As a young student, field trips were one of the few times a year when getting up at 6 a.m. and going to school was exciting. Whether it was the zoo, a museum, a local government building, or some kind of fun amusement park or nature-related activity, students looked forward to going to school. Most students were under the impression that these types of activities were juvenile and would be left in the past after they threw their caps in the air at graduation, but this isn’t always the case.
There are classes at Rowan that give students opportunities to participate in field trips. These trips allow students to gain real-world knowledge and experience outside a lecture in an academic hall. One of these classes is News Lab: an experiential learning course the journalism department offers where students get to work for South Jersey Climate News as reporters, editors, and social media specialists for a semester.
Students taking this class are able to travel to different parts of Southern New Jersey to cover events, stories, and environmental issues that affect the region at large. Just over the past year, students have been able to go to a reef restoration project on the Delaware Bay and the Barnegat Oyster Collective.
Geology and paleontology classes also offer students field trips to go out into the real world and search for fossils.
It is the opinion of The Whit Staff that regardless of what field of study students are in, all departments should have the option for students to participate in Friday field trips that get them out of the classroom and learning in the real world. There should be at least one opportunity per semester where students can convene outside of the classroom and experience something new.
When students become dishabituated from their standard classroom setting, it can stimulate their desire to develop new ideas, explore different career paths, and make connections that they may not have made otherwise. It’s also a way for students who want to travel but may not have the ability or resources to do so, to get that experience with a group of like-minded peers.
According to Yale University’s Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, not only are field trips a form of experiential learning, but they “can provide incredibly formative and impactful educational experiences for students.” It also explained that the trips do not have to be expensive or insanely far, they can be as simple as visiting the on-campus art gallery for the day or a school exhibit or collection.
Rowan University does have several experiential learning opportunities for students. Some of these are through project-based learning in the Rohrer College of Business, partnerships with local sports teams in the Ric and Jean Edelman College of Communications and Creative Arts, or classes in the School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship that allow students to act as business consultants for competitors in the annual New Venture Competition and Accelerate South Jersey program in Camden.
While these are all beneficial in getting students workforce experience before they graduate, having one field trip per semester only aids in these programs that Rowan University strives to provide for its students.
Rowan has a large commuter population, with 65% of students who live off-campus, according to data from US News and World Report. While a lot of students may be familiar with the surrounding area, a large chunk of them may be from either Northern New Jersey or another state entirely. Having class field trips will give them insight into the area where they will most likely spend two to four years of their lives.
Additionally, having an experience outside of class enables students to get to know one another, and develop friendships, and a sense of community in a large school like Rowan. Giving students the ability to learn about their local community, get out of the classroom, and meet new people only exposes them to more opportunities for employment, ideas, and collaboration with one another which aids in the overall academic success many students strive for in college.
The Whit staff believes that in implementing this, Rowan students will benefit not only academically, but personally and socially as well.
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