Resources for Faculty Sponsors
» Communicating with the Student Intern
» Communicating with the Site Supervisor
» Learning Contract for Experiential Education
» Evaluation of the Internship Experience
» Additional Tips and Advice Faculty Sponsors Can Provide
Fredonia students are encouraged to utilize knowledge developed through a broad range of intellectual experiences. An internship is a learning experience gained by working in a position related to a student's major or career field. Internships provide hands-on experience that can confirm or reject tentative career choices, help to develop useful career building skills, show potential employers evidence of the ability to apply skills in a related work environment, and make students more attractive candidates for employment or graduate school.
Integrating classroom studies with the ongoing work of the host organization the student becomes at once an observer and a participant. It is the combining of roles that constitutes the special educational merit of an internship.
Communicating with the Student Intern
Verify that the student is prepared academically to complete the internship; 30 credit hours completed and a minimum 2.0 GPA.
Help and encourage students as they complete their Learning Contract. While it is primarily the responsibility of the student to complete and submit the contract on time (prior to starting the internship but no later than the last day to ADD a course for the relevant term), advice from the Faculty Sponsor is critical.
TIP: The student should have extensive discussions with his/her Faculty Sponsor before completing the Learning Contract to clarify the Educational Objectives.
Provide access to register for the appropriate internship course and corresponding credit hours. Students should be registered in the department which is associated with their academic curriculum. The number of hours a student works at an internship is usually determined by the amount of academic credit to be awarded. In general, 1 credit equals a total of 40 work hours. Sport Management and Exercise Science internships require 67 work hours for every 1 credit earned. A sample chart of hours per week can be found in the Internship Handbook.
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Communicating with the Site Supervisor
Evaluate the experience from the employer’s (Site Supervisor) perspective on several occasions throughout the internship. Three-way conversations can be very useful in helping to avoid and resolve problems. A written mid-term and final evaluation form are sent to the Site Supervisor at the beginning of the Internship experience. Evaluation responses should address the intern's ability to reach the stated goals and what strengths and weaknesses were shown in the process.
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Learning Contract for Experiential Education - Word | PDF
As a Faculty Sponsor, your input in terms of the grading procedure, assisting the student in getting registered, and delineating the learning requirements is essential to student success in their internship experience.
- Grading: After discussing the internship opportunity with the intern, a determination can be made for whether the student should receive a letter grade versus satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading.
- Educational Objectives: The student should connect their in class learning to skills they can develop through their internship experience including networking and observation/shadowing experience. These will referenced when the student completes the mid-term and final-evaluation forms; encourage students to be specific and copious.
- Evaluation Requirements: Determine how the student will verify hours completed, skills developed as a result of the internship, and a reflection and critical analysis of how the he/she will use these skills to advance in his/her college career and beyond. Examples include: journal entries, expectations paper, assessment paperwork, research projects, class presentation, portfolio development, etc. In addition, the Faculty Sponsor should insist that the student be in contact with him or her on a regular basis.
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Evaluation of the Internship Experience
With internships, as with any other course, the Faculty Sponsor makes a judgment and assigns a grade. Some departments use letter grades (A-F); other departments use Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U). It is the responsibility of the Faculty Sponsor to decide if a particular internship provides an appropriate learning experience for the student.
The Internship Coordinator provides support, ensures that university procedure is followed, and makes sure that information is readily available. However, it is the job the Faculty Sponsor to monitor and supervise the progress of each intern. Many require a paper from the student at the end of the internship; which should be an analysis of how the student achieved the stated Educational Objectives, challenges faced and goals. In addition the student and the Site Supervisor are provided with Mid-term and Final evaluations by the Internship Coordinator at the start of the internship. These forms should be completed as outlined on the Learning Contract.
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Additional Tips and Advice Faculty Sponsors Can Provide
Share resources, referrals and advice for students to apply for positions and make connections or become a mentor through the Fredonia Career Connections program.
Direct your network of colleagues and employers to post and share their internship opportunities through our “Host an Intern” web page or by contacting the Career Development Office at 716-673-3327 to speak with the Internship Coordinator.
Refer students to our internship web page to review previous internship sites, video stories, internships forms and the checklist to receive academic credit.
It is critical that Learning Contracts, especially for unpaid internships, are completed in a timely manner due to the need to complete an Affiliation Agreement through our University. Contact the Internship Coordinator with questions or assistance.
“Yet this is the greatest time in history to be a knowledge seeker . . . if you know how.”
-Too Big to Know, Internet philosopher David Weinberger
Internship Policies & Procedures
A complete description of the internship program and requirements can be found in the Internship Handbook.
Note: The print version is available upon request and will also be mailed during the Learning Contract process.
Quick Links
- Learning Contract for Experiential Education
- Word | PDF - Internship Position Description Form
- Word | PDF
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader to view PDF files.
Develop New Internship Opportunities
Direct your network of colleagues and employers to post and share their internship opportunities through our "Host an Intern" web page or let us know of your ideas for new internship sites.
Questions or Ideas?
E-mail Jennifer Wilkins, Internship Coordinator, or call 716-673-3327.
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