Field Experience I Placements for On-Campus Students

Registration Information

• All students will register in Field Experience I, EDUC 440 Lab B99, and will later be moved to the appropriate section based on section selections for EDUC 430. Your placement location will be informed by your EDUC 430 enrollment. 

FAQ for On-Campus Students preparing for Field Experience I

• Answers to your common questions are here! 

Placement considerations for On-Campus Field Experience I

• Your EDUC 430 section will prioritize your Field Experience I placement in a specific area or quadrant in Calgary and Area. In other words, your Field Experience I placement school site is informed by the EDUC 430 section you have enrolled in.
• EDUC 430 geographic alignments are noted below
  • The boundaries / areas of these sections are not guaranteed.
  • Placements are determined by Partner School availability and willingness to host our Pre-Service Teachers. 
  • Please know placement sites are limited and we appreciate your flexibility. 

About Field II, III & IV

• Only Field I is informed by your EDUC 430 registration section. Field Experience II, III and IV placements consider your placement preferences (collected through the Placement Information Form)
• For more information, visit Calgary & Area Field Experience II & III/IV Placements

A note about commute times

Commute times are considered for Field Experience II, III and IV. For Field Experience I, we will do our best to resolve excessive commute times but cannot guarantee your field placement will be changed. Remember, your 430 section will prioritize your Field Experience placement in a specific area or quadrant in Calgary and Area. Please know that placement sites are limited, and we appreciate your flexibility. For Field Experience I, if your commute time is longer than 90 minutes, we will do our best to resolve, however we are limited to schools within your EDUC 430 section, the cohort model, and host school cohort sizes. The commute time limitation is applied to both public transit and vehicle times, one-way. 

Your 430 section will prioritize your Field Experience placement in a specific area or quadrant in Calgary and Area.

• Fall 2023: EDUC 430 will be opened to enrolment on May 29th at 12.00pm (noon), MST - if you live outside of the Calgary time zone, ensure to check your local time!
• Quicklink: EDUC 430 Geographic Alignments

About EDUC 430

EDUC 430 is an on-campus course, taking place Mondays and Fridays. However, each section corresponds to a different geographic area, which will help to inform where you are placed for your Field Experience I (EDUC 440). As such, to ensure an equability of access to desired sections for all of our students, this course will remain closed until late May, once the majority of students' enrolment appointments have been generated. Students should enrol in all other Fall and Winter courses in the meantime.

Please note: 

• We cannot overload students into full sections, as our numbers are constrained by our partner teacher schools. Students are thus encouraged to have two or more back-up sections in mind when registering, in case your first choice section fills up. Please note that you will not be able to register in more than one section simultaneously - simply keep your picks written down!
• Only Field I is informed by your EDUC 430 registration: future placements will be informed by the Field Experience Placement Information Form (more information about this form and process will be sent to students by our Field Team in the Fall), and;
•  During Field, all other courses stop - you do not have to attempt to commute from the University to your placement in between classes! Your Field Experiences run the length and breadth of the school week over its stated dates (see the registration information for EDUC 440).
• If you are unable to get into your preferred section, please enrol in the next best option: while we cannot overload you, Field I is just two weeks, and your location will not follow you into future Field placements.

For more information about registration, please visit the On-Campus Registration Guide 

Field Experience works to confirm Field Experience I host schools throughout the Spring and Fall. Field Experience I placement schools are generally confirmed and assigned in September. As a result, we can only share tentative geographical alignments that reflect historical field experience placements. Section descriptions with additional details are intended to assist with your registration, however, we ask you to please note the following: 

Your 430 section will prioritize your Field Experience placement in a specific area or quadrant in Calgary and Area. Please know that placement sites are limited, and we appreciate your flexibility! 

For more information about Calgary and Area communities, you can search and view communities here: https://www.calgary.ca/council/wardboundarymap.html 

Field Experience I is an observation and assisting round designed to help Pre-service Teachers refocus their perception from student to that of teacher. 

Q: Where will I be placed? 

