The UFERN Model (pictured above) illustrates that actual student outcomes of an UFE are a function of the experience each student has, and that this experience results from an interaction between the contexts that frame who the student is (student context factors) and how the experience was designed and implemented (UFE design factors). Intended student outcomes, in turn, influence both the student context and design factors. The recruitment and selection of students is an opportunity to know and consider those student context factors while program design and instructional choices are opportunities to optimize those students’ experiences.
O’Connell, K., Hoke, K. L., Giamellaro, M., Berkowitz, A. R., & Branchaw, J. (2022). A Tool for Designing and Studying Student-Centered Undergraduate Field Experiences: The UFERN Model. BioScience, 72(2), 189–200. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biab112
