Course syllabus

Course Summary

The SBE program views supervised field experience as an effective method for students to network with professionals, meet deliverables on a project, and apply the knowledge obtained in their classroom academic settings to meaningful moments in work environments they are likely to see post-graduation.

The DCP 4942 Field Experience course provides students with a unique experiential learning opportunity through internship with an institutional sponsor addressing challenges of sustainability and the built environment. The specific sponsor and their institution may be self-selected by an SBE student or through placement in any other approved competitive internship opportunities.

The Florida SUS classifies experiential learning across seven types of activities. (Source: State University System of Florida))

Course Overview & Purpose

The Field Experience in SBE course consists of three core components:

1. Connect
   • Faculty mentor connects and collaborates with sponsor institution to create mutually beneficial student-to-supervisor field experience
   • SBE student connects to faculty mentor to establish a support network
   • SBE student collaborates with the sponsor institution supervisor on an agreed upon and manageable project
2. Explore
   • SBE student observes and participates in projects with their supervisor and multidisciplinary staff in the sponsor institution
3. Reflect
   • SBE student reflects and shares observations and experiences with faculty mentor to reinforce learning
   • Faculty mentor provides tools, technologies, strategies, and related guidance to support student success

Student Learning Objectives

During the semester, students will be…

• Exploring a specific sector of sustainability and the built environment;
• Understanding professional practice through a targeted project;
• Learning to think and act critically and creatively, both independently and within team settings;
• Gaining real world, direct field experience; and
• Living and learning through eight career readiness competencies (summarized below).

Experiential Examples

In this four minute SBE Senior Capstone Public Service Announcement (PSA) vignette,  Denise Tran  (Summer 2020 SBE Interdisciplinary Specialization) describes her field experiences as a  summer intern  in the  Smart Infrastructure offering within Siemens . She shares some details in how  smart sensors are used to improve indoor environmental quality  within green buildings. Thanks Denise!

Required Text(s) Available  for Free Online

Beyond the required textbook(s) for this course, optional text(s) that may support student success in their field experiences can be found in various SBE core course content within the UF Canvas e-Learning portal (https://elearning.ufl.edu/).

The required and optional technologies for this course are dependent upon, and determined by, the sponsor institution providing the student with their field experience.

Should you encounter a content issue with this Canvas course shell, please inform the instructor. All other technical issues with the hardware and software you may use for this course should be directed to the UF Information Technology Computing Help Desk.

• https://helpdesk.ufl.edu/

Out-of-pocket student incidental expenses are highly varied, dependent on the student and their mentor, and may include those associated with field experience travel expectations, personal mobile computing, and/or web-based services to research, present, and share information (as dictated by the sponsor institution).

For students who plan to stay in the course, please visit the Course Wayfinding page to learn about the your path, including the course structure, expectations, and preparation actions.

   Start Here > Course Introduction

The general course structure is summarized best through the UF Career Connections Center (C3) diagram below. Any additional course content will be posted within Canvas and is subject to change.

    Course Credits

  Informational Resources

Course Assignment Deliverables

The student should work for, or be engaged with, a sponsor institution and supervising individual, for a period of 50 to 300 hours. The student shall document their experiences and be reviewed on a weekly basis by a supervising mentor that can attest to the educational value of the activities undertaken. Throughout their field experience, students will periodically engage with this Canvas shell and/or the course instructor(s) for guidance about the expectations and assigned deliverables.

Assignment details, deliverables, due dates, and grades are published on Canvas and may be subject to change. Grades are based on 1000 points over the course of the semester. See the syllabus page "Summary" (at the bottom of this page) and the "Assignments" tab (left sidebar menu) for the most current information. The following assignments, organized across three major "Acts" (or phases) of your experiential rite of passage, are the touch points between you and your mentor, as well as the course instructor(s), and contribute to the final grade you will earn in this course.

Act 1 (A1) > The Departure

First, in the departure phase of the journey, you'll be leaving some aspects of what you know about the world and Lighting the Fire (LTF) for what new is yet to come in your growth as a person and an emerging professional. 

• LTF.01 > From Ordinary to Extraordinary
• LTF.02 > Meeting a Mentor at the Threshold

Act 2 (A2) > The Initiation

Next, in the initiation phase of the journey, you'll be doing the deeper work of self-improvement as you level-up your skills. This progression builds across a series of anticipatory, active, and recollective reflections in your Experiential Learning Journal (ELJ).

