SOURCE
Vol. 16
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No. 2
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13
March 2019
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Making Internships High-Impact Through Online Coursework Internships provide valuable and necessary experiential learning situations for students to begin shaping their professional identities. The literature suggests these experiences are not just beneficial in terms of career preparation but are also instrumental in growing students’ interpersonal communication skills and even intercultural competencies (Aldas, Crispo, Johnson, & Price, 2010; Simons et al., 2012). In fact, in one of the few studies involving student perception of high-impact educational practices (HIPs), students considered internships the most engaging of the HIPs. Students reported working harder and participating more actively in internships than in other HIPs, such as servicelearning or learning communities (Miller, Rycek, & Fritson, 2011). When it came time to develop a new internship course for integrative studies majors at Kennesaw State University, we created what we believe is a high-impact pedagogical framework for students’ experiential learning that balances academic learning, interaction, and reflection. The following discussion provides an overview of our development of the course and our ongoing study of its effectiveness.
Rationale and Methods When our Leadership and Integrative Studies department sought to expand our integrative studies offerings to include a degree completion option, the deciding factor was whether it would maximize students’ readiness for entering the workforce. To meet this expectation, we required students entering the track to complete additional courses in oral and written communication, leadership studies, information technology, and a senior capstone course. We also wanted to be sure the students could complete an internship, if desired, even though they would be entering the general studies track with differing academic preparation and career aspirations. In designing an internship course for our majors, we wanted it to cover themes with broad professional applicability, as well as opportunities for collaboration and reflection that distinguish HIPs. HIPs are a central component of Kennesaw State’s ongoing efforts to provide transformative learning experiences for students through first-year seminars, learning communities, service-learning, and internships. Within University College, which houses our integrative studies major, students who pursue internships can stay true to their customized degree plans and intern at a variety of sites. Therefore, to develop an internship course that would most benefit students, we selected learning objectives that would be applicable to career development in any setting. These include the following: 1. Demonstrate a professional work ethic and behaviors while working with others in the workplace environment.
Deborah Mixson-Brookshire Associate Professor of Management, Distance Learning Coordinator
Mike Keleher Assistant Dean for Retention and Academic Success, Associate Professor of English Kennesaw State University
“In designing an internship course for our majors, we wanted it to cover themes with broad professional applicability, as well as opportunities for collaboration and reflection that
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distinguish HIPs.
2. Effectively describe, in oral and written form, their experiences in the workplace in a critical and reflective manner.
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