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Faculty/Staff
Internship Guidelines/Overview
The following GUIDELINES are designed to assist
departments in the
development and operation of internships. These GUIDELINES are not
POLICY. Departments will use, modify and adopt these or
similar guidelines to help foster meaningful internship experiences.
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PAGE RESOURCES INDEX:
Definitions:
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Cooperating Employer
- University, industry or government, agency, business or organization
that has agreed to participate in the internship program and whose
participation has been agreed to by the department.
Faculty Supervisor
- faculty member who supervises the student’s
internship experience. Such person should be knowledgeable in the area
of work in which the student is gaining experience, and may or may not
be the student’s advisor or departmental coordinator.
Departmental Coordinator
- department head or person designated by
same, who coordinates activities of all internships in that academic
department.
General
Information:
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A. Eligibility
- Each department determines and
publishes eligibility for internship credit. Criteria may include grade point average,
number of hours completed or class rank.
B. Course Prerequisites -
Departments may establish prerequisites which are appropriate to the
experience. Such prerequisites may vary within departments depending on
the type of experience. Sometimes “permission of instructor” and “consent of
department” are indicated.
Academic
Credits:
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1. Departments may establish maximum limits for internship credit. Each department
establishes a formula to determine the number of credits awarded
for a given experience. The credit should be commensurate with the
student’s accomplishments and not merely length of time spent.
Restrictions must be in line with Campus and College credit
restrictions.
2. Repeating the internship course for academic credit is possible only
with different objectives, and within the established maximum hours for
graduation credit.
3. Credit earned in internships may be used for major, elective or open elective credit.
4. Credit beyond any set maximum may be granted through a Special Topics
course, assuming that an additional project, beyond the internship
agreement, is undertaken and such project is consistent with criteria
established by the department for such projects.
5. Credit should be awarded during the semester that the internship is
completed.
6. Credit for internships should be awarded in the department most
clearly aligned with the technical content of the experience.
Grading/Evaluating:
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 Each
SU department will determine the grading system be used, which can be
either P/F or letter grades.
Below
are examples of how other schools grade their student internships-This
information is from the listserv "JobPlace" which is a large listserv
for higher education member and employers.
Developing a list of likely expectations the employer may have of the
student. What is controlled by the student? What is controlled by the
employer?
Analyze the organization in terms of mission & goals, organizational
structure, climate, interviews with other employees, etc. students can
make observations based on what they find out.
Developing specific performance objectives or goals with the employer.
Analyzing the workplace in terms of teams, how problems are solved, how
to cope with stress, etc.
Evaluating job performance and making plans for improvement.
Updating the resume with things learned on the internship
Additional responses:
Does the experience also include a reflection paper and a
presentation to peers? Some of our departments require those as part
of the
internship.
We also require our students to: -complete a set number of
informational interviews (these typically happen within the organization
or with partner organizations) -meet with a career counselor after the
internship to discuss how the internship fits into their career goals
(and update their resumes with the new experience) -complete a final
assignment (the type varies but some examples include keeping a journal
of the experience which is submitted via email/blog every two weeks [or
every week if internship is international], a conference-quality poster
[for research related internships], a presentation [we then can have the
students go into classes and present on their internships], a report
[something that was created on the job--power point presentation,
literature review, etc] or some other format that student and faculty
agree upon (the only example I can remember was a video that 2 students
made about international internships).
We use an evaluation of the student's work performance from the site
supervisor on key work behaviors (such as professionalism,
dependability, initiative etc) and faculty then can look at a portfolio
of the student's work completed at the internship site. We use a
WebSurvey with a Likert Scale to evaluate performance, perhaps one
created for faculty based on Learning Outcomes (like what is done for
classes) would be helpful for all parties involved?
We have gone away from grading internships, due to the problem of
subjectivity. In my opinion, the workplace and a true evaluation of a
student's work there is too far out of the expertise of faculty to
expect a fair and consistent grade. Plus, since we are not "graded" in
our professional lives (in a traditional academic sense) it seems out of
place to assign grades to experiential learning. I have installed a
Pass/Fail system for internships. Our students are required
to complete an Internship Contract, 120 Work Hours for 3-credits, write
a mid-term and final paper, and complete two online surveys. Completing
all assignments merits a grade of Pass. Failure to complete all
assignments is a failure of the course. This allows for the faculty
member to concentrate on connecting the experience to the classroom and
to offer needed advice and removes the pressure of assigning a
traditional grade. This also allows some wiggle room to provide an
Incomplete if a student simply misses one assignment. I normally reserve
a grade of Fail for when a student is terminated, is dishonest, or
commits some egregious workplace act.
As a former intern director, we used "Specific Learning Objectives"
and they worked like a dream. Everyone knew what was expected of
them as long as they were specific to what the student needed to apply
from her learning and it matched the needs of the employer. The
statements that needed to be answered were:
1. What is the task to be completed?
2. How is it going to be accomplished?
3. Who is going to supervise this task?
4. When will it be completed?
The faculty members in our college grade internships based on the
following criteria: clock hours on the job, evaluation form (4 pages)
from the supervisor), and the student's paper regarding the experience.
