Extensive Application: Every field school director submits an extensive application package that provides a wide range of details about the student experience, living conditions, learning outcomes, research goals, and operation of the field school. The IFR ensures that all field programs meet or exceed the standards of Connecticut College’s world class experiential learning and pedagogy.
In-Person Visit to the Field School Site: Before the application package is sent to the IFR Academic Review Board, a seasoned archaeologist who is either a member of the Board of Governors or the IFR Academic Board or a senior member of the IFR staff make an in-person site inspection of the field location. This ensures that IFR communicates in clear, accessible terms the conditions that students can expect and IFR engages the field director about any factors that need to be addressed in order to ensure that students have the best chance for a great field school experience.
Critical Peer Review: The application package is read by the entire Academic Board of the IFR. The Academic Board members are all experienced field archaeologists, museum directors, curators, and directors of field programs that focus on research and teaching. This process is known as peer review, and it is the gold standard for critical reviews in science, humanities and social science fields.
Ongoing Evaluation and Feedback to the Field School Directors: at the end of each field school and during the field school, students are asked to provide feedback in the form of written evaluations. These are read and considered carefully. Any deficiencies or problems are engaged in a very serious way so that improvements can be made or other action taken.