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back to Capstone Options
We believe that an essential part of a student's education is learning by experience in a professional work setting. This learning is a cooperative undertaking of the student, faculty advisor, Capstone Experience Office, and field supervisor. The primary responsibility of the field experience rests with the student.
At School of Information a comprehensive plan is developed before the student begins the fieldwork, and it consists of:
- Defining specific learning objectives
- Determining work responsibilities and conditions of work in the host site
- Planning methods of monitoring the progress of the student
- Planning methods of evaluation to be used to assess experience
In addition to the items above, the following elements are to be negotiated and included in a written agreement:
- Hours, (125 clock hours)
- Length of total field experience
- Outcomes, products
- Status of student: legal and liability
- Specific responsibilities of the student, faculty advisor, Capstone Experience Office, and work supervisor
Evaluation Criteria, Participants, Roles and Responsibilities
Not all of the following apply or are appropriate to every field experience
situation. These guidelines cover a wide range of situations, and it is
assumed that they will be utilized, along with a large measure of good
judgment and common sense, to ensure that field experiences will contribute
to the education of future information professionals.
Students
Students have primary responsibility for:
- Deciding what they want to learn
- Investigating options for the best practicum in which to learn
- Negotiating supervision by faculty, developing a learning plan
- Documenting learning as it occurs
All sites must be approved by the faculty supervisor and the Capstone Office, in cooperation with a field supervisor.
Specifically, the student must:
- Define learning objectives - The student must first write clear, succinct, and measurable objectives.
- Obtain faculty supervision – The student must request supervision from a faculty member in the area of study related to the fieldwork and discuss with the faculty member his or her role as faculty supervisor.
- Select and interview for practicum position – The amount and level of preparation for each application may vary according to field situations and institutions.
- Plan with the faculty and work supervisor for evaluation – before beginning field work students must be clear about what will be expected from the faculty for grading/evaluating the learning of the field work. Faculty may expect students to provide documentation of learning in the form of written papers, additional readings, journals, oral reports, etc., in addition to the evaluation provided by the work supervisor.
- Before beginning fieldwork, students should also be clear about what will be expected from the work supervisor, and how the work will be evaluated. It is essential to make sure that the faculty and supervisor expectations are complementary.
- Submit:
- Proposal form
- Letter of Agreement
to the Capstone Coordinator, who will approve the project and forward the paperwork to the Graduate Coordinator. The Graduate Coordinator will register the student for the Professional Experience Project course (INF 388L). Please see PEP registration for links to the required forms.
- Make a professional contribution to the host organization – as well as gain an educational experience.
- Understand that fieldwork occurs in a variety of environments – and that a variety of work norms (dress, etc.) may be appropriate.
Summary of steps to be taken by students:
- Select a faculty supervisor.
- Working with the Capstone coordinator, identify an appropriate site and request through faculty supervisor that the site be approved for your experience.
- With the advice and consent of your faculty supervisor, select a field supervisor.
- Prepare a formal proposal and submit that for approval to the faculty supervisor and field supervisor.
- Submit a completed application to the graduate coordinator.
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Faculty Advisor
The faculty member involved in a field experience has the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that a student has fulfilled the terms of the Practicum agreement.
The faculty member must:
- Approve the Field Work Proposal
The student submits a proposal developed in consultation with the faculty
advisor and the work supervisor. When the faculty advisor and the field
supervisor sign the agreement, they are agreeing that the field work
is an acceptable learning experience and appropriate to the particular
work environment; that the credit hours are appropriate; that the learning
objectives are suitable and measurable; that the work expectations are
clear; that the criteria for evaluation have been defined; and that
meetings between student, faculty, and supervisor have been or will
be arranged.
- Monitor the student
The faculty member should meet with the student regularly in order to
determine whether the student is meeting his or her learning objectives
and to provide guidance to the student regarding his or her learning. Two
visits to the site are highly recommended, as well as periodic contact
(by telephone, in writing, or in person) with the field supervisor.
Each student supervised should be afforded individual guidance. Faculty
should not attempt to supervise more students than can be given appropriate
attention.
- Evaluate the student’s performance
This is a shared responsibility with the work supervisor (see
Evaluation section).
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Field Supervisor
Although the student is ultimately responsible for his/her own learning
the field supervisor has the major responsibility for insuring that a “real-world”
learning experience is provided for the student. The agency setting replaces
the classroom as a laboratory and the supervisor acts as the coordinator
of learning.
