Internship Placement Research Articles

Student internships and work placements: approaches to risk management in higher education.

The increased use of student internships and other forms of work placements in higher education programmes brings recognised benefits to students but also changes the risks for higher education institutions (HEIs) globally. This paper responds to the under-addressed problem for HEI managers of understanding the varying levels of risk of harm to students and HEIs, and the HEIs’ strategic responsibilities to understand how to mitigate the risk for both parties. We develop a typology of the main types of internship placements and theorise their associated levels of risk according to the HEI’s levels of responsibility and operational control. The risk types are then plotted in a model of risk mitigation, mapped against the frequency of their occurrence and the severity of their impact, with a focus on HEIs and students. We conclude with practical and policy implications for HEIs and their managers. Our paper argues that HEIs must balance their risks and responsibilities with the costs and benefits of student internships and work placements, and contributes to understanding potential gaps between HEI strategic decision-making and operational practice at the programme level, along with solutions to address these.

The Development of Students Industrial Training Information System (FBM-STIS): Impact towards Process Efficiency

Faculty of Business and Management has developed Student Industrial Training Information System (FBM-STIS) to facilitate the faculty pertaining to student internship placement in line with Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0) emerged worldwide. Internship is a must for most undergraduate programs and it is carried out in the final semester. Owing to the complexity of the process, FBM-STIS is hoped to provide ease and accurate information to the students and FBM administrative staff. FBM-STIS also enhances efficiency through the reduction of time for students to receive the Confirmation Letter (CL), and support Green Nation program through its paperless initiatives and reduction of carbon emission since students’ physical presence is not needed at the faculty. Above all, it assists UiTM in its strategy to ‘Jana and Jimat’ in that, FBM-STIS is able to reduce operational cost. With the latest technologies, the study hopes the system match with the preferences of Generation Z who are more IT literate that favor simple and prompt process and feedback.

The Single Match: Reflections on the National Resident Matching Program's Sustained Partnership With Learners.

In 2020, the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) sponsored the inaugural “Single Match”—the first time that seniors and graduates of U.S. MD-granting and DO-granting schools participated in one Match. In honor of the Single Match milestone, the authors examine the NRMP’s history, reflecting on the organization’s efforts since the 1950s to support learners and the graduate medical education community by fostering a responsive, robust matching program while remaining true to its founding principles to provide parity of experience for applicants and reduce coercive practices. The chaos and stress associated with the pre-Match days in the 1920s and 1930s that led to the call for a national clearinghouse are highlighted as are significant NRMP accomplishments, from the organization’s incorporation as a 501(c)(3) organization in 1953 as a simple internship placement system through the first Single Match. Recognizing that the current transition to residency is not without its stressors, the authors note that the NRMP remains committed and willing to continue to evolve and identify innovative and meaningful ways to address learner needs and improve the transition to residency.

Strategies for Improving Quantity Surveyors’ Education Training in Uganda

Education and training of Quantity Surveyors (QSs) has been a topical subject amongst academics, the industry, and professional institutions, often leading to a discussion about education versus training, in which case, the industry sometimes argues that QSs are often ill-prepared for work. The current study investigated strategies for improving QSs’ education training in Uganda, with a focus on devising ways of engendering better graduates that are fit for the industry. A semi-structured online questionnaire was used to collect data. The research population included QSs practicing in the Ugandan Construction Industry. The majority of respondents agreed to a great extent that QSs, and thus their training, are still relevant in the current construction industry. Majority of respondents desired the teaching curriculum to include more practical aspects that expose students to real challenges in practice. It was suggested that early exposure of students to real field practice was paramount to students’ training. Engagements such as industrial training and internship placements in Quantity Surveying firms were highly encouraged. The curriculum also needs to be responsive to recent advances in industry practices, such as Building Information Modelling (BIM). Meanwhile, the University should intensify action research with the industry, and forge collaborations with all the key players in the construction sector to streamline the training. The findings of this study, if implemented, could potentially improve the quality of Quantity Surveying programmes at institutions of higher learning in similar developing countries. This would hopefully produce graduates who are industrially relevant and with a sound academic background.

