Audience Questions
Virtual Field Trips are designed for one class at a time, Kindergarten through 12th grade. We have cross-curricular and customizable programs that make Virtual Field Trips great for any class, including, but not limited to Art class. Find programs offered and the standards connected to them on the Virtual Field Trips page.
If your students are outside the grade range of a program you are interested in, email CBrown@ncartmuseum.org to set up a Zoom call to discuss your specific needs for customizing the topic for your students.
Sure! We have provided programs for clubs, after school programs, libraries, and camps. As long as your group consists of five to 30 students and you have the necessary technology, we can work with your group.
We believe that the Museum is for everybody.
If you have a student(s) with disabilities in your class, please let your facilitator know what accommodations your school provides them, so we can do the same.
If you have an English Language Learner in your class, we offer English and translated (to their native language) captions for the discussion.
If you teach a self-contained class, email CBrown@ncartmuseum.org to set up a Zoom call to discuss your specific needs for a custom program.
Scheduling Questions
All Virtual Field Trips are free!
You can sign up for a time slot as soon as two weeks and as far out as 14 weeks from today.
Read over the programs offered for your grade range, listed on this page under Learn More. Click the orange button that says Schedule Now. This link will take you to our YouCanBookMe booking page where you can select the day and time that works best for you. Fill out and submit the form. You will be given the option to schedule more sessions if you have more than one class. Your facilitator will send you a confirmation email with all the info you need.
Don't see program or time that works for your class? Email Cbrown@ncartmuseum.org.
Because our programs are interactive, we ask that your group include at least five students. If you have fewer than five students in your class, consider teaming up with another small group and/or check out the programs we offer through ClickView Live.
Because our programs are interactive, we ask that you sign up one class at a time. After you submit the form for your first class, you will see a confirmation page that contains a link to sign up for another time slot. You can sign up for as many time slots as our schedule allows.
No. Because our programs are based on conversations, students will not get the full experience through a recording. You can sign up for free again with your future classes!
Email CBrown@ncartmuseum.org to set up a Zoom call to discuss your specific needs for a custom program.
Nope! We are happy to meet with your students multiple times.
Email CBrown@ncartmuseum.org with a few dates and times that work best for you and we will do our best to accommodate your request.
When you sign up, you’ll see openings with all available facilitators and can choose the date and time that work best for you. You will not be able to select a specific facilitator during signup. This approach gives you the greatest flexibility and the best chance of finding a time slot that fits your schedule. If you have a specific facilitator in mind, you’re welcome to reach out to them directly to ask about their availability.
If you need to cancel or reschedule, please let us know as soon as possible via:
- the Cancel or Reschedule buttons on the automated emails you’ve received from our scheduling system (YouCanBookme), and/or
- email your facilitator directly.
Programs Questions
Your class will meet with a museum educator live via Zoom or the video conferencing platform of your choice. This educator, who is your Virtual Field Trip facilitator, will share images of NCMA objects (through a slideshow) and facilitate your students’ active engagement in discussion and practice of visual literacy skills. Together the facilitator and your students will examine, describe, and connect with two or three works of art.
We like to say that a Virtual Field Trip is not a presentation but a conversation. Your dedicated facilitator will ask students questions about what they see and think and how they connect with the objects and/or artists explored in the program. Students will be encouraged to actively participate in this conversation with the facilitator and with each other by speaking and listening.
Visit the Virtual Field Trip page to read about the programs offered for your grade level and the content areas they connect to. If you still have questions about which to choose, feel free to email CBrown@ncartmuseum.org.
While exploring the galleries can be a great experience, using a slideshow gives us more flexibility. We can include a wider range of artworks, including objects that may not currently be on view or that are too far apart to visit during a 30-minute program. Since the NCMA has two buildings, moving between galleries can take valuable time. A slideshow also allows us to avoid gallery traffic and focus more time on looking closely at and discussing the artworks.
Sure! But this will be considered a “custom” program. Please email CBrown@ncartmuseum.org to set up a Zoom call to discuss your specific needs for customizing the topic for your students.
Programs designed for elementary students are 30 minutes long. Teachers can choose between 30 and 45 minutes for programs designed for secondary students.
No. Both 45-minute and 30-minute programs contain the same content. The longer option allows for more time in discussion about the topic. Please note the 45-minute programs are currently only offered for secondary students.
Questions About What You Need
- Internet connection (test your internet speed here)
- Teacher laptop with camera
- Projection system with speaker and microphone
- External microphone (helpful but not required)
- Check out Technology Needed for Virtual Field Trips.
