Student Field Days
CIS Student Field Days
College in the Schools invites students in most cohorts to on-campus field days, generally once each semester. Field days are designed to complement the U of M curriculum while giving students the opportunity to meet students from other schools, interact with on-campus students and faculty, and explore the resources of the U of M Twin Cities campus. Field days are most successful when instructors help their students prepare for this experience and ensure that students have completed any required reading or other assignments.
Required Field Day Participation
Schools are not generally required to support student and instructor participation at CIS on-campus field days; however, CIS faculty coordinators may require participation at field days when field day activities support student learning in the course in ways that are not likely to be possible in individual high school classrooms.
Instructors who bring students to the campus for field days may require students to complete assignments in preparation for attending and may also require attendance at the field day. Student requirements with regard to preparation for or participation at field days should be noted on the syllabus.
— Field Day Participation (CIS Policy Reference Guide)
Faculty coordinators require participation in the following:
ANSC 1101: Introduction to Animal Science field days provide students with an opportunity to complete lab activities that cannot be completed in the high school.
WRIT 1201: Writing Studio field days provide access to University of Minnesota facilities, resources, and individuals that students would not normally be exposed to at their high school. Exposure to these resources is designed to provide students with a deeper understanding of the content knowledge required to be successful in the course.
For other subjects, attendance is strongly encouraged but not required by CIS. Most cohorts offer a field day and have found that students value it for the first-hand experience of campus community. If an instructor and school choose to participate in field days, student attendance requirements are determined by the instructor.
Student Conduct
While on campus, as in the classroom, students are subject to all policies covered by the University’s Student Conduct Code. The use of drugs and alcohol, the possession of weapons, and disorderly or disruptive conduct are strictly prohibited on the smoke- and tobacco-free University campus.
Related Polices:
Student Conduct Code (CIS Policy Reference Guide)
Safety of Minors
The University has historically provided a safe environment for minors (persons under the age of 18) and is committed to continued vigilance. During student field days, instructors and school chaperones remain responsible for the youth brought to campus, including behavior and group management. This means that instructors and chaperones are expected to actively supervise their students during the program and while moving between buildings or across campus. The document "Instructions for CIS Student Field Days" will be distributed to all instructors scheduled to attend a CIS student field day and should be shared with all chaperones.
Related Polices:
Safety of Minors (CIS Policy Reference Guide)
Avoiding Date Conflicts
Some schools offer multiple U of M courses through CIS and many of the same students may be enrolled in all or most of the courses; they are likely to be in AP courses as well. This situation can make handling absences due to students attending other CIS student field days difficult. Here are some suggestions our CIS partners have used to minimize these kinds of problems.
Coordinate with other CIS instructors at your school. Meet at a strategic time of the school year to plan exam dates, paper due dates, and field day dates. This allows each instructor to adjust his or her class schedule to minimize the disruption caused by students attending other CIS student field days.
Schedule a reading day. Plan for days on which no lesson is taught and students use the time to work on U of M course assignments. The reading day can occur on different days from week to week, as needed. This schedule reflects the fact that in college, most courses do not meet five days a week. The inclusion of reading days in your regular U of M course schedule allows students to miss class for a field day or other activity—without missing instruction.
Preparation Checklist
Dates for upcoming CIS student field days are typically chosen at each cohort’s summer professional development workshop. Bring your school calendar to help select dates that will allow your students to participate. Be aware of Advanced Placement test dates, other testing dates, and “blackout” dates for your school or district.
Add the field day dates to your syllabus, along with information about whether attendance is required for your CIS students and, if so, the consequences for students who don’t attend.
Inform your school administrators, other CIS instructors at your school, and your students about the date(s) your cohort chooses.
Work with your school administrators to arrange busing or other transportation. Some CIS instructors have asked for voluntary contributions from their students to help pay for transportation; others have worked with instructors in adjoining school districts to share buses; some schools ask students to transport themselves.
Information about where buses can drop students off, park, and pick students up again will be provided by your faculty coordinator prior to the field day. Please share directions and maps with your bus driver.
Arrange for documentation of any parental/guardian permissions that are required by your school. In a few cases, cohorts require photo permissions because photos will be taken during the field day. This form is found on Homebase under Resources. Students under 18 years of age must have this agreement co-signed by their parent or guardian.
PLEASE RESPOND TO THE RSVP REQUEST. When you receive a reminder email with relevant details about an upcoming field day, you will be asked how many students you plan to bring. We need to be confident that we are within the maximum occupancy number for the venue.
Set aside time to prepare your students to actively participate in the event; have them complete any readings or projects that were provided by the CIS office or your faculty coordinator.
Review the Student Conduct Code with your class.
Choose a time and place to meet your students at the conclusion of the field day and share this information with your bus driver. CIS provides campus maps.
Debrief with your students after the field day. Provide your faculty coordinator with any feedback relevant to the experience so that future field days may be even better.
Field Day Planning
See the letter below for additional guidance when planning for Student Field Days.
