TCD Practicum

How it works

The TCD Practicum (LAS 6940) course functions as an independent study. Each student will submit a proposal which must be approved in advance by the TCD practicum coordinator Dr. Catherine Tucker (check the registration deadlines, which are generally late August for the Fall semester AND early January for Spring semester). The project will be directly supervised by a faculty member, either the student’s academic advisor or a TCD affiliate faculty member. The student and practicum coordinator, and possibly the faculty supervisor, will meet at least once to discuss the expectations, format, timetable, and monitoring of the practicum. 

The goal of the TCD Practicum is to provide TCD students with supervised practical experience to build their skills and confidence in applied, professional work in conservation and development. The practicum will be a service-oriented activity beyond the normal research and teaching activities required by the student’s department. The practicum must be related to the field of conservation and/or development and should add a dimension to the student’s training that is unavailable through other UF coursework.

Format, instruction & grade

The practicum should include at least 45 hours of work on a supervised service project that engages others, on or off-campus (especially in the field), in some novel, practical activity related to conservation and development. Projects can also be carried out as a group with one or more faculty supervisors; projects that last for a period longer than one semester are permitted.  Students can register for the practicum in the semester prior or semester after the practicum takes place (e.g., register in fall, but complete it in the previous summer). In any case, the practicum must be approved prior to its implementation.  

 As TCD practicum coordinator,  Dr. Catherine Tucker (TCD – LAS/Anthropology) will assure that all requirements of the practicum are fulfilled. The faculty supervisor will be a TCD affiliate who is qualified to assure that the project builds on the student’s training and incorporates appropriate methods.  In some circumstances, Dr. Tucker may be able to serve as the faculty supervisor, thus fulfilling both roles.  However, in most cases it is preferred that the student have support and input from an additional TCD faculty affiliate.  

After the practicum is completed, students are required to submit an 8-to-10-page single-spaced report discussing the practicum and the lessons learned, and to share their experiences with the TCD community in appropriate venues. Any required IRB approvals must be secured by the student. The faculty supervisor will provide a grade for the practicum in consultation with the TCD practicum coordinator.

Steps to sign-up for Practicum:

  1. Contact Dr. Catherine Tucker, TCD practicum coordinator, to schedule a first meeting, where you will discuss and present your practicum ideas.
  2. Come up with a study plan in conjunction with Dr. Tucker and your Advisor or a TCD faculty affiliate (in certain cases Dr Tucker may fulfill both roles, which will be determined during the first meeting). A second meeting may be scheduled with you, the coordinator and faculty supervisor to discuss the plan jointly, unless all details and questions are resolved without need of a meeting.
  3. You will then prepare and submit the following materials:
  4. Name, Department, PhD or MS Advisor, Thesis/Dissertation topic (as a cover page)
  5. Practicum activity and anticipated product(s) including detailed description and timetable of proposed activities for the practicum, and estimated hours of effort.
  6. Number and characteristics of collaborating participants or target audience.
  7. Letter of support from a faculty member supervising the practicum and, if relevant, another letter from the collaborating institution.
  8. Benchmarks for progress reports and reporting plan.
  9. Once the TCD practicum coordinator has approved the plan, the Center for LAS staff in charge of registering students to courses will be contacted. You should be then registered and all set to start your TCD Practicum.

Examples and Previous Practicum reports

Organization of a workshop, conference symposium, learning community; a field course; extension programs to return research results to communities, governments, and other stakeholders; internships; supervision and advising of an undergraduate researcher; outreach in public schools; media and communications projects; convening stakeholders for a decision-making or advocacy initiative; production of a policy brief or a training manual, among others.

Here are some previous work by TCD students:

Funding Opportunities

Students may also apply to the TCD Practitioner Experience program to compete for funding to help support their proposed practicum.