepts and information through guides. The Baekryong Cave study course is about 708m long with six observational points, and each point presents opportunities for students to experience creative and independent studies. These ‘creative experience points’ were installed in a manner which allows outdoor education with minimal difficulties and are meant to bring forth the creativity of students through discussions and explorations. Furthermore, the cave experiences are made to encourage creativity by functioning as a bridge between students and outdoor environment. University students who were enrolled in a degree in geology in Chungbuk were observed for their change in attitude when introduced to the developed creative experience sites. Results showed that such outdoor educational experience contributes positively to their academic experience and helped build more solid understanding of the fundamental concepts of geological sciences.