Information for Faculty

Internship Introduction

According to the National Society of Experiential Education, an internship is any carefully monitored work or service experience in which an individual has intentional learning goals and reflects actively on what he or she is learning throughout the experience. Goals may be:

Academic Learning - apply knowledge learned in the classroom to the workplace
Career Development - gain knowledge of qualifications and duties of a position and can explore their interest in a field
Skill Development - gain an understanding of the skills and knowledge required in the workplace
Personal Development - gain decision making skills, critical thinking skills, increased confidence and self-esteem
Structure of an Internship
Vary in duration, can last from as little as one month or as long as two years (or longer)
Take place in a work or service environment
Part-time or full-time
Paid or unpaid
Monitored as part of an educational program for academic credit or intern can develop a learning plan
Intern must have an "intentional learning agenda" to bring to the experience

Career Services as a Resource

Available to work with faculty in all departments who are designing, implementing, and supervising an Internship Class or acting as a Faculty Internship Supervisor.
Provide classroom presentations on internship job search, resume development, and other areas of interest.
Resources on file in 110 Burge Union of up-to-date print materials of internship opportunities in a variety of fields
Sponsor an Internship Fair
Provide a Listserv for Internship Coordinators and Faculty Supervisors to share and receive tips, resources, and advice

Offering an Internship Class

Benefits of an Internship Class

Sample Syllabi

POLS 495 Topeka Intern Seminar
Burdette Loomis and Bill Wolff

Washington D.C. Internship Program
Burdette Loomis

Topeka Public Service Internship Program
Burdette Loomis

BUS 699 Internship in Business Administration
Lisa Ottinger

Environmental Studies Internship Program

Communication Studies Internship Program (COMS 530) Requirements

Grading, Credits, and Compensation

Being a Faculty Internship Supervisor

Role as a Supervisor

The faculty supervisor is responsible for helping the intern integrate the internship into his or her total academic experience. S/he provides academic direction and evaluates the learning derived from the internship.

Early in the process of finding an internship, the student should approach a faculty member who has some expertise in the area which he or she wishes to pursue an internship. Once the faculty member agrees to be a supervisor, they should meet to discuss the student's goals in finding and completing an internship. The faculty supervisor can serve as a resource for the student in locating and evaluating the appropriate internship.

Once the student has found an internship, the faculty supervisor will advise the student in defining the objectives, tasks, and evaluation criteria, as well as the academic requirements and amount of credits. Academic requirements can be a journal, paper, relevant research and/or projects. The faculty supervisor maintains appropriate contact with the student throughout the internship to give direction and support.

The faculty supervisor is asked to initiate a phone call to the site supervisor to establish contact and communication. Other forms of recommended contact throughout the internship are site visits, email or phone calls with the intern and site supervisor, progress reports and feedback sent between the intern and faculty supervisor, and meetings which occur off-site between the intern and faculty supervisor. The amount and form of contact is determined by the faculty supervisor.

At the end of the semester, the faculty supervisor and student intern will meet to review the academic projects and to review the experience. The faculty supervisor evaluates the intern's learning and assigns and submits the grade.

Keys to a Successful Supervision

Be sure the student is prepared and motivated to do the internship.
Identify a specific mentor in the business or organization to supervise the student.
Make sure the student has clear expectations before the internship begins (hours, pay or no pay, nature of the work, etc.)
Check in with both the student and the site supervisor for progress reports at least once a month.
Require the student to provide at least one written self-evaluation at the end (to be shared with you) and, preferably, an interim report or two.
Ask the site supervisor to evaluate the student at the end of the internship and encourage the supervisor to share the evaluation, in writing and orally, with the student as well as providing the evaluation in writing to you.

Typical Problems

The following are warning signs that there may be problems with an internship, according to the National Society for Experiential Education:

Imitations of conflict between employer and student or between the intern and other workers
Too much "gopher" work (stapling, copying, filing, etc.)
Student lack of responsibility
Personal or emotional problems hampering the intern's functioning at work
Sexual harassment of the intern or by the intern in the work setting
Burnout because of overwork, perhaps brought on by all the student's responsibilities, in and out of the internship

Legal Issues - topics covered includes laws on paying an intern, worker's compensation, unemployment, and international visas.

Six Stages of an Internship Experience

Although each internship experience is unique, many students move through six stages during an internship experience. The following is an excerpt from The Internship as Partnership: A Handbook for Campus-Based Coordinators and Advisors, edited and published by the National Society for Experiential Education, 1995:

Arranging and anticipating an internship
Orientation and establishing identity
Reconciling expectations with reality
Productivity and independence
Closure
Re-entry and practical application

Professional Organizations

The Cooperative Education and Internship Association
www.ceiainc.org

National Society for Experiential Education
www.nsee.org