Field Experiences
The Field Experiences Office oversees the Professional Development Sequence (PDS) that encompasses all the professional development courses and on-site training that may lead to a recommendation for teacher certification.
Students apply during the long semester prior to entering the program, the length of which varies by certification program. Admission to the PDS is dependent upon meeting the required GPA and successful completion of prerequisite coursework.
The PDS application runs from February 1 to March 1 for fall entry and September 1 to October 1 for spring entry.
Check the COE Field Experiences Wiki for important information, documents, and forms needed for the teacher education program. Please send us feedback so we can continue to make improvements to better suit your needs.
Our Mission
Field Experiences at The University of Texas at Austin are an integral component of our teacher preparation programs, built on strong collaboration between school districts and colleges of the University. Our future teachers engage in purposefully crafted field experiences that cultivate depth of knowledge, research-based practices, and professional ethics. These experiences are designed to be sequential, cumulative, and performance-based while preparing our graduates to implement and evaluate effective practices with diverse student populations in varied settings. As a result, teachers prepared at the University will master subject knowledge and pedagogical skills, work collaboratively with all stakeholders, develop dispositions to be active citizens, and offer their students the opportunity to develop these characteristics themselves.
Our Staff
Dr. Sharon Evans
Director, Education Services
Dr. Evans oversees Field Experiences, Career Engagement, and Certification. She serves as a lead liaison with the University, school districts, and education-related entities working with our preservice teachers. She ensures that state-of-the-art career services are available to all College of Education undergraduate students.
Phone: (512) 471-1511
Elsa Rennie
Senior Administrative Associate
Elsa is responsible for general office payments and purchasing. She pays cooperating teacher honoraria as well as tracking the School Law Seminar requirements.
Elsa coordinates the preparation and scheduling of EC-6 Core Subjects Representative Test. She serves as assistant to the director of Education Services.
Phone: (512) 471-7841
Jenny Carney
Administrative Associate
Jenny oversees the general administrative duties of the office. She also processes field supervisor mileage, tracks mentor training, is responsible for website updates, and coordinates the PDS Orientations.
Phone: (512) 232-9574
