Field Trips
I am a Graphic Design instructor and my students are taken on several field trips. I think it is good to expose the students to the things that they will be experiencing once they finish the program. A lot of the field trips relate some way directly to what we are covering in class. I think that this helps them understand the subject matter a little better. It also gives them a totally different outlook.
I know that everyone is not able to take there students on a field trip, but it helps a lot on the students motivation.
I agree that field trips can be invaluable to the student. Our students go on several field trips to various types of businesses. It gives the students an opportunity to see the different type of practices they can work in. It also gives them the sense that they can in fact make a living at something they enjoy.
We also take our students out in the community to volunteer their services--we teach massage so we go out to various businesses, schools, and community events to do chair massages. We recently had an opportunity to volunteer for over 4 days at the location of a popular TV show. It was amazing the transformation in quite a few students from that experience. They really saw the power of giving a massage and the value of working with the community for a common goal. It was also a great chance for the students to bond with each other. The newer students got to work with students further along in the program and the day and night students got to meet. As a result of this experience, we are working on participating at an event like that every year.
I offer an "extra credit" field trip every quarter on a Saturday morning. The field trip is free but they need to meet at the site. I allow the students to bring a guest (often someone to share a ride)so the experience can be enjoyed w/a partner, friend, or relative. Many students say it is the highlight of the quarter.
It can also back up what you have been telling them about the work enviroment and work load.
What can you do to make field trips happen, David? What are the constraints and alternatives?
i wish our school would take the students on field trips. as you stated it shows the students the "the real world is realy like".
I agree field trips are very benificial. Field trips will make a connection with the what the student is learning in class and the real-world environment they preparing for. It is also a state change which often times put them in a better state of mind.
Taking a field trip not only gives insite into what the student can expect after they graduate but it can also be a team building excerise as well. Sometimes we will structure it like a scavenger hunt and the students will bring back the information they collected to share with their classmates.
How complicated is it to take field trips at your school? Do you need prior approval? Who handles associated costs? Do you provide transportation?
a field trip is one of the best things for a class, take them into the real world to experience things for the first time in some cases can help motivate students.
I am an automotive instructor. My experiences with field trips has been very good. Taking students out into the enviorment they will be working in and talking to those people help their motivation greatly.
I think field trips are good because it allows the students to see the real side of medicine and it also allows the students to get away from the every day regimen of the classroom. They always seem to enjoy going even if to the smaller facilities. They enjoy being reconized as a student of the medical field. They enjoy the respect they get of being in scrubs.
In order for our students to graduate, they must perform 45 hours of an internship. They actually go out to the workplace and essentially "shadow" professionals throughout their workweek.
And it's a good way to keep graduates and employers involved. How do you get students to understand what the work place looks like and how they function in it?
I have also found it hard to take field trips with the students who attend evening classes. Most evening students work during the day and businesses are closed at night. I work at a court reporting school. Something we do to benefit our night students is have a court reporter come in and talk to our students and answer questions. It's definitely a good way to get students involved.
I agree that field trips would give students that "touch of reality," particularly as my institution deals with patients and medical procedures. However, I wonder whether this is possible in today's HIPAA environment where patient confidentiality is concerned. Does anyone have any experience with similar issues?
Offering outside examples of the "Real World" gives another perspective to the education. This will also offer that interest factor to keep students on the right track through higher education.
Interesting concept, Steve. How do you set up a virtual field trip? Do students have interaction with employees at the other end?
While it is true the a virtual field trip minimizes logistical issues, I feel that there is a lot for students to gain by physically being on location and experiencing the environment and dynamics of the organization being visited.
I agree field trips are most important. However, we offer evening classes during hours when most businesses are closed. How else can I get the same results without going on a field trip?
With the use of advanced technology we can create virtual field trips that will provide the students a real sense of being there, while minimizing the logistics associated with physical field trips.