“This is What My Kids See Every Day”: Bilingual Pre-service Teachers Embracing Funds of Knowledge through Border Thinking Pedagogy

ABSTRACT The present qualitative case study examines how community-based lessons impacted the practices, perspectives, and internship placement experiences of 16 bilingual pre-service teachers. Grounded in the concepts of funds of knowledge and border thinking pedagogy, the findings revealed that bilingual pre-service teachers drew on local knowledge to create community-based lessons; these lessons supported student engagement and participation, and they helped pre-service teachers develop a sense of belonging and connection. We end with important implications for the field of teacher education regarding the (re)framing of teacher preparation programs so that they center on learning with and from students’ and communities’ funds of knowledge.

Using Personalized Adaptive Learning to Promote Industry-Specific Language Skills in Support of Spanish Internship Students

This essay offers a response to the challenge of preparing student interns to successfully utilize Spanish professional terminology in legal and medical settings. The authors developed a personal adaptive learning (PAL) course to address vocabulary language deficits experienced by Spanish internship students. PAL technologies provide students of Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) the opportunity to engage in vocabulary learning through personalized feedback and alternative learning content. Implementing Cavanagh et al.’s (2020) Framework for Adapting Learning Design, the authors designed Spanish language modules for legal and medical terminology using Realizeit, a PAL platform that allows instructors to create their own content and assessment items. PAL modules for both legal and medical terminology were added to the Canvas learning management system of the Spanish Internship course and students could select the Realizeit module that fit their internship placement (legal or medical). PAL holds enormous potential to help LSP learners build mastery of industry-specific terminology that will be attractive to potential employers.

The University Internship Program and its Effects on Students’ Employability Readiness

Internships have traditionally been seen as a valuable way for university students to get preliminary job knowledge and experience, increasing their employability in a competitive labor market. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the internship program and its perceived effect on the employability readiness of selected graduating University students. Three individual factors (academic preparedness, positive attitude, and self-initiative) and four organizational factors (challenging job, effective supervision, task clarity, and compensation) were identified as critical ingredients of a practical internship based on a literature review. To investigate this further, a quantitative study involving 88 student interns was conducted. The results showed that the internship was generally assessed as highly effective and has positive effects on the employability skills development and the attitude towards future career. The results of the study proved that the academic internship programs and internship placement access are both necessary structural elements of successful internship programs that result in positive experiences for students and employers. The results of this study can be an input to the University and partner organizations.

An Investigation on Students’ Perception and Expectation from Hospitality Internship Program in Dhaka

The main objective of the study is to describe the intern students’ perceptions about their internship experience at hospitality industry in Dhaka. The respondents came from 22 educational institutes. The study used structured questionnaire (40 closed ended questions assessed using 5 point likert scale) comprised of three parts: Part I about internship placement, Part II factors influencing the internship program comprising with internship program planning, industry involvement and students’ self commitment, Part III pursuing a career in hospitality industry, along with demographic information. The study employed descriptive analysis to consider demographic information and central tendencies of the responses. A Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.93 is found and which indicates a good scale reliability. The study finds that students’ value their internship program planning and training notably. The successful completion of the training program has positive impact on future career in hospitality industry. However, the job hierarchy and long working hours create dissatisfaction among the interns.

Personality Matchıng Internshıp Placement System (PMIPS) Among Students of a Publıc Hıgher Learnıng Instıtutıon

The Personality Matching Internship Placement System (PMIPS) is a web-based system designed to assist students find a place for their industrial training using their personality scores as the basis for choosing the most suitable organisations or departments. This system will help them to choose the right organisations that match the organisation’s needs and requirement. The Adapted Waterfall model was used to develop the PMIP system. The evaluation of PMIPS is conducted once the development is completed. There are six constructs used for the evaluation purposes and 30 respondents were involved. The six constructs are ease of use, satisfaction, efficiency, consistency, user interface and usability. Respondents are required to use the system and then they were asked to answer the questionnaire given. As a result of the evaluation, the highest mean score is for the efficiency construct, 4.63(SD=0.49). The results show that the respondents perceived that it is efficient for them to use the system because they are able to see the results of their personality and which company is suitable for their internship placement. Future enhancement for the system includes functions that match the students’ personality with the specific job requirement.

