01
Program
Schedules and itineraries, housing assignments with host contacts and map links, trips, meeting points, program contacts, and in-country resources, configured for each program.
A Global Learning Companion
FieldScholar
FieldScholar is a mobile-first application for study abroad, field-based courses, and experiential learning programs. It brings together program schedules, housing information, academic fieldwork, faculty communication, and safety resources in a configurable environment for students and program leaders.
- Status
- Functional pilot with a faculty-led program
- Interface
- Mobile-first web app; also works in a desktop browser
- Access
- Approved program participants only
Application features
Four areas of the student app. Screenshots are from the current pilot, with personal details obscured; select one to enlarge it.
02
Field
Field notes, site observations, and guided reflections. Students can start an observation directly from a scheduled excursion.
PlannedAnnotation and geospatial tools
03
Connect
The home screen shows today's program and the faculty contact, reachable by phone or WhatsApp. Course platforms such as Canvas and Slack are linked from the app rather than replicated.
04
Safe
The Safety Center lists emergency numbers, faculty leaders, in-country contacts, accommodation, and insurance information. It also holds the student-only I AM SAFE action. How it works
Faculty & program administration
Program leaders use a separate faculty path that requires an additional verification step. In the current pilot it includes:
- Program Setup and resources
- Student Records
- Homestays Manager
- Itinerary and excursion editing
- Emergency and safety content
- Arrival roster and participant data tools
Institutional architecture
FieldScholar is designed as one configurable platform for multiple institutions and programs, rather than separate codebases per program. Access and data are organized as:
Institution Program Cohort Membership/User Role Data
In the pilot
Program-level configuration for a single faculty-led program.
Implemented & validated
Institution and membership layer, program and cohort creation, and roster import, implemented and validated separately from the live pilot.
Planned
Program Builder, single sign-on (SSO), institutional emergency alerts, platform integrations.
Safety & privacy
- Contacts
- Emergency numbers and faculty contacts are available from the home screen and the Safety Center.
- I AM SAFE
- Opens a prefilled WhatsApp message to the program's primary faculty contact. The student sends it from WhatsApp; nothing is sent automatically, and the action does not depend on cloud synchronization.
- Location
- A separate, student-initiated action shares the current location once, after confirmation. FieldScholar does not track student location continuously.
- Data
- Access is restricted to approved participants. Student and faculty paths are separate, and information is visible according to role.
PlannedInstitutional emergency alerts targeted by program or cohort. Not part of the current pilot.
About the project
FieldScholar was developed from experience designing and directing international and experiential learning programs. The project combines practical program management with an emphasis on experiential and field-based learning, reflection, student safety, and digital humanities.
Contact & pilot inquiries
Faculty and institutions interested in using FieldScholar for a program can write to us here. Inquiries go to fieldscholar.info@gmail.com.