Field Trips
Field trips motivate and inspire students to pursue their goals. I take my students to Ross and have them put together an outfit they would wear to an interview. Most of them get excited about putting a professional outfit together because that is where they see themselves headed at the end of their training.
Brian,
I have almost 1000 hours of clinical in my program too. Yet for my academic classes, we schedule guest speakers who we know have an interesting spin or can present some allied information that's pertinent to our program purpose.
Barry Westling
although we don't have "field trips" our clinical sites can provide the same experience. We have a clinical site that gives our students an experience that is outside what they will be expected to do however, inspires many of them to continue their education
Sheneka,
Great! Creative activities can always be enhanced when instructors put their mind into it. And students seem to benefit from the experience, sometimes with a new level of enthusiasm and interest in their studies.
Barry Westling
I teach a professional class about interviewing and so forth and until recently I did not see the benefit of field trips.
We are going to a restaurant next week to learn how to interview while having dinner with a potential employer.
The take away too for me from this course was the index card or worksheet. I think the students will enjoy having that at the restaurant as a focal point for learning.
shaelyn,
Knowledge with out application is limited. I think field trips are a great way to complement the regular calssroom and lab experiences with a practical application that adds a different perspective to the learning process - something that cannot be acquired at school. And students usually welcome the break from the routine and the opportunity to see an aspect from the real world of work they are training for.
Barry Westling
We try to take our students on field trips during every term. These field trips include dairy farms, UC Davis veterinary school, and Zoo's in the area so they can get a sense of non traditional veterinary work.
Mandy,
Good point about purpose and planning for field trips. These can be amazing activities that stimulate motivation, or can be interesting but have little to do with real learning. Most students would not appreciate doing something extra they felt was not beneficial.
Barry Westling
I feel field trips have their place. I just feel that field trips if they are not chosen correctly could just be "for fun" and not for learning. I feel that time and effort needs to go into deciding on the right site. I also feel that you need to create an assignment to go along with the field trip so that the students stay focused on why they are truly their.
Cool field trip Sarah great idea which is huge in the Career School field. When I first started in this industry I was surprised that students and graduates didn't know how to dress for an interview.
Samuel,
There is just something special about field trips that often open the minds and the interest of students, some so much that it can be a life changing experience (wouln't that be nice for all students?).
Barry Westling
Field trips are quite inspiring. I took my students to an hospital setting to experience fist hand all that have been taught in the class. They were briefed by the director of the facility about their careers'future and thier chances of getting a job after graduation. They were happy and loved it.
Tracey,
Anything out of the ordinary that's related to a students studies is going to be beneficial.It may routine to us, but much of everything is "new" to students. Also, I think they are appreciative of activities their instructor plans for them that is different or interesting.
Barry Westling
My classes don't usually have the oportunity to take off campus field trips, but we will, after a lecture, do a "state change", a mini field trip of sorts, maybe going to lab, demonstrating a technique, or just visiting another class in lab to see how they are coping with similar challenges. I believe it lets students see things in a different way.
Ruby,
Networking is a good resource for field trips. What helps is when a student connects with something said or observed, and that creates inspiration to the degree that student begins taking their studies more seriously. I've seen this over and over. I believe field trips are an effective resource.
Barry Westling
I also take my classes on field trips. We have a local AAPC chapter club in my city and they meet once a month. After I have given my students a couple of months of learning the trade, I take them to the meeting so that they can network with certified coders to get an idea of what being a coder and AAPC member is all about.
Mike,
Good field trips inspire and motivate. When students experience these sentiments, they are going to do better in their classes and approach their learning with a greater respect and value.
Barry Westling
I take my students to the College of Pharmacy. It has a Pharmacy Museum on site that it very interesting. It helps the student get focused on why they are in school.
Sarah,
This sounds like a great experience that's both fun and practical. Very creative. Usually good field trips get strudents to begin thinking closer to how they will when they near or have graduated. Therefore, realistic and tangible experiences like yours make for lasting impressions and perhaps create an enhanced will to study and learn the course material.
Barry Westling
