Program Design

Field Study learning happens in three parts:

1. Classroom-Based Learning: Instructors  will introduce new topics through a series of lessons and discussion-based learning sessions in a traditional classroom. Each field study will have a designated classroom at the field station site.

2. Hands-On Learning: After each lecture, students will leave the classroom to immediately put what they learned into practice through a hands-on activity in the field. This is where theory and facts transform into tangible, practical understanding.

3. Group Research Project:  The field study will culminate in a group research project. Students will collaborate in small teams to take the scientific method from start to finish, applying the knowledge they have gained throughout the course. Each team will design a research project, devise and conduct the corresponding experiments, analyze their results, and report their findings in a presentation and group writing. Instructors will be available for project brainstorming, experiment supervision, and guidance on data analysis and presentations. 

Field Study Instructors are often professors at universities in the United States. These passionate educators are eager to share their enthusiasm for their field with the next generation of scientists. They use the time between semesters as an opportunity to reach out to the community .  Each field study instructor is a professional scientist, meaning that they are active in ongoing research in their field of instruction, are formally trained as a scientist, and are current formal or informal educators on their topic. They are living and breathing their field everyday. What better resource is there for a budding scientist? 

Field studies take place in the best location for the studied topic. Scholastica Field Studies define best as staying at the field research stations where professional researchers stay and studying the same thriving, rich ecosystems that they study. Not only will students be able to meet and talk to researchers about their work, but they will get an accurate glimpse at what life would be like should they pursue this field professionally.