ANCHORING THE INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE: STRATEGIES TO BRING STRUCTURE AND ALLOW FLEXIBILITY IN CURRICULUM-BASED INTERNSHIPS

With research showing the positive impact undergraduate internship experiences have on future employment and career, it is no surprise that colleges and universities are looking to expand their internship offerings. As undergraduate programs add internships to multiple curricula across many disciplines, there is a need to bring structure and rigor to these experiences. This paper will discuss the inherit challenges faced when adding internships to divergent disciplines and settings. Whereas programs such as teacher education have a long-standing tradition of internship experiences guided by accrediting bodies (and the benefit of a consistent placement site with the K-12 classroom), other disciplines have significant variability among internship and placement options. Given this variability, there is a need for flexibility while providing needed structure. This paper will provide strategies to firmly anchor internships into their corresponding academic curriculum. These strategies include methods to align the internship experience with program goals and outcomes and to ensure transference and application of classroom content while maintaining flexibility for application in varying internship settings.