Internship Resources for Faculty and Staff

Internship Instructors

Faculty Supervisor Responsibilities

While the employer supervises the student's day-to-day work, the faculty supervisor oversees the academic integrity of the internship experience. In addition to approving internship placements, faculty supervisors establish learning objectives, monitor student progress, assess academic work, and ensure the internship aligns with departmental expectations and the educational goals of the course.

Getting Started

• Become familiar with College of Arts & Sciences Internship Policies
• Learn about any additional departmental internship policies [I’d love to hyperlink that to an additional page one day—maybe by the end of next semester!]

Required Academic Components

Faculty supervisors are encouraged to tailor assignments to their program's learning outcomes. Instructors retain broad discretion over course design, provided that all internship-for-credit courses satisfy the following minimum academic requirements:

• Goals & Learning Objectives: Each internship course must include an assignment or activity that establishes clear, measurable learning objectives at the beginning of the semester. Learning objectives should connect the internship experience to the student's academic program and identify the professional knowledge, technical skills, and career competencies the student expects to develop.

  Examples:

  • Learning objectives or internship contract
  • Learning agreement signed by the student, employer, and faculty supervisor
  • Professional development plan
  • Internship proposal outlining goals and expected outcomes

• Learning & Reflection: Each internship course must include opportunities for students to reflect on and integrate their workplace experiences with their academic learning. Reflection assignments should encourage students to analyze their experiences, evaluate their professional growth, connect theory to practice, and consider how the internship has influenced their career goals.

  Examples:

  • Weekly or biweekly reflection journals
  • Discussion boards
  • Reflective essays or blogs
  • Midterm reflection paper
  • Professional competency self-assessment
  • Final portfolio or presentation connecting academic coursework to the internship experience

• Supervision, Feedback, & Evaluation: Each internship course must include structured feedback and evaluation from both the employer and the faculty supervisor. Students should receive ongoing guidance throughout the internship, as well as a formal evaluation of their performance and progress toward their learning objectives.

  Examples:

  • Midterm employer evaluation
  • Final employer evaluation
  • Scheduled faculty check-ins
  • Supervisor feedback meetings
  • Student self-evaluation
  • Final evaluation comparing learning outcomes to goals established at the beginning of the semester

Data & Reporting

All faculty supervisors are asked to submit internship data at the conclusion of each semester. The Internship Hub will compile and analyze this information to produce annual reports highlighting college-wide trends, successes, and opportunities for improvement while helping departments make data-informed decisions.

Required Semester Reporting:

• Student information
• Employer information
• Compensation
• Hours completed
• Internship outcomes

Ways to Report:

• Qualtrics Survey for student interns
  • Suggestion: Make completing this survey a required assignment in your course!
• Faculty Reporting Template
  • Reports must be sent to the Internship Specialist at the end of each semester of instruction.