The purpose of this study was to evaluate graduate students' perceptions of online field experiences. Responses to pre- and post-survey items provided data to examine whether online field experiences provided an authentic learning experience for graduate students enrolled in a Master of Arts in teaching program. Additionally, student reflections…

Fieldwork is a pedagogical cornerstone of many geoscience degrees. During the academic years 2019-20 and 2020-21, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic made outdoors fieldwork difficult, resulting in an urgent need to develop virtual alternatives. However, there is still more to learn about the impact of teaching fieldwork virtually on the student…

This study is intended to reveal the virtual field experience of preservice English language teachers and investigate the impacts of COVID-19 enforced virtual field experience on the classroom management concerns and priorities of the participants. Within this scope, the present qualitative study included eight senior-year preservice English…

A convergent parallel mixed methods study was employed to investigate teacher candidates', peers', and the instructor's perceptions of teacher candidates' teaching performance during an online field experience using virtual simulation in a mixed reality environment. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected simultaneously, analyzed…

This study employed qualitative methods to examine the expectations, challenges, learning loss, and development of professional skills among preservice teachers of Islamic education as they engaged in online field practice. Interviews were conducted with individual participants and focus groups, and reflection papers were collected from 46…

Higher education instructors are inundated with options to engage their students in virtual observation to improve the learning experience, yet more research is needed to identify effective practices to establish a virtual field experience. The purpose of this case study is to evaluate a virtual field experience utilizing video playback that…

Field-based education is interactive, hands-on, and based on real world experience and methodology, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has faced special challenges. As many institutions may struggle to maintain this vital component of geographic education, this resource paper aims to illustrate the impacts of the pandemic and provide some…

Background/purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic created barriers for teacher preparation programs. Preservice teachers are typically assigned a host school and mentor where on-site, face-to-face classroom observation and teaching opportunities earn credit needed for graduation and to meet certain institutional accreditation requirements. Due to the…

This paper explores the use of a mediated field experience (MFE) for teacher candidates in a middle school setting, a small laboratory school. This work focuses on adjustments made for the MFE to function in an online environment during remote instruction caused by a worldwide pandemic. Teacher candidates completed a learning cycle focused on…

The COVID-19 pandemic forced universities to quickly move instruction online. Faced with a remote-only mandate, this case study describes a virtual literacy tutoring field placement completed by teacher candidates (TCs) in an elementary education program. While in-person teaching remained their preferences, TCs felt the virtual tutoring experience…

This article draws from inquiry-based research that explored the efficacy of practitioners' efforts to create an asset-oriented field experience with preservice teachers and middle school students, responding to the challenge of building a virtual learning community during the pandemic. Through thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), we…

Over the last decade, online distance education has become a common mode of study in most states in the USA, where it is known as virtual schooling (VS), but many people have misconceptions about it. Pre-service teachers' personal histories as students and their preconceptions, misconceptions, and concerns influence pre-service teacher training…

A purpose-built blend of teaching and learning activities was used with trainee teachers on a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) course, and subsequently evaluated in a cyclical action research study, over a period of two years. The purpose of the blend was to engender the formation of a learning community, by giving them access to each…

For the thirty-fifth year, the Research and Theory Division of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented at the national AECT Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. The Proceedings of AECT's Convention are published in two…

This study examines the benefits and challenges of using distributed learning methods for teaching field practice seminars. Over a 3-year period (2000 through 2002), both in-class and online sections were evaluated in terms of meeting learning objectives and student satisfaction with the learning environment. Due to the small number of students…