Characteristics of field-based and experiential courses available as of 2025 in two life science departments in a higher education institution.

Item characteristics extracted from course catalogue and syllabi.
Course title: course name
Units: A 5-credit course typically involves about 15 hours of work per week, including class time and study time. 2-credit courses are typically considered a laboratory, practical, or discussion session.
International travel: Do students of the course travel locally (within 50miles of campus), in-state (visit other locations within the state), out-of-state (visit locations outside of state but still national travel), or international (any international travel)?
Overnight field trips: Does the course have overnight field trips (yes or no)
Total field hours per quarter: The total number of hours that the students spend in the field in a quarter (10 weeks)
Independent projects: Do students develop and/or implement an independent research project either in teams or individually during the course? (yes or no)
Student fees and associated expenses: How much students need to pay to participate in the course outside of regular enrollment fees?
Number of students per section: How many students does the course have per section? (options: 1-15, 15-22, 22-30, 30+)
Intended academic level of students: What student academic level was the class designed for? Academic level: lower division refers to students in years 1 or 2; upper division refers to students in years 3 or 4+.
Average academic level of the students enrolled in the course: Average academic level of the students enrolled in the course was calculated by determining when (as a percentage) in their time at the university the students took the course. We then back-calculated to standardize for a 4 year degree program (percentage x 4).
Number of students enrolled (since 2008): Total number of students enrolled in the course since 2008 to 2025
*Course offered outside the EEB department.