AACRAO recently had to rethink its in-person field visit curriculum requirement due to the pandemic.
First, at the beginning of the pandemic, we provided a listing of COVID-19 and higher ed related webinars that could be viewed (180 minutes worth) and written up as a field visit alternative. Most of our learners took advantage of this alternative and we learned a lot from what they told us.
As the pandemic continued, we got creative and worked with our AACRAO-member colleges and universities and asked them to host a group virtual field visit -- covering 6 hours of content for our current SEM-EP learners.
Our first virtual visit kicked off on February 2-3, hosted by Darcy Briggs (SEM-EP graduate) at Arapahoe Community College. It was an instant success and an excellent pilot for us. See below for some of the initial comments. We had 15 SEM-EP learners participate.
“Thank you SO much, Darcy. This has been really interesting and helpful. Everyone was so lovely.” - Cynthia Grunden
“This has been such a great experience. Thank you so much!!” - Rocky Christensen
“Thanks, Darcy and Christopher. This site visit was very informative. Darcy, if we could ever partner (MSU Denver) would love to connect!” - Mary Sauceda (She, Ella) MSU Denver
Our group virtual field visit was hosted by the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor on February 24. Also, Brigham Young University-Idaho is also planning to host a virtual field visit for SEM-EP as they have many SEM-EP graduates working on their campus.