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Why Include Friday Field Trips in UG studies?

Course field trips are a unique and important component of DKU undergraduate study. A field trip is a course-related activity that serves the educational purposes of the course. By participating in field trips, students have the opportunity to receive practical information that is difficult to be conveyed in the classroom. Faculty are strongly encouraged to consider activities that allow students to interact with people in the local community or expose them to local culture. In particular, faculty may wish to consider field trips that include some kind of service or experiential learning, volunteer work, and more.

Field trip guidelines

What UG studies can do to help you with field trip planning:

Budget

  1. Round-trip transportation within a maximum of 2 hours’ drive from DKU (for
    example, Kunshan, Suzhou, Changshu, Taicang, Zhangjiagang, and Shanghai).
  2. Entrance tickets (Please note: many sites are on a reservation system and do not
    support temporary increases in the number of visitors.)
  3. No meals, snacks and water will be provided. Students should bring their own or
    pay for their own on-site. We are working with the canteen to see if we can arrange
    for students to pre-order packed meals at their own expense. We will share
    information with faculty sponsors as it becomes available.
  4. Gift package for the host organization if needed.
  5. Excluding transportation and gift package, the maximum budget for all field trips is
    100 CNY per student, including but not limited to entrance tickets, tour guide,
    sightseeing, activities, etc. (Please note that this cap is a maximum, not a target. We
    only have limited funding, and by keeping costs down for each trip, we can support a
    larger number of field trips.)

Guidelines

  1. Only a maximum of 1 field trip per course per session can be supported.
  2. Funding is not provided for independent studies or capstone courses.
  3. All field trips are scheduled on Fridays during the teaching weeks of the session.
  4. Since we only have a limited number of Fridays and limited staffing, faculty are encouraged to plan joint field trips with other courses if appropriate.
  5. Participation in field trips is highly encouraged but not mandatory.  If attendance on the field trip is required for completion of any graded assignment, instructors are expected to provide an alternative assignment or activity for students who do not participate in the trip. 
  6. If multiple field trips are planned on the same day, students enrolled in more than one of these courses may choose which trip to participate in.
  1. When planning the trip, the course instructor should communicate with the students about any risks associated with the activity, expectations for behavior during the trip, appropriate attire, and emergency preparedness information.  They should also ask students who require any special accommodation or have any dietary restrictions to notify the UG Academic Activities Coordinators as early as possible in advance of the field trip.
  2. During the week of the activity, the UG Academic Activities Coordinators will provide the instructor with a detailed agenda and any notes regarding the trip schedule, meeting point, lunch plan (if applicable), and any necessary documents participants need to bring. The instructor should share applicable information with participating students.
  3. No changes or cancellations in either the itinerary or participant list should be made once the planning is completed. Special situations should be discussed with the UG Academic Activities Coordinators.
  1. The course instructor is the official leader of the field trip and must accompany the whole trip. Although teaching fellows, teaching assistants, or office staff may also accompany the field trip, the instructor is the responsible leader.
  2. Whenever practical, the site of the field trip should be visited in advance by the instructor or the UG Academic Activities Coordinators to assess any potential risks associated with the location.
  3. Only instructors, accompanying UG Office staff, and students enrolled in the class can participate in the field trip. Any plan to invite additional people (faculty, students, or staff) on the field trip must be approved in advance by the UG Academic Activities Coordinators. Such additional guests may need to pay their own expenses.
  4. The course instructor should send the UG Academic Activities Coordinators the final roster of names of all participating students no later than 1 week in advance of the field tip. The list should also include the names and cell phone numbers of any other university affiliates who are accompanying the trip.  The instructor should create a WeChat group for every participant to join before the trip.
  1. The default transportation for all field trips is chartered buses or university-owned vehicles. The UG Academic Activities Coordinators or designee will arrange transportation and be responsible for communication with the bus driver.
  2. In the event that a field trip has fewer than 10 participants, the instructor should discuss the feasibility of the trip with the UG Academic Activities Coordinators.
  1. Application Form for Deviation 
    • All participating students are expected to return to campus with the group. Any student who wishes to be excused from returning with the group must notify the instructor at least 24 hours in advance by submitting a signed Application Form for Deviation from Undergraduate Course Field Trips. Students may not leave a field trip before the organized activities conclude.

Application

  1. The UG Academic Activities Coordinators are available for consultation to help faculty identify a suitable location for their field trip. They can also help faculty identify virtual field trips that might work particularly well in spring 2023. If any questions, please contact
  1. Faculty should consider whether there are options for remote students to participate in the field trip or whether alternate arrangements might be possible for remote students.
  2. The UG office will send out a survey to collect field trip requests 3 weeks before the session starts. Faculty who wish to have a field trip should take the survey as early as possible. All requests are due no later than 1 week before the start of the session in which the field trip is scheduled.  A schedule of field trips supported by the UG Office will be made available before the start of the session. 
  3. Fridays are reserved on a first-come-first-serve basis. Please note that due to changes in class scheduling in spring 2023, there are fewer Fridays available, and there are a small number of classes scheduled on Fridays. 
  4. Requests should include an explanation of how the field trip will enhance the learning objectives of the course.

Field trip Database

The field trip database is designed to help both professors and students to learn more about local resources, how other courses design field trips, and how to make them more integrative. Field trips are an essential part of the DKU experience as we encourage everyone to enrich their lives both inside and outside of the classroom. From exploring local museums, to trekking through forests, to investigating the latest advancements in biotechnology, the variety of experiences that can be offered are an invaluable aid to students in learning how to practically apply what they learn in class. Here, you can find information on past field trip locations, courses they were for, and activities on each trip to guide future planning.

 

These excursions not only bring to life DKU’s core educational principles, but also will inspire students to delve further into their fields of study and possible job options. All classes can be enriched by these opportunities to explore China, connect with local communities, and bring the course to life, and it is our mission to support this. This database will be constantly expanding with resources as more field trips are taken each session!

 

Please visit here for more details on past field trip locations and courses they were taken for.

Field trip Stories

Learn more about what goes on during Friday Field Trips here! Student-written stories of field trip experiences detail the types of trips that can be taken and learning objectives.

Contact

​Jiawen Cai (Division of Natural Sciences and Language and Culture Center)

jiawen.cai@dukekunshan.edu.cn

T: (+86) 0512 3665 7528 

Isaac Zhu (Division of Social Sciences and Division of Arts and Humanities)

yongyu.zhu@dukekunshan.edu.cn

T: (+86) 0512 3665 7393