• ELJ.01 > Anticipatory Reflection #1
• ELJ.02 > Anticipatory Reflection #2
• ELJ.03 > Active Reflection #1
• ELJ.04 > Active Reflection #2
• ELJ.05 > Recollective Reflection

Act 3 (A3) > The Return

Finally, in the return phase of the journey, you'll come back into yourself by Summarizing Your Experience as you integrate the power and potential of your new perspectives and processes into your current and future communities of practice.

• SYE.01 > Audiovisual Experiential Learning Summary
• SYE.02 > Mentor Debriefing Letter

Course Grading

Students will earn an S/U Satisfactory (≥ 80%) or Unsatisfactory (< 80%) grade according to the following grade distribution

• Act 1 (A1) > The Departure (20%)
  • LTF.01 (100 points)
  • LTF.02 (100 points)
• Act 2 (A2)  > The Initiation (30%)
  • ELJ.01 (50 points)
  • ELJ.02 (50 points)
  • ELJ.03 (50 points)
  • ELJ.04 (50 points)
  • ELJ.05 (100 points)
• Act 3 (A3) > The Return (50%)
  • SYE.01 (300 points)
  • SYE.02 (200 points)

Grades are awarded by the course instructor of record and based on evidence that students have completed all required deliverables with a high level of student-to-supervisor engagement and project due diligence throughout the semester. Completed tasks will be evaluated based on pertinence of content, critical thinking, creativity, and communication. Further details, due dates, and rubrics for assignments are posted on Canvas.

Final student grades will follow University of Florida grades and grading policies.

• Undergraduate Students:
  • https://catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/academic-regulations/grades-grading-policies

We highly recommend that both the students and the supervisory mentor explore the following NASPA blog post for how to make the most of your time together.

• NASPA > Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education > Blog > Lessons through Practice - First-Time Supervisors Stories
  • https://naspa.org/blog/lessons-through-practice-first-time-supervisors-stories

Sponsoring Institutions > What to Expect of the Field Experience Process

To be added...

Supervisory Individuals > What to Expect of Your Field Experience Student

To be added...

Students > What to Expect of the Field Experience Process

To be added...

Students > What to Expect of Your Supervisory Individual

To be added...

Attendance and participation in your field experience is graded based on your preparation and punctuality as reviewed by your sponsor institution and supervisory individual.

Requirements for participation, assignments, and other potential make-up work in this course are consistent with University policies as found at the following link.

• https://catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/academic-regulations/attendance-policies

Professionalism

As future sustainability professionals in training, you are preparing for potential future meetings and collaboration. Thus, students are encouraged to participate in-person and/or online with dress and demeanor befitting a professional environment. 

Online Class Recording Privacy

Our class sessions may be audio and/or visually recorded for students in the class to refer back and for enrolled students who are unable to attend live. Students who participate with their camera engaged or utilize a profile image are agreeing to have their video or image recorded.  If you are unwilling to consent to have your profile or video image recorded, be sure to keep your camera off and do not use a profile image. Likewise, students who un-mute during class and participate orally are agreeing to have their voices recorded. If you are not willing to consent to have your voice audio recorded during class, you will need to keep your mute button activated and communicate exclusively using the "chat" feature, which allows students to type questions and comments live. The chat comments get cloud archived alongside the video, audio, and machine learning transcripts for the convenience of all students to replay and review on demand.

What is Permissible

Beyond anything recorded and shared by the instructor, students are allowed to record video or audio of class lectures. However, the purposes for which these recordings may be used are strictly controlled. The only allowable purposes are as follows:

1. For personal educational use;
2. In connection with a complaint to the university; or
3. As evidence in, or in preparation for, a criminal or civil proceeding.

All other purposes are prohibited. Specifically, students may not publish recorded lectures without the written consent of the instructor.

What Defines a Lecture

A “class lecture” is an educational presentation intended to inform or teach enrolled students about a particular subject, including any instructor-led discussions that form part of the presentation, and delivered by any instructor hired or appointed by the University, or by a guest instructor, as part of a University of Florida course. A class lecture does not include lab sessions, student presentations, clinical presentations such as patient history, academic exercises involving solely student participation, assessments (quizzes, tests, exams), field trips, private conversations between students in the class or between a student and the faculty or lecturer during a class session.

