Academic Internship Orientation

Academic Reflection Of Your Internship Experience

What Is An Academic Internship?• An academic internship is any carefully

monitored work or service experience in which a student has intentional learning goals and reflects actively on what she or he is learning through the experience. Academic credit is earned for the experience.

• The internship is overseen by a faculty or staff member at the University of Memphis and by a designated representative at the internship site.

What’s the difference?Part-time Job

Great source of income, limited new learning opportunities generally.

Academic InternshipPurpose is to learn something new,

acquire new skills and knowledge for future job preparation.

The Learning ExperienceLearning can come from many different sources:The work assignmentsThe work environmentThe work teamThe community partnersEvents that occur during your internship experience

Get Prepared To Learn• Be Open To New Experiences• Start With A Great Learning Attitude• Learn As Much As You Can• Anticipate Your Experience• Be Open To Feedback• Become A Keen Observer

Your Site Supervisor and FeedbackFeedback is how we learn—don’t be afraid of it!If you’re unsure, ask for feedback!Learn from the feedback—if you’ve made a mistake, learn from the mistake and excel in that activity next time!

Academic ReflectionReflect Upon Your Experience and Ask Yourself These Questions:What did I learn through this experience?How have my previous courses prepared me for this?What would I do differently if I could repeat this experience based on my new knowledge?

Your Academic PortfolioA Summary Of What You’ve Learned—For

Now and For The Future

Use The Outline In Your Internship Orientation Packet To Guide You

Sample Student Portfolio

Getting Started

Learning Goals—What Do I Hope To Accomplish?

Connecting Your Coursework To Your Internship

Internship Site Research—check the website, what does your employer provide to the campus or the community?

Learning About YourselfCareer Assessments

Does this experience help you know more about your future goals? www.memphis.edu/career services/Focus 2Career Preparation

Update your resume with your new skills, include in your portfolio

Ask your site supervisor for a future reference

Learning About The ExperiencePortfolio—1-2 page typed summary Evaluate what skills you’ve acquired The new knowledge you’ve obtained The “soft skills” you’ve learned-teamwork,

etiquette, culture, communication and more!

Journaling and Time Log• Time Logs—Keep track of your hours; it

will be too difficult to do at the end—sample time logs in your packet.

• Personal Journal—Keep notes of what you learn in a personal journal. You’ll be able to recall experiences easier for your summary at the end.

Program EvaluationsUsing the forms provided, gather evaluations from:Your faculty advisor (at the end)Your internship site supervisor (at the end)Your personal evaluation—midterm and final

Copies of form in your packet, email Mrs. Tuberville for electronic forms to submit.

Using This Experience In The Future

• Take Your Portfolio To Future Interviews for internships and Jobs, Scholarship Interviews

• Show What You’ve Learned—include photos or project samples; demonstrate your experience creatively!

• Save on a DVD—you can keep it easily and share with future faculty and employers

Resources Available• Office of Academic Internships• Career Services• The Internship Team Members• www.memphis.edu/internships• www.memphis.edu/career services• Faculty Advisor

Remember This Is A Learning Experiences“Education is revelation that affects the individual”

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, 1780

“It gives meaning to everything you have learned and makes practical sense of something you’ve known as theoretical.”

Student Intern Reflection

An Internship Experience…

Will Be What You Make It

Do Your Best and Make It A Great Experience!