Field Experience Experience!

All EDU courses require a Field Experience (where students go into a local K-12 classroom, under the tutelage of a certified teacher). Taking students through the process to ensure their success is always a challenge, since there are a variety of factors beyond our control (Fingerprint Clearance Card acquisition - FPC -, school placement, etc.). EDU teachers have incorporated a variety of documents and strategies to help achieve a higher success rate (see attachments). The frustration is that the Field Experience explanation is in the first week of school (so students can get an early start on a lengthy process), and students often don't get their FPC until 8 weeks into the semester and thus can't get placed until then. To reduce questions when this happens, we instituted a "Field Experience Quiz" to be taken the first week in the semester. Not only have inquiries from students been reduced by more than 50%, but when we do get an inquiry, we simply refer them to their quiz rather than looking the information up and relate it to them. True, the quiz has reduced our load considerably, but more importantly, it has made our students more self sufficient.