Field Education Roles and Responsibilities

Students participating in PH practicum are generally PH majors in their junior or senior year who have demonstrated academic and professional readiness and completed all prerequisites to practicum.

Field Instructors are professionals serving in a wide variety of organizations who have agreed to mentor practicum students on a volunteer basis. PH Program Field Instructors represent diverse educational, professional, and social backgrounds, and they all contribute to developing students’ skills through community-level action. Field Instructors help students learn by facilitating meaningful opportunities to observe and engage in the pursuit of justice in our complicated and dynamic social-political environment. In consultation with the Practicum Coordinator, they develop a scope of work for the student. Once the basic scope is identified, the Field Instructor works with the student to develop a Learning Contract with specific goals for the student that align with and contribute to the organization’s work. Field Instructors communicate with the Practicum Coordinator about the student’s progress and evaluate the student’s performance at designated times during the semester.

The Practicum Coordinator is a Pacific University employee who oversees field education for the PH Program and is the primary point of contact for students and Field Instructors for practicum-related questions.

The faculty of the PH Program serve as instructor(s) for the formal courses that accompany student field experiences (namely, Field Experience Seminar), which help students reflect on and integrate field and academic field learning.

We ask all Field Instructors to:

• Participate in the training session coordinated by the Pacific University PH Program.

• Orient the student to the agency and relevant procedures.

• Develop the learning contract in conjunction with the student at the beginning of the semester placement.

• Provide a variety of quality learning opportunities that are consistent with the student’s Learning Contract.

• Complete student evaluations that are provided by the Pacific University PH Program in a timely manner.

• Attend regular student supervisory meetings (minimum suggested frequency: one half hour duration once every 20 contact hours).

• Maintain open communication with the student and the Pacific University PH Program Practicum Coordinator, bringing any concerns to the attention of both the student and the program contact as soon as possible so they can be addressed in a timely manner.

• Be responsive to student questions relevant to their practicum placement projects and to development of their senior thesis project during the practicum placement and throughout the student’s senior year.

The PH Program commits to:

• Administer the agency-student match, student placement, and practicum process.

• Provide training for practicum Field Instructors.

• Provide ongoing support of students and facilitate student learning during the practicum process through the weekly seminar.

• Meet with each practicum student and supervisor in person or virtually at least once during each practicum placement, with additional site visits available as needed. Telephone contact or communication via email with Field Instructors may also be utilized, in addition to site visits.

• Be available to students and Field Instructors to address any problems that arise during the practicum experience.

Students are expected to:

• Demonstrate readiness for the senior field practicum by satisfying all prerequisites.

• Comply with the policies and practices of the agency, including completing criminal background checks and updating immunizations if requested. Any personal information regarding agency clients or members of the public are to be treated with strict confidentiality.

• Interact in a professional manner with the Field Instructor, agency staff, community/organizational partners, and clients.

• Complete all assigned tasks for both the agency and the practicum seminar in accordance with agreed upon dates.

• Monitor ongoing achievement of learning objectives outlined in the educational contract and revise as necessary.

• Arrange and prepare for scheduled supervision meetings with agency Field Instructor.

• Maintain regular attendance in accordance with the agreed upon schedule at the practicum site, and notify the practicum site immediately of any necessary changes to the scheduled hours and dates of attendance. Students must contact their Field Instructor in advance if they cannot be at the agency on an assigned field day.

• Utilize Pacific University PH Program Practicum Coordinator as soon as possible if any difficulties arise that cannot be resolved directly with the Field Instructor, so that the problem can be resolved in a timely manner.