The anticipation of working experiences among students from private institutes in Klang Valley: A qualitative perspective

As university students are entering a competitive workforce, getting a desirable job has become more demanding. Many universities offer industrial training or internship placements in their degree programmes. Thus, this study provides a qualitative perspective of anticipation of working experiences among university students in Klang Valley. This study is carried out in the form of face-to-face semi-structured interviews with ten university students in Klang Valley. The contents are analyzed by its content and code in themes. The results show that the anticipations of working experiences among university students fall into a few categories which are; relevant education, purposes and importance of working experiences as well as the challenges faced in the workforce. This study closes the gap between workforce expectation and students’ impractical expectations as it gives university students a better insight about working experience especially during their studies so that they can pre-plan their future. Overall, this study can benefit future university students by improving their expected skills which will lead to higher employers’ satisfaction.

Applying lean methodology to curriculum revision and internship placement process – a case study

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study, examine and apply lean management principles to the curriculum revision and internship placement process in an academic program at an institution of higher education.Design/methodology/approachThis paper consists of two sections. The first section reviews the literature on lean principles, lean tools, nonvalue-added activities and the application of lean methodology to academic settings. The second section presents a case study, where a team of faculty members applied lean principles to the process of curriculum revision and internship placement at an academic institution.FindingsLean principles can be successfully applied to curricular revision and the internship placement process. By applying the concepts of value, identification of value stream, removal of wasteful activities to achieve flow and creation of a pull-based system, faculty and program leaders can streamline processes at academic institutions. Furthermore, ongoing data collection helps to foster the culture of continuous improvement and ensure that processes are revisited and adapted to meet the needs of customers.Practical implicationsThis paper is of value to faculty members and college administrators interested in applying lean principles to academic processes. Usage of lean methodology may lead to the identification and elimination of waste in curriculum and the field placement process.Originality/valueThis manuscript can provide a structure for the application of lean in academic processes at institutions of higher education.

Model Prediksi Penempatan Magang Siswa SMK menggunakan Teknik Association Rule Mining

Insternship activity is one of the core activities of every Vocational School (SMK) as the purpose of this school is to conduct education at the level of work-oriented readiness. Every SMK graduate is expected to be better prepared to enter the industrial world. However, in fact there were gaps that resulted in the unpreparedness of students after graduating from school. This research identified and analyzed the placement of student internships. The aim was to find an insternship placement pattern in order to get an overview and recommendation of an appropriate internship according to students abilities. The technique used was the association rule mining, a technique of the data mining method that was useful for uncovering the rules that were correlated to each other so that they can better organize and predict the internship placements. The results showed that the association rule mining could be applied to analyze student performance and predict internship placements in the future. This prediction could be a consideration for the teacher to determine the subjects that need to be improved to prepare students for internships.

Lessons from rural medical training for physics education in Botswana

Despite being classified as an upper middle-income nation by the World Bank, Botswana’s economy is undiversified and heavily reliant on resources and commodities. Efforts are underway to drive the economy towards a knowledge- and technology-based one. In support of these efforts the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) was recently established. It is foreseen that a future part of the BIUST undergraduate physics curriculum would be an internship placement for final year students. This article aims to provide a framework for the design of such an internship, based on the established practices of the final year internship of (rural) medical students in South Africa.

