It’s Virtually the Same – or Is It? Early Field Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Abstract: In fall 2020, our longstanding early field experience, Pre-Professional Block (PPB) changed due to COVID-19. There were no field placements available, no funds to support faculty work for university supervision, and no money to support PPB Coordinator course reduction in exchange for placing and overseeing placements for 150-225 students per semester. There were, however, pre-purchased hours of virtual field experience. Given these developments, we were faced with the following question: In the absence of available school-based field placements, how can we implement an early preservice teacher (PST) practicum with a degree of fidelity and integrity comparable to a school-based early field experience? The goal of this Birds of a Feather session is to learn from others who have been faced with a similar situation how to best incorporate virtual reality training and other technologies to support PST development in early field experiences.