Do we get field placement?
In ECCO, you receive a field experience as soon as your third week of your first semester, and you go once a week for roughly five hours a day! Your area of placement can range up to an hour away from the university, and our focus is to get you out of your comfort zone and try to experience new things.
Once you complete your Housing Application on MyBGSU, you can go to Housing and Residence Life and select the option for Learning Community Enrollment. Add a learning community request for Educators in Context and Community and select the upcoming academic year you wish to be involved with.
How do we join?
What is "Free Skool"?
Our Free Skool is an opportunity to get into your own classroom and teach something. We offer the chances for you to decide a subject you want to teach on like stress management, sharks, fruit, or how to write a resume, and run with that idea and teach your fellow members about it. It provides the time and access you may need to get comfortable talking in front of others and how to plan for your future field experience(s).
Educators in Context and Community is based within McDonald Hall. Although we do not require you to live in the hall, it is highly recommended because of how many activities we will have there. We are a live and learn community so multiple classes you will have to take will be in the ECCO Lounge, right down the hall from the first floor rooms.
We only require a one credit course to be taken if you are a part of our community. It is a once a week seminar that meets Tuesdays from 7:30p-8:45p. If you are unable to have this course for any number of reasons but still want to join, contact us and we will work something out. Also, with ECCO, you can take certain courses with ONLY other ECCO members instead of normally with anywhere upwards of 100 others.
What sort of professional projects goes on in ECCO?
In ECCO, our priority is to get you as much knowledge and experience in the field as quickly as possible. Our professionalism consists of, but is not limited to, our field placements, a specialized IPDP (Individualized Professional Development Plan), annual ECCO Conference, opportunities to fund schools, our Free Skool, and trips through the country and different types of schools to get a better understanding of how they function.
This sounds too good to be true, what's the catch?
The base cost of ECCO is $300 for your first and second year, and then drops to $75 for your third and forth year. The cost is to cover transportation and keeping our community functioning altogether. The cost never goes to our pockets for personal use, it is used for the better of the community.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Where is ECCO at?
Are there any classes required?