Centres for Evidence-base Public Health in Tunisia- development, tasks and opportunities

Abstract Introduction As a part of the CONFIDE project, 3 Centres for Evidence into Health Policy (C4EHPs) were established in the Universities of Sfax (Head Office), of Tunis El Manar and of Sousse in Tunisia. The tasks of the C4EHPs include development of training programs, establishment of a national network of public institutions and NGOs, which will offer internship placements for the centres’ trainees as well as enhance public health development in Tunisia in general. The progress The 3 Centres were established, each with the necessary infrastructures of specially designated rooms equipped with computers, books, etc. A communication platform was launched and is regularly updated. Partnership agreements with NGOs and private institutions have been signed. The C4EHPs have supported three Train-the-Trainer modules for 18 Tunisian trainers ran by the 3 European CONFIDE partners, autumn 2018. The centres have each further trained 29 Trainees under the supervision of the European partners, spring 2019. Conclusions The 3 C4EHPs will act as an open source for all trainees interested in enhancing their practical work experience, networking between academic and non-academic environment and facilitating the implementation of the trainee internships. They will also market the CONFIDE products in Tunisia with the aim to sustain the public health development also after CONFIDE. In addition, the centres will search for further international funding for both training and collaborative research, according to the research domain of each faculty. The C4EHP of Sfax will be specialized in the areas of addiction, obesity, emerging infectious diseases and the quality of public health management in rural areas. The challenges of this work include lack of infrastructure and economic resources in Tunisia, lack of multi-level and cross-sectorial collaboration in public health as well as lack of stakeholder collaboration with NGOs and other non-governmental actors in public health.

Examining students’ perspectives on gender bias in their work-integrated learning placements

ABSTRACTWork-integrated learning (WIL) affords students opportunities to apply skills and knowledge to practical work placements. Students potentially learn professional behaviours appropriate to their chosen industry sector. However, students may also face challenges they may not be prepared to navigate. One of these is gender bias due to assumptions about women and work, particularly within STEM sectors. This article presents findings from a pilot study that explores WIL students’ perspectives on gender bias related to experiences at their internship placements or other jobs. The findings suggest that the potential lack of gender neutrality within organizations such as WIL placements, is nuanced through an underlying bias around thinking about gender, women and work, and demonstrated through institutional structures such as branded recruitment campaigns or the individual micro aggressions of co-workers and supervisors. Further research needs to focus on the impact of gender bias on students’ sense of value within different organizations, and the strategies they employ to navigate bias. In the short-term, all students need tools to help them understand how gender is constructed within organizational processes and how to develop strategies to help them confront gender bias within the organizations in which they work.

The ‘Lunar Side’ of the Story: Exploring the Sustainability of Curricular Internships in Higher Education

Curricular internships are increasingly seen as an effective strategy capable of contributing to the objectives and targets of the sustainable development paradigm, both in its social, economic and institutional dimensions. This positive outlook is ingrained within the large bulk of existing research, which has been focused on the discussion of positive outputs, such as the enhancement of graduates′ competences (employability) and their work integration (employment). An important, albeit relatively unexplored, feature of the sustainable institutional politics of curricular internship management pertains to the assessment of its associated liabilities and tensions. This article seeks to address this challenge, by analyzing two interrelated dimensions. First, it seeks to understand the internship processes ranging from the planning to the implementation stages. Second, it elicits the associated negative aspects (the ‘lunar side’) of internships, allowing for an assessment of the features where there is room for improvement. Empirically, this article draws on in-depth qualitative research. It presents the results of four focus groups, voicing the perceptions of top management structures and students involving first cycle degrees in the areas of Marketing, Management, and Accounting from four public Portuguese Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)-three polytechnics and one university. Findings confirm the general positive outlook of internships. Perceived negative perspectives report to both internal problems (such as the lack of institutional support and curricular design) and external problems (e.g., the shortage of suitable internship placements), constituting barriers towards sustainable institutional policies and strategies. Adaptive strategies to overcome specific difficulties are highlighted (e.g., establishment of advisory committees with local businessmen). Finally, recommendations regarding curricular internship management at HEIs are delineated (e.g., investment in monitoring and evaluation strategies of internships).