All of our students must write a paper, which is usually counted as the
academic component of the internship. They take the evaluation and
number of hours worked into consideration as well. (This helps if the
student wrote an A paper but got mediocre scores from the supervisor and
vice versa.)
Student
Responsibility: (back to
top)
A. Initiate Participation
- Students should discuss their intention with their advisor at least one
semester prior to the desired semester of participation in internship
programs.
B. Consideration of Employment
Opportunities - Students should
obtain information concerning potential opportunities in specific areas
of interest from the departmental coordinator, department or Career
Services Office, and/or faculty members. Internship opportunities
identified by students are also considered.
C. Preparation of Resume
- Students should prepare a resume and/or
personal data sheet to use in seeking an internship. Assistance in
preparing such materials may be obtained from the Career Center offices
within the GUC, Room 133..
D. Determination of Specific
Objectives - Students will assume
primary responsibility to determine specific objectives of the
internship in consultation with the faculty supervisor and cooperating
employer, and will also identify activities that will relate to these
objectives.
E. Procedures
- Students will submit an application for internship participation to
the faculty supervisor or
Departmental Coordinator. Students will register and pay tuition and fees
in the semester in which the internship is being completed. Students who
participate in internships that take them away from campus for fall or
spring semester (or both) should notify the Academic Programs office prior to the internship to avoid being dropped from the
University and having to apply for readmission.
F. Typical/Suggested Assignments -
1. The student are typically instructed to submit periodic progress reports to the faculty
supervisor, with the number and frequency to be determined by the
department. Students are encouraged to meet with the faculty supervisor
to discuss assignments before they are due.
2. The student often submits a final report which is evaluative in nature
and which makes recommendations for future internships. The report
should be more than a diary of activities and should provide a
thoughtful critique of the experience.
3. Additional assignments and/or specific on-site projects if such are consistent
with the student’s program of study and philosophy of the major
department.
4. The student often are asked to participate in a post-internship seminar designed
for exchange of ideas and experiences between fellow interns and faculty
members
As a student you will:
 Experience the
affirmation of being selected into a professional experience you have
sought out.
Discover how your
talents, personality and approach to work will play an important role in
your professional development.
Step outside of
the traditional role and perception of yourself as a “student” in a
class - in a school- with peers; and replace it with the perception of
yourself as a “one-day-soon-to-be-graduate” in a business- in a community – on
your own.
Through
professional interactions, observations and performance develop a sense
of respect for the business community and the professionals you work
with.
Discover first
hand that a career is a reward that is earned - based solely on the
merits you have presented and the effort you have put forth.
Possibly develop
the opportunity for permanent employment at the internship organization.
Experience
professional consequences that procrastination, lack of professional
demeanor, lack of focus or diminished performance can have on
career opportunities.
Departmental
Coordinator Responsibility:
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A. Implementation of departmental
policies - Assumes primary
responsibility for implementing those standards established by the
departmental faculty (course prerequisites, minimum grade point average,
credit-awarding formula, etc.)
B. Selection of students -
Discusses internship concepts with prospective participants and works
with academic advisors in selection of students for participation.
Collects applications from students seeking internship experience and
checks that appropriate prerequisites have been completed.
C. Maintenance of Memorandum of
Agreement - Distributes necessary
forms and maintains signed agreements for all participants. Signature of
departmental coordinator assumes that departmental and college-wide
standards are being met. Assures that copies of signed agreements are
distributed to faculty supervisor and cooperating employer for each
intern.
D. Program adjustments
- Works closely with faculty supervisor
and cooperating employer in evaluating and making necessary adjustments
in the program as problems arise.
Faculty Supervisor Responsibility:
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A. Identification of Objectives
and Activities - Assists the
student in identifying internship objectives that are consistent with
the intention of the program and the student’s interests and
capabilities. Identifies activities that are consistent with the
objectives and are feasible at the selected work site. Indicates support
of objectives and activities with signature on Memorandum of Agreement,
which is sometimes used.
B. Supervision of Internship
- Provides indirect supervision by reviewing progress reports that are
submitted by the intern. Serves as contact person when cooperating
employer finds it desirable to discuss aspects of interns program. On-
site visit by the faculty supervisor is desirable whenever practical.
Cooperating
Employer Responsibility:
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A. Approval of Objectives and
Activities - Signature on
Memorandum of Agreement (sometimes used) signifies that stated objectives can be achieved
and stated activities are feasible at the proposed work site.
B. Provide professional
educational experience - Provide
the opportunity for a student to receive a professional educational
experience.
C. Evaluation
- May assist the Faculty Supervisor in the final evaluation of the
student’s performance. Takes under advisement suggestions made by intern
in final evaluative report as to how future internships at the site
could be improved.
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Definitions