Article VIII - Field Period
Field Period® is an experiential, three-credit academic course in which Keuka College on-campus undergraduate students at all academic levels apply learning to the external environment's challenges. Keuka College's Field Period® program, established in 1942 by Edith Estey '33 and trademarked in October 2016 (registered in 2021), provides students with hands-on learning opportunities through practical experiences, allowing them to apply their classroom knowledge in real-world settings. By pursuing goal-oriented learning in a carefully selected setting, students integrate knowledge learned in the classroom with practical experience to make connections and enrich learning. Field Period® provides opportunities for awareness of social responsibility, cultural literacy, personal growth, and career responsibilities. Each student initiates and designs their learning experience in consultation with an evaluator, typically the faculty academic advisor.
The out-of-class aspect of Field Period® is a minimum 140-hour engagement. However, it is much more than simply the field experience. A Field Period® is a student-initated and -directed learning process that includes:
- Finding and securing an appropriate Field Period® site;
- Developing learning objectives, writing a learning contract, and gaining approval of the learning contract;
- Engaging in the activities outlined in the learning contract;
- Reflection, synthesis, and experimentation during and after the experience; and
- Assessment and evaluation.
Group Field Periods® are faculty-led experiential learning opportunities that students can participate in rather than an individual Field Period®. When appropriate, project-based Field Periods® are also available and meet the same time requirements. See Appendix R for the faculty process for submitting a group Field Period® proposal and for additional information on the project-based Field Period® option for students.
SECTION 1 - Policy on Field Period® Credit Assignment/Student Hours Allocation
Each three-credit Field Period® requires the instructional equivalent of 140 hours of class time. To meet this requirement, students should complete at least 120 active, on-site hours. The remainder of the 140-hour requirement should be met through preparatory activities, reflective assignments, and sharing Field Period® outcomes through discussion and/or presentation. Evaluators, typically the faculty academic advisor, have final discretion in determining Field Period® goals and objectives have been met.
SECTION 2 - Field Period® Responsibilities of Academic Advisors
- Understand Field Period® and resources available in the Field Period® Office to provide optimal guidance.
- Advise students of Field Period® completion requirements within programs' four-year course sequence to ensure timely pace to graduation.
- Provide scaffolded support to students for developing and obtaining Field Period® experiences to fulfill degree requirements.
- Grade and evaluate the Field Periods® for which they are serving as an evaluator.
- Contribute to the assessment of the Field Period® program.
SECTION 3 - Field Period® Grading and Evaluation
- Evaluation and grading are based upon established Keuka College Field Period® policies and individual grading criteria developed by the student and the Field Period® faculty evaluator during the preparation stage. The student meets with the evaluator to assess the Field Period® experience on or before the third week of the following semester.
- Credit is assigned to the Field Period® experience by the evaluator. Four different options are possible, as described in the Keuka College Record: unsatisfactory, satisfactory, incomplete, and withdrawn.
- Field Period® grades are not used to calculate grade point average (GPA).