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Creating authentic and relevant field clinical experiences for teacher candidates is an essential foundational component of an effective educator preparation program (EPP). It is through these classroom interactions that teacher candidates gain meaningful insight into the day-to-day processes in a live classroom setting (Dornan, et al., 2019). The COVID-19 pandemic created significant challenges for EPPs in providing clinical experiences (Ardley & Brucal-Hallare, 2020). Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak and transition to remote instruction in PK-12, field experiences were conducted face-to-face in traditional brick and mortar settings with classroom teachers and students. Once remote instruction began, field clinical placements were immediately suspended leaving faculty in EPPs having to turn to virtual alternatives to complete course hour and key assignment requirements. These changes included the introduction of online venues such as tutorials, webinars, and even faculty and alumni-generated online learning series to compensate for the lack of contact hours. Using Zoom or Microsoft Teams was initially considered a viable experiential option; however, the sudden transition to remote learning was a significant instructional and technological adjustment for all stakeholders (i.e. planned vs. crisis, Gacs, Goertler, & Spasova, 2020). It was determined that adding an additional component of teacher candidates scheduling virtual classroom observation times would be an unneeded distractor placing additional stressors on administrators and teachers already overburdened in a challenging situation. While these resources provided teacher candidates with the tools they needed to fulfill their required hours and complete key tasks, they certainly did not substitute for the rich experience of working with teachers and students in a live school and classroom setting (Hobbs & Hawkins, 2020).
As PK-12 school districts and EPPs looked ahead to what teaching and learning would look like in fall 2020, of prominent discussion was the continued work between school districts and EPPs to ensure teacher candidates were still completing field experiences as program requirements for not only degrees but professional licensure as well. Accordingly, it was determined that the most viable solution would be to use Zoom or Microsoft Teams because candidates could conduct observations and complete key field experience assignments while participating remotely (Ferdig, Baumgartner, Hartshorne, Kaplan-Rakowski, & Mouza, 2020). A complicating factor of the quick transition to remote learning was the noticeable digital literacy divide all educational stakeholders experienced which resulted in a myriad of Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge issues (TPACK) (Mishra, 2019). School districts have responded by offering enhanced technology training and technical support to all school personnel over the summer 2020 months in an effort to mitigate the instructional and technical issues that presented at the beginning of the remote learning transition. College and university EPPs followed similar suit to ensure faculty working with teacher candidates, especially in courses with required field clinical experiences, were familiar with the current technologies being used for instructional delivery such as Canvas, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom. These trainings not only included basic functionalities but also enhanced features such as breakout rooms, polling, and virtual whiteboards to facilitate not just direct instruction but cooperative learning as well (Gardner, 2020).
The timing of this writing could not be more relevant as scholarship in the area of virtual field clinical experiences for teacher candidates especially pre-COVID, was emerging to moderate at best. Much of the focus in literature has not necessarily been on modalities or virtual teaching venues but rather on the overall clinical experience. Further, the virtual experiences trended as asynchronous typically with a teacher candidate watching a video and completing some sort of reflection which led to a very one-directional experience missing the synchronous interactions characterizing much of current and trending experiences. Additionally, most virtual training tends to be focused on broader rather than more discrete skills which also contribute to the disconnect clinical experience as a teacher candidate and actual classroom practice as a beginning teacher (Kennedy & Archambault, 2012).