How are the activities organised?
Field acadamies last three days. Days 1 and 2 are spent working in mixed-school teams of 3-4 excavating one of around 10 simultaneous small archaeological test pits in gardens and other open spaces within villages and hamlets, as guests of local residents. The third day is spent at the at the Department of Archaeology in the University of Cambridge where everyone analyses their results and gets a chance to experience life at university for themselves.
After day 3, students receive access to web resources and online support which enables them to prepare a written assignment on their excavation which is submitted to the University for formal assessment.
All participants receive a certificate on completion of the field academy and are provided with a report detailing their achievements across the full range of cognitive, personal, practical and learning skills acquired and developed during the Higher Education Field Academy. The assessment model and criteria for this report have been developed with advice and support from OCR qualifications and awards body.
- Day One - Introduction to the programme, starting to dig and unearth, record, and assess finds, with support from school and university staff independently completing all elements of their excavations by carefully following directions over two days. Instructions and guidence including on-site finds identification and dating is provided by HEFA experts.
- Day Two - Excavations are continued and completed with pits backfilled and sites restored.
- Day Three - Brings participants into the University of Cambridge to analyse their discoveries and includes a tour with lunch in one of the colleges.
- Follow-up written assignment - Participants write up the results using the records they have kept and then submit them to ACA for assessment via their school.
HEFA Course Timetable
Day |
Time |
Activity |
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Day 1 |
09.00 |
Arrival and registration at Field Academy base in village location. |
09.05 |
Introduction to HEFA - course structure and learner aims. |
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09.30 |
Test pit digging - instructions and health and safety briefing. |
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10.15 |
Break and refreshments. |
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10.45 |
Relocate to test pit sites. |
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11.00 |
Begin test pit excavation - laying out, surveying in and deturfing test pit. Continue when ready to removing spoil in 10cm layers, sieving for finds, washing and recording finds and recording details of excavated layers, as detailed in HEFA handbook. |
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Lunch around test pit (timing flexible). |
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15.30 |
Prepare to finish for the day. Clean equipment. Return to base with equipment, finds and Report Booklet and check these in with HEFA organisers. |
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16.00 |
End of day - depart. |
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Day 2 |
09.00 |
Arrival and registration. |
09.00-09.15 |
Collect equipment and return to test pit site. |
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09.15 |
Continue test pit excavation and recording. |
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Lunch (timing flexible). |
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By 14.45 |
Ensure test pit has been signed off by HEFA staff. Stop digging. |
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From 14.45 |
Carry out final stages of excavation: draw sections, take soil samples, check recording is complete. Backfill test pit, replace turf, tidy site and clean equipment. |
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15.45 |
Return to base with all equipment, finds and record booklet and check these in with HEFA staff |
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16.00 |
End of day. Depart |
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Day 3 |
10.00 |
Hands-on finds identification and recording session |
11.00 |
Refreshment break |
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11.30 |
University taster lecture on archaeological approaches to the investigation of medieval settlements (adapted from current undergraduate programme) |
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12.30 |
Divide into small groups for tour and lunch in one of the colleges of the University of Cambridge. |
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14.00 |
Workshop about applications to the University of Cambridge |
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14.45 |
Analysis of the test pit results and tutorial on how to structure and present a written account of the excavation |
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15.45-16.00 |
Feedback and End |
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Assignment writing |
Written assignments to be completed in own time following completion of Day 3 and submitted to ACA. | |
Day One:
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This will take place in a central location, usually in the village hall or school of the settlement under investigation (if located conveniently). Learners will be given a pack containing maps and plans of the settlement in which they will be working, and some supporting documentary material. The first part of the day will include:
- A short introduction to the HEFA programme; namely what the aims of HEFA are, how it will work, what learners will be expected to do, how they will be supported and tutored, and what they will get out of their involvement with the project.
- An instruction session explaining how to dig a test pit.
- After refreshments, learners will then begin excavation of their test pits, which they will be allocated to work on in teams of three or four, with a member of school staff.
- Learners work independently in teams of 3 or 4 (accompanied by an adult) to dig 1m square test pits to a depth of 60–100cm in a series of 10cm spits, following instructions in the Field Academy handbook (which they will be given), and record everything they find in a record book provided for each test pit by HEFA.
- Teams record the site of their test pit and draw any features that they encounter.
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- Everything that comes out of the test pit will be sieved, and any finds (i.e. anything that looks man-made or interesting!) will be kept.
- Team members clean any finds and place them in trays, which they will label clearly.
- Finds are identified, and pottery dated by specialists, throughout the day.
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Day Two:
- The second day is spent continuing and completing test pit excavation and recording.
- When the test pit is finished, each team fills the test pit back in again and leaves the site looking neat and tidy.
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- After digging is finished each team has the chance to complete their records and tell everyone what they have found.
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Day Three:
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The final day takes place in the University of Cambridge and is a unique opportunity for participants to familiarise themselves with life and learning at higher education level, stretch themselves intellectually in the company of other like-minded very bright young people and find out more about subjects they may be interested in studying at higher level or as a future career.
Participants attend a structured series of normative learning sessions (finds identification, subject-related university lecture and report-writing tutorial) intended to extend participants’ knowledge base after which participants can begin writing their own university-level report, with supervisors present to provide advice and guidance as needed. Day 3 also includes a lunch and a tour of one of the Cambridge Colleges, and offers the chance to meet current undergraduates
Follow-up written assignment:
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Examples of HEFA course-work |
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- After the 3-day field academy, the information from the test pits will be collated by HEFA and put on a map which will be given, along with a report on the finds from each test pit, to each of the schools on Day 3 and be made available on the website.
- Learners will then be asked to prepare a piece of written work on an aspect of the test-pitting investigation they have carried out. The aim of this formal written assessment is to give learners a clear and enduring record of tutorial comments on their work, to enable them to gain the maximum benefit from their participation on HEFA and the tutoring available through it.
- This will contribute to learners' curriculum studies while in no way compromising them. It is therefore up to learners to decide how much extra time they wish to spend on their HEFA report before they finally submit it. Some learners will wish to keep this to a minimum to allow them to get on with other curriculum course-work, while others will want to spend a long time developing their ideas and refining the end product.
- The minimum HEFA-recommended amount of time would be around four hours. There is no maximum, and learners will have around two weeks to complete the assignment. Learners contact us for advice while they are writing up. This may include matters such as how to structure and present work, clarity of expression, the presentation and use of data, and how to draw inferences supported by evidence, as well as issues specifically related to the site.
- Assignments should be sent to HEFA, after which they will be assessed by HEFA tutors. Detailed written comments and advice will be returned to learners, along with a certificate to mark their achievement in completing HEFA.
For more detailed information about completing your written assignment, please click here.
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Specific information for Parents & Teachers can be found on the Parents & Teachers page.
Specific information for Local Residents can be found on the Community Archaeology page.