Becoming a Teacher of Writing: An Analysis of the Identity Resources Offered to Preservice Teachers across Contexts

This article explores the practice-linked identity resources offered to preservice ELA teachers as they moved through a teacher preparation program. Nasir and Cooks’s (2009) concepts of ideational, material, and relational resources are used as a frame to analyze the way preservice teachers talked about teaching writing at three points during their teacher preparation program. The study concludes that a narrow vision of the teaching of writing persists in the imagination of preservice teachers and in their secondary public school internship placements, rendering it difficult for teacher education programs to foster an alternate vision of what a writing teacher is or could be.

Using internship placements to road test threshold learning outcomes for environment and sustainability

In 2015 the threshold learning outcomes (TLOs) for Australian bachelor degree graduates in the discipline of Environment and Sustainability were released. This study road tested the Environment and Sustainability TLOs in the workplace via environmental science students’ internship placement. The study, which incorporated surveys of host-supervisors, students and teaching staff, was conducted over four years. The surveys enabled comparisons between the performance expected of a new graduate by employers with the level of performance students achieved while on placement. Overall, hosts expect new graduates to be ‘Capable’ performers (2.8 on a 5 point scale). Host-supervisors also rated the overall performance of interns as ‘Capable’ (3.4/5). Expected performance of a new graduate for individual TLOs was compared with the performance of interns. Students exceeded the expectations of host-supervisors for all TLOs. In contrast, teaching staff rated the performance of students lower than students themselves and host-supervisors. Fundamental differences in the way students are assessed in the workplace and the classroom may account for the difference in perceived student performance. The results of the surveys can be used as evidence that the degree is meeting the needs of industry and for graduates to undertake professional work in the Environment and Sustainability discipline. The methodology has the potential to be used in any discipline that has published TLOs. The authors recommend that the Australian Qualifications Framework is reviewed and a rubric that describes student behaviour is used rather than vague terms such as ‘well developed’.

Internship, Employability and Organisational Commitment in the Hospitality Industry in Bauchi Metropolis, Bauchi State, Nigeria

This study investigates the relationship between internship and employability in the hospitality industry in Bauchi State. The study adopted the cross-sectional survey in its investigation of the variables. Primary source of data was generated through self- administered questionnaire. The population of the study consist of 81 respondents made up of management staff, human resource managers, internship supervisors as well as interns themselves drawn from two purposefully selected hotels (Larema Hotels & Suites and Command Guest House) in Bauchi metropolis. The sample size of 72 was determined using the Krejcie and Morgan table. After data cleaning, only data of 67 respondents were finally used for data analysis. Data generated were analysed and presented using both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The hypotheses were tested using the Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation Statistics. The findings revealed a positive but weak relationship between internship and employability in the hospitality industry in Bauchi metropolis, Bauchi State. The study recommended that organization should truly see internship as a recruitment process and commit resources to it which enable them to initiate requests for interns in desired areas of interests. This will lead to greater commitment from hosting organizations. The task of looking for internship placement should not be entirely left to the students.

2019 SCI Scholars announced

The American Chemical Society has named 22 students as its 2019 SCI Scholars. Supported by the Society of Chemical Industry and ACS, the program places outstanding chemistry and chemical engineering undergraduate students in 10 week industrial internships. Scholars also receive $1,000 for professional development and the opportunity to recognize a high school science teacher who affected their careers. For more information, visit www.acs.org/sci. The following are the scholars, their institutions, and their internship placements. Luay Ahmed, Miami University, LyondellBasell Industries Andrew Beahan, Illinois Institute of Technology, LyondellBasell Industries Adrianna Boen, Johns Hopkins University, Eastman Chemical Ngan Cameron, University of New Hampshire, Dow Chemical Nathan Castro, California Baptist University, American Air Liquide Jacky Chin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, American Air Liquide Juil Chung, University of California, Santa Barbara; American Air Liquide Hunter Gieswein, Hope Coll...