A: On-Campus students are placed as cohorts, in schools across Calgary & Area. Your school site is informed by your EDUC 430 section.  More information is above.  

Q: When will I know where was placed?

A: Field Experience I placement schools are generally confirmed and assigned in mid to late September. Field Experience works to confirm Field Experience I host schools throughout the Spring and Fall.

Q: Are commute times considered during the placement process?

A: Yes for Field Experience II, III and IV. For Field Experience I, we will do our best to resolve excessive commute times but cannot guarantee your field placement will be changed. Remember, your 430 section will prioritize your Field Experience placement in a specific area or quadrant in Calgary and Area. Please know that placement sites are limited, and we appreciate your flexibility.

For Field Experience I, if your commute time is longer than 90 minutes, we will do our best to resolve, however we are limited to schools within your EDUC 430 section, the cohort model, and host school cohort sizes. The commute time limitation is applied to both public transit and vehicle times, one-way. 

Q: Do I need a Police Information Check?

A: Yes, Police Information Checks are required of all Bachelor of Education students heading into a field experience semester. For more information, visit our Police Information Check Requirement page. 

• A current, clear Police Information Check (PIC), including a Vulnerable Sector search, is required of all students participating in field experience. Students are required to present their clear PIC to the Undergraduate Programs in Education (UPE) office as directed by the Field Team. Students without a current and clear PIC will not be allowed to participate in field experience.
• You are required to complete the "Notice regarding requirement for Police Information Checks", obtain a current and clear Police Information Check, submit the details of your PIC, present your PIC to UPE Field Experience, and present your PIC to your Field Experience placement site(s). 

Q: When is Field Experience? 

A: Please review our Field Experience Dates and Deadlines page for this information. 

• Field Experience I is in October. 
• Length of placement: 2 weeks
• Time Commitment: Full-time, Monday-Friday participation is required. 

Q: Can I find my own Field Experience placement?

A: No! Your Field Experience I placement will be secured by the UPE Field Experience Team.  Under no circumstances should you recruit or pre-arrange your placement with a school or school board.

Q: Are Field II, III & IV placements determined by section registration?

A: No, only Field I is informed by your EDUC 430 registration section. Field Experience II, III and IV placements will be informed by the 'Field Experience Placement Information Form'.

Q: When and where are my Field Experience I seminars?

A: Your seminars will be scheduled during your time at the Practicum School during Field Experience. Calgary and Area seminars are in your placement school; Community-Based seminars are held via Zoom. 

Q: Can I change my Field Experience I placement?

A: No, final placement decisions are made in the Undergraduate Programs in Education office and are contingent on placement availability. Preferred school divisions are not guaranteed. The faculty will assign student teachers to specific schools and supervisors/ instructors for the field experiences. Please remember, On-Campus students placements in Field Experience I are informed by EDUC 430 section registration.

Q: Is Field Experience I in-person and in a school?

A: Yes! Please anticipate completing your Field Experience in the classroom, in-person. Field Experience practicums are in-person, as that is what teachers will be doing. We are emulating the realities of K-12 education in our placements.

Q: Who do I contact about an accommodation for Field Experience?

A: Accommodation requests are best addressed by the Directors of Field Experience. If you are requesting accommodations for Field Experience, we recommend you contact the Directors of Field Experience directly, in addition to the University of Calgary Student Accessibility Services office, as appropriate.

• Directors of Field Experience: 
  • On-Campus Students / Calgary & Area Field Experience Placements: Dr. Theodora (Dora) Kapoyannis, Director of Field Experience, On- Campus Program, theodora.kapoyannis@ucalgary.ca
  • Community-Based Students / Out of Area Field Experience Placements: Dr. Astrid Kendrick, Director of Field Experience, Community-Based Pathway, astrid.kendrick@ucalgary.ca
• Student Accessibility Services
  • They work with the Director of Student Experience, Werklund School of Education, to ensure your Field Experience is well supported. We recommend this formalized process as ensures we secure your field experience placement with the information we need. For more information, visit the Student Accessibility Services page.