The supervisor must:
- Be one individual who has primary responsibility for the student
- Be a recognized information professional
- Have the authority to commit the organization to an agreement
- Understand that the student is there to learn as well as to work
The specific responsibilities of the work supervisor include:
- Determining the role of the student
The supervisor should decide if the student is to function as a general
employee with a variety of responsibilities, as a special assistant
to a particular individual, as an observer to the overall operations,
or as a project director concentrating on one specific task. The student’s
role should be made clear in the negotiation stage and reflected in
the Practicum Agreement Proposal.
- Selecting the student
Whether the agency selects from a pool of applicants or when only one
student applies, an agency makes the decision as to suitability of the
applicant for the position. Agencies may use their own application forms,
resumes, transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc. in the selection
process.
- Orienting the student
The supervisor should introduce the student to the general functions
of the agency, the goals of the agency, the rules and guidelines the
student should follow, the method for students to follow in asking questions,
and any other information a new person should know in beginning with
an agency.
- Setting the student’s schedule
The supervisor should provide the student with a regular schedule in
order to provide the student with a “real-world” appreciation
of time management. It is important to the student’s learning that
the supervisor provide some work hours during the peak production hours
of an agency. Some supervisors plan extended hours over a few days,
while others utilize students a few hours every day. The schedule often
needs to be developed around the student’s classes.
- Providing guidance and interpretations
The supervisor should have regular conferences with the student to assess
progress and to provide help in understanding the agency and his/her
role.
- Conferring with the student’s faculty member
On campus the student will be under the supervision of a faculty member.
Good communication between the agency supervisor and the faculty supervisor
enhances the field program for everyone involved. The faculty can share
insights into the student’s academic preparation for tasks and
can provide feedback on the reports and conferences required of the
student. The supervisor’s evaluation of the student’s performance
may be established early in the field experience. Supervisors should
receive a copy of the proposal developed between the student, faculty
member, and the supervisor.
- Evaluating the student’s performance
A shared responsibility with the faculty advisor (see
Evaluation section).
- Determining liability
A supervisor should check with the organization’s personnel department
regarding insurance. If an organization has no means for covering a
student, a supervisor may require that a student sign a waiver of liability
and/or require that the student purchase volunteer’s insurance.
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Capstone Experience Office
The Capstone Experience Office will develop possible practicum sites. Capstone staff will discuss possible
practicum placements with students and maintain a list of such sites for
student and faculty to consult. Capstone staff will contact field supervisors
on behalf of students for practicum placements.
Evaluation
There are numerous methods of evaluating a student’s performance in
a field experience. Any combination of the following can be utilized. In
any case, all assessment techniques should be noted on the Professional
Experience & Project Proposal before the student begins the field experience.
Evaluation should be based, at least in part, on the accomplishment of the
learning objectives.
Types of Evaluation
Journal – A student may be required to keep a daily account of activities,
learning accomplished, questions generated, problems solved, organizational
systems learned, etc. The structure of the journal should be clearly defined
before the student begins, so that the journal/log is more than a collection
of unrelated facts or impressions.
Portfolio – In some fieldwork, students produce drawings, plans, products,
or written examples of their work. Faculty can evaluate a portfolio of the
student’s work samples for grading purposes.
Simulation – A method which can provide faculty with evidence of a
student’s learning is to give the student a hypothetical work situation
and have the student either discuss how he/she would approach it or role-play
a response.
Paper(s) – A student may be expected to write periodic reports to the
faculty and/or a final paper may be used in combination with another form
of evaluation. The focus of the paper(s) and criteria for acceptability
should be stipulated at the beginning of the term.
Site Visit(s) – A very effective evaluation technique are visits to
the organization to observe the student working. This method also affords
the faculty member an opportunity to talk with the student’s supervisor
to determine the quality of performance.
Supervisor’s Evaluation – Faculty can base some portion of the
grade on the evaluation of the organization supervisor. The emphasis, however,
should be on learning acquired rather than on performance, since the student
may be rated in comparison to professionals in the organization who may
have had more experience.
Oral Report(s) – During the regular meetings with a student, a faculty
member can assess learning achievement. In addition, a final oral presentation
may be substituted for a written paper if the faculty members feel this
method will be more effective in measuring learning.
Reading List – A student may be expected to read selected journal articles
or books. The faculty member should note on the learning contract which
readings are required. Lists may be shared with the organization supervisor
and may be prepared by the supervisor, faculty member, and/or the student
working together.
Other – Faculty and/or supervisors may develop other methods of assessment not described.
Formal Evaluation Reports of Student Performance
All students should be formally evaluated in writing by the field supervisor
at the end of the study period. This written form should be developed and
discussed with the student who will be asked to sign it indicating that
he or she is aware of its content. The evaluation is then returned to the
faculty supervisor. Participating organizations may develop their own form,
use letters of recommendation, or use the School of Information Practicum Evaluation Form
provided by the School.
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Last Modified: February 10 2008 08:45:55.
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