First Education Experience Program (FEEP)

General Overview of the Program

Students enrolled in FEEP have an opportunity to explore the possibility of becoming a school professional. Through extended field experience and weekly seminars, they become familiar with the school professions as well as the total context of the school community from a professional's perspective. Students work directly under the supervision of expert and experienced teachers of all subjects, school counselors, school nurses, school social workers, and other school professionals.

FEEP provides interested university students with ten weeks of intensive, on-site experience. Students spend three hours each day for four days each week, in the field with their cooperating school professional. One day each week they attend a seminar on campus. The seminar provides the students with up-to-date educational information as well as ample time to learn from their experiences in the field.

FEEP is a great introductory class for all individuals who think they may one day want to work in an education profession!

The Details of the Program

FEEP is a structured observation and engagement program designed to assist students in career exploration. It includes some opportunities to teach and be actively involved in classroom or other professional activities, depending on the student's placement, but it should not be confused with "student teaching".

Students are assigned to one of five local school districts (Columbus, Hilliard, Southwestern, Upper Arlington, and Whitehall) for their field experience. Students are required to be in their assigned schools 4 days per week, from 8:30 - 11:30 am (PAES 289.01), and to be in a seminar on campus 1 day per week, from 8:30 - 11:30 am (PAES 271) on either Tuesdays or Thursdays. Because students will need to allow additional travel time to and from their placements, students are advised not to register for any classes before 12:30 pm everyday. As mentioned previously, students in FEEP must register for both EDU PAES 289.01 and EDU PAES 271 for a total of 8 credit hours. EDU PAES 289.01 is graded S/U and EDU PAES 271 is letter graded (it should be noted that a passing grade must be earned in both courses for students to receive a passing grade in either course).

Becoming a Participant in the Program:

Students interested in participating in FEEP should take the following course of action:

1. Click on the FEEP Course Info and Registration Dates link to determine the next available registration window.
2. Students who are interested in speaking with someone further about FEEP should plan to attend one of our informational sessions for the quarter in which they plan to participate.
   1. Students who want to submit their registration forms at this time may download the FEEP Registration Form from the website and bring it to one of the informational sessions or fill out a registration form at the informational setting.
   2. Students who do not need to attend an informational session may simply click on the link for the Online Registration Form, fill out the form, and submit the form online.
3. After the registration form has been completed and submitted, students will then receive the proper registration codes and other important information either during the informational session or via email.
4. Students must then complete the regular scheduling process with the registrar's office (as for scheduling any other classes). The FEEP courses must appear on the class schedule to earn credit.

Other Information about the Program

Students do not have any choice concerning which school district or school in which they are placed because of the criteria that must be met based on agreements with the school districts and the purposes of this program. We make every effort to place students in their first choice; however, requests such as school psychologists and high school history teachers/coaches might not be honored due to the limited access to these professionals within the school system. If this is the case for you, keep in mind that you can make appointments with these individuals while at your placement to talk with them about their profession. The main goal of FEEP is to allow students to be in the school setting in order to understand the dynamics of a school as well as to experience first-hand what educators do.

Seminar sessions meet on the Columbus campus (usually in Arps Hall) and as mentioned previously, all districts are located within Franklin County.