Field Experiences
What is a Field Experience?
A field experience is used to integrate classroom concepts in an engaging and active way. It is learner centered – allowing your student to APPLY ideas and concepts taught in a traditional classroom setting to an environment that stimulates thinking, processing and analysis. Most importantly, a field experience is a structured experience that occurs outside of the traditional classroom.
Fieldwork should be well planned and highly engaging. It should relate to the course syllabus and target specific learning outcomes of the class. It should provide your students with an opportunity to become actively involved and engaged. In addition, the information gathered or the content learned during the field experience should be processed or analyzed in some manner back in the classroom. In each of the examples given below, this “processing” is identified using italics.
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Examples of field experiences
- A geography class is learning how to draw maps to scale. They learn how to measure distance inside the classroom and then move outside to Francis Quadrangle to construct a detailed map of the area to scale. They work in teams and have two class periods to complete the project. Each team is assigned a section of the quadrangle. Once back in the classroom, they merge their maps to create one map of the entire area. If each team has done their work correctly, all maps should fit together perfectly!
- An anthropology class is studying how to use statistical tools to look at population patterns. They meet at Columbia Cemetery to collect data from tombstones. They work in two person teams, each assigned a specific area of the cemetery. They collect their data, process it and post it on the class WebCT site. The entire class then uses the database created by the teams to analyze the demographic population of the cemetery and subsequently write a group report on the historical demographics of the city.
- A religion class is studying Islam and wants to learn more about its practices. They arrange for a visit to the local mosque and participate in the services. The males and females work in separate groups, each preparing an oral report. These are given in class and a discussion on the different perspectives is applied to other world religions.
- A Russian language class visits several Russian immigrant families in Columbia. Most of these families arrived in the area one year ago and visiting them allows the class to use their language skills and to learn more about the integration process the families have gone through. They photograph the families and record their meetings. Upon returning to the class, they create a web page report documenting their findings.
- A forestry class is inventorying the tree species on campus. After meeting with the campus landscape director, they divide the campus into sectors and student teams inventory all tree species in each sector. They pool their results for the entire campus and then prepare a diversity and species map and report for the campus.
A field experience is not:
- going outside and holding class under a tree on a beautiful day.
- canceling class and telling the students to go to the library, union, coffee shop or any location they desire to work on an unstructured problem.
- meeting anywhere outside your classroom and lecturing to the students as if you were still inside the classroom!
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How to structure a field experience
A field experience typically is active and allows students to collect, observe, and identify. Advanced planning is key to the success of any good field experience.
- Organize the field experience around a research question. Make sure students understand what this question is before starting.
- Make sure everyone knows when and where to meet. Good directions are critical! Students may have missed the previous class—so make sure you leave information somewhere for them. This can be on the course website, on the board in your classroom, or a simple note tacked to the door.
- Examples of website directions:
- Make sure you organize groups ahead of time. Also tell students ahead of time about equipment needs (notebooks, pens). Some students think that leaving the classroom means leaving the learning environment and they don’t bring anything. Appropriate dress is also important. If you were going to the mosque, appropriate clothing is needed. Flip-flops on a field hike is not a great idea. Wearing a halter top and cut-offs on a day with temperatures in the mid-30’s isn’t smart.
- Prepare all handouts and materials ahead of time. A simple handout with instructions and details will keep students focused and also be a reminder as to the purpose of the field experience. Typically students will be working in different places, so the handouts and materials will help reduce questions.
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Managing Time
Time is the essential element of a successful field experience. You will never have too much of it! Plan the field experience so students will have enough time to complete their work. Do a “walk-through” of the field experience ahead of time. In that way you will know how long it takes for the students to get to the site and for the actual learning activity to begin. I also recommend breaking the experience into several pieces. First meet as a group on-site and review what is to happen. After the groups are finished, gather back together and do a quick post-activity Q&A. Since much of this work typically takes place back in the classroom, you do not need to allocate a great deal of time to this part of the experience—unless you feel the activity will create an atmosphere where debriefing on site is necessary.
Field Skills: Why would you choose to do a Field Experience?
Fieldwork relies on a range of skills, many of which are not used in the classroom. The following list identifies a variety of skills commonly used in daily life, but frequently absent from traditional classroom settings.
- collection of data
- observation
- questioning/interviewing
- gathering artifacts
- documenting change
- teamwork
- instrumentation skills
- practical problem solving
- adaptability to new demands that call upon creative solutions, etc.
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A Final Word!
Learning is a way of interacting with the world (Biggs, 1999) and also a very complex process. Isolating your student’s learning in a classroom environment seems folly when the world outside the classroom building offers opportunities to actively apply the information and content you consider vital to their education….and your course! MU and the local community offer numerous opportunities for exploration and interaction. All you need to do is be creative---and give field experiences a try!
For More Information
Biggs, J. (1999). Teaching for Quality Learning at University, Society for Research into Higher Education, Buckingham: Open University Press.
Tagg, J. “Why Learn: What We May Really be Teaching Students”, About Campus , March - April 2004, pp. 2 - 10.
“Alignment for Learning: Reorganizing Classrooms and Campuses”, About Campus, May - June, 2004, pp. 8 – 18.
Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers. (Tenth Edition), Wilbert J. McKeachie (Boston & New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1999)
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Contributed by Dr. Gail Ludwig (Associate Professor and Chair, Geography)