Publication Without Permission is Prohibited

Publication without permission of the instructor is prohibited. To “publish” means to share, transmit, circulate, distribute, or provide access to a recording, regardless of format or medium, to another person (or persons), including but not limited to another student within the same class section. Additionally, a recording, or transcript of a recording, is considered published if it is posted on or uploaded to, in whole or in part, any media platform, including but not limited to social media, book, magazine, newspaper, leaflet, or third party note/tutoring services. A student who publishes a recording without written consent may be subject to a civil cause of action instituted by a person injured by the publication and/or discipline under UF Regulation 4.040 Student Honor Code and Student Conduct Code.

Student Responsibilities

“ In 1995 the UF student body enacted an honor code and voluntarily committed itself to the highest standards of honesty and integrity. When students enroll at the university, they commit themselves to the standard drafted and enacted by students…”

As a student at the University of Florida, you have committed yourself to uphold the Honor Code, which includes the following responsibilities as delineated at https://catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/student-responsibilities .

• Academic Honesty
  • Preamble
  • The Honor Pledge
  • Student Responsibility
  • Faculty Responsibility
  • Administration Responsibility
• Student Conduct Code
• Alcohol and Drugs
  • What the University Community Can Do to Prevent Alcohol Abuse and Drug Abuse
• Relations Between People and Groups
• Service to Others
• Standard of Ethical Conduct

It is assumed that you will complete all work independently in each course unless the instructor provides explicit permission for you to collaborate on course tasks (e.g. assignments, papers, quizzes, exams). Instructors reserve the right to use the TurnItIn app within Canvas to evaluate work originality. Plagiarism is a serious offense and will result in an honor code violation and potential failure of the course. Additionally, any use, access, or handling of technology (e.g., cell phone, smart watch) during an exam will result in an honor code violation and potential failure of the course.

Furthermore, as part of your obligation to uphold the Honor Code, you should report any condition that facilitates academic misconduct to appropriate personnel. It is your individual responsibility to know and comply with all university policies and procedures regarding academic integrity and the Student Honor Code. Violations of the Honor Code at the University of Florida will not be tolerated. Violations will be reported to the Dean of Students Office for consideration of disciplinary action. For more information regarding the Student Honor Code, please see: https://sccr.dso.ufl.edu/process/student-conduct-code/.

Software Use

All faculty, staff and students of the university are required and expected to obey the laws and legal agreements governing software use. Failure to do so can lead to monetary damages and/or criminal penalties for the individual violator. As such violations are also against university policies and rules, disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate.

Course Evaluation

Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online via GatorEvals. Guidance on how to give feedback in a professional and respectful manner is available at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/students . Students will be notified when the evaluation period opens, and can complete evaluations through the email they receive from GatorEvals, in their Canvas course menu under GatorEvals, or via https://ufl.bluera.com/ufl . Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/public-results/ .

Students with Disabilities

Students requesting accommodation for disabilities must first register with the Disability Resource Center (DRC). The DRC coordinates the needed accommodations of students with disabilities. This includes registering disabilities, recommending academic accommodations within the classroom, accessing special adaptive computer equipment, providing interpretation services and mediating faculty-student disability related issues.

Upon registering, the DRC will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodation. You must submit this documentation prior to submitting assignments or taking quizzes or exams. Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students should contact the office as soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations. The DRC may be contacted by visiting 001 Reid Hall, calling 352-392-8565, or visiting their website.

• UF Disability Resource Center
  • https://disability.ufl.edu/ 

Netiquette – Communication Courtesy

All members of the class are expected to follow rules of common courtesy in all email messages, threaded discussions and chats. Please refer to these resources.

• http://biostat.ufl.edu/resources/e-learning-resources/e-learning-basics/etiquette-online
• https://teach.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/NetiquetteGuideforOnlineCourses.docx 

Religious Observances

Please inform the instructor of any religious holidays or other days of special religious significance that may interfere with your participation in this class so that appropriate accommodations can be made. For more information, please visit the Religious Holidays section of the UF Attendance Policies.

• https://catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/academic-regulations/attendance-policies/#religiousholidaystext

Special Consideration

The principle of equal treatment of all students is a fundamental guide in responding to requests for special consideration. No student shall be given an opportunity to improve a grade that is not made available to all members of the class. This policy is not intended to exclude reasonable accommodation of verified student disability or the completion of work missed due to religious observance, verified illness, or absence due to circumstances beyond your control. Reconsideration of subjective judgments of an individual student’s work will be done only if all students in the class can be and are given the same consideration.

Sexual & Gender-Based Harassment

Sexual and gender-based harassment is reprehensible and will not be tolerated by the University. It subverts our academic mission and threatens the careers, educational experience, and well-being of students, faculty, and staff. The University will not tolerate behavior between, nor among, members of this community that creates an unacceptable working environment.

