Sending K-12 students to malls for field trips is a good idea as long as it's an appropriate group being sent, such as one that teaches students how businesses market their products.

But field trips need to be more than entertainment - rather, infotainment.

The Oakland Press reported for a Saturday story that some Michigan educators believe students can benefit from field trips to retail centers.

"So much is required of the schools and students these days that any time spent away from the classroom would have to have a valuable academic purpose," Kay Cornell, assistant superintendent for instruction with the Royal Oak School District, told The Oakland Press.

But students who aren't of the right age to appreciate the inner workings of the consumer-driven economy shouldn't be expected to grasp the value of hands-on education in the mall. Thus, making a mall counterproductive as a field trip and more like a free day of shopping.

And using field-trip time to go to the mall could be a cheap way for valuable learning time that can be better spent at places such as a museum or a science center.

But if used correctly, visiting a mall can prove to be a valuable learning experience, allowing students to learn about marketing strategies or how advertising works.

Some malls, such as Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills, are aiming to help by adding educational programs which are available to schools and students through their marketing department to learn more about the way they operate.

Great Lakes Crossing offers student groups half-hour presentations and tours to highlight marketing concepts.

The time allotted for this level of involvement is often limited to a few times per year, and as a result is irreplaceable.

Therefore, this time needs to be worthwhile and as such should be set aside for activities that get the appropriate students involved.