Yes. Please test the audio and visual connection between your laptop and projection system before your scheduled program. We can also set up a Zoom call with you to help test the connection and troubleshoot any issues. Email CBrown@ncartmuseum.org to arrange a test call.
If your school or system does not use Zoom (or if you already have a virtual space that your students are familiar with) your facilitator will gladly join your virtual space. Please make sure to provide the link and ensure that your facilitator is not blocked from joining with a non-school system email address.
Secondary teachers have the option for students to connect to the meeting on their individual devices. This is a good option for classes that prefer to communicate with each other and their facilitator in written form instead of verbally. Each student should have headphones or the ability to turn off their speakers and microphones.
As the classroom teacher, you are a partner with your facilitator. Please model active participation for your students by:
- calling on students to ask and answer questions;
- helping the facilitator hear your students by having them speak loudly and one at a time, and repeating their answers if needed; and
- monitoring student behavior throughout the program.
If your secondary students are connected on individual devices, we will add you as a Zoom co-host. In this case, please also monitor the chat and make sure student responses are on topic and school appropriate.
No worries! We understand that talking about art may be new for some students, and participation can take time. Your facilitator will create a welcoming environment by asking open-ended questions that invite students to share their ideas and listen respectfully to their classmates. We encourage all students to participate by both listening and speaking, but there are no wrong answers when sharing your ideas about art.
For most programs, students will not need anything for the live session with the facilitator.
There are a few programs in which students will need something you probably have in your classroom (paper, writing utensil, crayon, calculator, etc) and/or copies of a print-out that we provide. When your facilitator sends you a confirmation email, they will let you know what this is for your specific program, if at all.
We do not require that students take notes during any program. If you want them to, however, please make your expectations clear to them and your facilitator so that we can teach accordingly.
Accompanying Resources Questions
Sure! You can find links to the objects in the optional post-visit resources choice board your facilitator will send you in your confirmation email. Please do not share the images with students until after their Virtual Field Trip.
In your confirmation email, you will receive:
- A pre-visit slideshow - This is a generic introduction to the Museum, objects in the collection, and the types of questions your facilitator may ask in the Virtual Field Trip. Many of the programs have the same slideshow. Discussion questions can be found in the slideshow speaker notes and used for first-time slideshow viewers as well as those for which this slideshow is a repeat.
- A post-visit resources choice board - This is specific to your program. There are resources for teachers and students. Some programs come with an art kit with step-by step directions and supplies list (supplies are provided for interested NC teachers).
No. Here are the programs for which we currently have art kits:
- Art Mathematicians (Kindergarten-8th grade)
- Discovering Día de los Muertos (3rd-12th grade)
- Explore Ancient Cultures: Egypt (5th-9th grade)
- Explore Ancient Cultures: Greece (5th-9th grade)
- The Stories Art Can Tell, featuring Latin American Artists (all grades)
- The Stories Art Can Tell, featuring Women Artists (all grades)
Step-by-step instructions and a supplies list are free for all teachers, and can be found on the post-visit resources choice board for programs that come with a kit. Supplies are generously funded for North Carolina Teachers; please indicate if you would like this on your sign-up form and we will send your supplies to arrive in time for your scheduled virtual field trip.
We don’t provide separate choice boards for student resources because our post-visit resources are designed to support a wide range of grade levels, interests, and abilities. You know your students best and can choose the resources that will be most meaningful for them.
To make this easier, we provide a choice board template for your students. Simply add the NCMA resources that are the best fit for your students, and feel free to include your own activities or resources, too!
Value of a Virtual Field Trip
Your Virtual Field Trip will be led by a museum educator trained in inquiry-based and multimodal strategies for engaging students with museum objects. Our team currently includes three part-time facilitators, including a bilingual facilitator, so we can offer programs that are welcoming and accessible to a range of learners.
“This is the second year my students have participated in the virtual field trip. It’s truly an activity that encourages them to analyze works of art and connect them to their own experiences. It really motivates them to ask questions, observe closely, and gain a deeper understanding of the different perspectives art can offer—and to respect those differences. We really enjoy every session!”
“I was very proud of my students for speaking up when our facilitator asked questions. She was great to respond to them or me on the fly, and was very respectful to students. She had a great way of helping them speak up and share their ideas.”
“Student engagement was sparked by insightful conversations among themselves, the facilitator and instructor; to see it all unfurl - in real time- during the VFT was truly inspiring.”
“Greatest field trip that I have taken my students on virtually in my past 20 years of teaching. The attention to detail and student engagement wins my students over every time. I come back with my students again and again every year so they can have this unique experience.”
“This field trip was more than a lesson in art — it was a meaningful exploration of culture, voice, and history. I highly recommend it to any educator seeking to create impactful and inclusive learning experiences.”