• UF Office of Accessibility & Gender Equity Homepage
  • https://titleix.ufl.edu/
• Report an Incident
  • https://titleix.ufl.edu/report

Your safety, health, and wellbeing are important to our University community. Students experiencing crises or personal problems that interfere with their general well-being or academic performance are strongly encouraged to talk to the instructor and/or to utilize the University’s confidential counseling resources, available at no cost to currently enrolled students.

Safety, Health & Wellness Resources

• Dean of Students Office, 202 Peabody Hall, 352-392- Among other services, the DSO assists students who are experiencing situations that compromises their ability to attend classes. This includes family emergencies and medical issues (including mental health crises).
  • https://www.dso.ufl.edu/care
• GatorWell Health Promotion Services: For prevention services focused on optimal wellbeing, including Wellness Coaching for Academic Success, visit the GatorWell website or call 352-273-4450.
  • https://gatorwell.ufsa.ufl.edu/
• Sexual Assault Recovery Services (SARS), Student Health Care Center, 352-392-1161. Sexual assault counseling.
  • https://umatter.ufl.edu/helping-students/sexual-violence-response/ 
• Student Health Care Center. Call 352-392-1161 for 24/7 health care information.
  • https://shcc.ufl.edu/
• UF Health Shands Emergency Room / Trauma Center, 1515 SW Archer Road, Gainesville, FL 32608, 352-733-0111. For immediate medical care call or go to the emergency room.
  • https://ufhealth.org/emergency-room-trauma-center
• U Matter, We Care , multiple locations, 352-392-1575. If you or someone you know is in distress, please contact umatter@ufl.edu or visit the website to refer or report a concern and a team member will reach out to the student in distress.
  • https://umatter.ufl.edu/
• University Counseling & Wellness Center, 3190 Radio Rd., 392-1575. Personal and career counseling, as well as therapy for anxiety, stress and mental health issues.
  • Homepage
    • https://counseling.ufl.edu/
  • Services
    • https://counseling.ufl.edu/services
• University Police Department, 392-1111 (or 9-1-1 for emergencies).
  • http://www.police.ufl.edu/

Student Complaint Resources

• For student complaints related to on-campus situations, visit the Student Honor Code and Student Conduct Code webpage.
  • https://sccr.dso.ufl.edu/policies/student-honor-code-student-conduct-code 
• For student complaints related to online situations visit the Distance Learning Student Complaint Process webpage.
  • https://distance.ufl.edu/getting-help/student-complaint-process/

"A growth mindset’s defining characteristic—the belief that intelligence is malleable—provides a powerful formula for improving student outcomes. Students who believe that they can get smarter and that effort makes them smarter will put in the effort that leads to higher achievement." - American University School of Education

Change is the only constant. Within the SBE Program, we focus on a triple-E approach to intrapersonal and interpersonal growth and development. That is, we support our students in placing their attention and intention on effort, earnestness, and equanimity. In the lab of life, lessons are best learned when seeing failure as feedback for your future fitness and adaptability in uncertainty. Your instructor encourages you to foster a growth mindset and to leverage the resources available to help you thrive.

Academic & Professional Development Resources

• Career Connections Center, Reitz Union, 352-392-1601. Career assistance and counseling.
  • https://career.ufl.edu/
• E-Learning Technical Support, 352-392-4357 (select option 2) or e-mail to Learning-support@ufl.edu .
  • https://elearning.ufl.edu/student-help/ 
• Library Support. Provides various ways to receive assistance with respect to using the libraries or finding resources.
  • https://uflib.ufl.edu/contact-us/
• UF Academic Resources & Teaching Center, Broward Hall, 392-2010 or 392-6420. General study skills and tutoring.
  • Homepage
    • https://academicresources.clas.ufl.edu/
  • Hours & Location
    • https://academicresources.clas.ufl.edu/about-us/hours-location/
• Writing Studio, 302 Tigert Hall, 846-1138. Help brainstorming, formatting, and writing papers.
  • http://writing.ufl.edu/writing-studio/
• UF Human Resources | Keep Growing | Improvement Mindset Series
  • https://learn-and-grow.hr.ufl.edu/keep-growing/improvement-mindset/ 
• UF Information Technology | Computing Help Desk, 352-392-HELP (4357) or e-mail to helpdesk@ufl.edu .
  • http://helpdesk.ufl.edu/