All Appalachian State University teacher education programs that lead to licensure or a related credential include multiple site-based field experiences throughout the program, along with required on-campus and regional meetings before and during student teaching.

Criminal Background Check

All students participating in education and counseling field experiences must complete a Criminal Background Check (CBC).

Reports are valid for six months.

Students must ensure their CBC is current before beginning any placement.

Placement Guidelines

  • Field experiences are conducted in person in schools with which App State has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
  • Students enrolled in field experience courses will receive detailed placement information at the start of the semester.

Professional Core Field Experiences

All teacher education candidates complete courses for professional core field experiences, which emphasize key teaching and learning concepts. These placements allow candidates to support learners in a variety of ways and contexts.

Professional Core Courses

EDU 2000 Introduction to Learners, Teachers, and Schools

EDU 2000 Course Focus

As the initial course in the College of Education Core, the purpose of this course is to guide prospective teachers as they explore, examine, and critique the complex relationships among learners, teachers, schools, and educational structures. This course is designed to provide students with fundamental skills and knowledge to recognize teaching and learning as socially-constructed and context-bound experiences. Ten hours of clinical experience is required.

EDU 2000 Field Experience Focus

Students in this field experience will complete a Cultural Inquiry Project assignment that is designed to allow prospective teachers to investigate the connections among teachers, learners and schools and the communities those schools serve. This is the first experience education majors will have within a school setting. For these 10 hours, students will be learning how to gather, interpret and apply information about the learning environment  to which they are assigned. Students will be taking notes and conducting observations within the school. They will also be interviewing various school personnel. Course connections are made through a series of targeted observations used to complete a cultural inquiry project assignment. Supervision is provided by the Appalachian professional core support staff and/or faculty.

EDU 2100 Social Foundations of Education

EDU 2100 Course Focus

As an interdisciplinary course within the Teacher Education Professional Core, this course helps students critically analyze schooling and its role in our society. Frameworks within the field of Foundations of Education such as philosophy, sociology, anthropology, history, economics, psychology, and political science guide this critical analysis. Students accomplish course goals through a focus on educational access research and the role of teachers to create strategies that engage and support all students.

EDU 2100 Field Experience Focus

There is no field experience for EDU 2100. However, students are encouraged to carefully consider their own observations and experiences in schools to enrich the discussions and assignments within this course.

EDU 3000 Diverse Learners: Teaching and Learning

EDU 3000 Course Focus

This course will provide an emphasis on understanding teaching and learning from an ecological systems perspective that takes into account individual, family, school, and broader socio-cultural and political factors.  Students will explore a range of research-based approaches to provide culturally relevant and inclusive instruction. 

EDU 3000 Field Experience Focus

This field experience involves forty (40) contact hours of classroom observation and interaction with students who represent diverse learner populations. Teacher candidates will be actively involved with learners through tutoring and mentoring while completing a series of targeted observations coupled with formal field notes and a summative field experience reflection on diverse learner characteristics and educational needs.

EDU 3100 Assessment for Learning

EDU 3100 Course Focus

This course  will critically examine factors that influence assessment practices and policies in agencies,  districts, schools, and classrooms. They will consider how formative and summative data can be used to  evaluate student learning, improve teacher instruction, and provide avenues for justice, equity and inclusion. They will analyze and design a variety of developmentally and culturally appropriate assessments for  student learning. Teacher candidates will explore accountability systems and how the results of assessment  data inform instructional decisions.   

EDU 3100 Field Experience Focus

Students will analyze an assessment looking for developmental appropriateness and reliability/validity, as well as analyze a set of work samples to determine areas where learners were successful as well as areas where additional instruction may be necessary. Twenty (20) hours of clinical experience is required (Lab registration  required). This course is taken in conjunction with major specific program course(s).

Methods-Based Internships/Practicums

Methods-based field experiences are tied directly to methods courses and build on the professional core to provide deeper classroom engagement. These placements serve as a bridge to the Clinical Internship.

  • Each program sets its own required number of field hours and assignments.
  • Supervision is provided by program area faculty.
  • All placements are arranged by the Office of Field Experiences in cooperation with school district officials.

Clinical Internship (Student Teaching)

The clinical internship is the capstone experience of teacher preparation. This culminating placement allows candidates to put knowledge, skills, and experience into practice in a real classroom.

Learn more about the clinical internship.

Schedule Commitment for Student Teaching and Counseling Internships

  • Student Teachers follow the schedule, expectations, and professional responsibilities of their assigned clinical educator and school.
  • Professional School Counseling students follow the schedule and expectations of their assigned school site.

Students’ Rights in Field Placements

Field Placements

Field placements are designed to help you grow as a professional, teacher, and colleague. While professionalism and collegiality are expected, your safety and well-being are our top priority.

  • Field experience candidates remain students of Appalachian State University and are entitled to the same rights and protections as on campus.
  • No student should ever feel threatened or unsafe in their placement.
  • The Office of Field Experiences is committed to creating the best possible professional environments, though we acknowledge that challenges may arise.

If You Need Assistance with a Field Replacement Concern

If you encounter concerns in your field placement, we encourage you to first address them in a professional and collegial manner. If additional support is needed, please reach out to:

Our Commitment

The Reich College of Education stands firmly committed to the safety, dignity, and success of every student. This commitment extends to all field placements and applies regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion.