Abstract:

Background:
The Department of Microbiology and Immunology offers MS graduate programs in Infectious Disease, Molecular Medicine, and Immunology. Each program is taught both traditionally and online, with an identical curriculum regardless of teaching modality. The programs are designed for those currently employed or considering a career in the field of biomedical research in an academic, clinical, government or industrial setting. The information provided in this communication is specific to the Research Internship in Immunology undertaken while studying for the Master of Science in Immunology degree.

Online Course Description:
Given that a significant number of enrolled students are employed within the biomedical industry, they have the opportunity to perform unique research projects under the guidance of their respective laboratory supervisors. In other cases, students identify research opportunities in laboratories within academic or industrial institutions near their homes.

Project Formats:
There are three types of experiential learning projects:
1) Experimental research project, involving bench research conducted during a 16-week semester;
2) The acquisition of data from a participating laboratory, with the student performing data analysis and interpretation of the provided information; and
3) The preparation of a review of the current research literature in an area that is of interest to the student and to the broader scientific community.
All projects require the preparation of a manuscript for publication and an oral presentation describing the project, the results obtained, the analysis and interpretation of the data, and the design of future studies. Each project is assessed by a three-member panel of faculty members who evaluate the quality of the research report and oral defense before assigning a final grade. Surveys are embedded within the course to allow the students to provide feedback about their experience and challenges at the commencement of the project, during the experience, and at the end prior to the presentation of the findings.

Discussion:
In this presentation, the challenges faced in establishing the course, including identifying appropriate research laboratories intellectual property issues arising from the reporting of research findings from the sponsoring laboratories, and the time constraints of completing a project within an academic semester will be discussed. We will explore the key success metrics of the course , including the number of projects completed as well as student success in terms of publications and promotions arising from the research. These methods have resulted in numerous successful students who met their respective career goals. Examples of student experiences and outcomes of the internships are included in the presentation.

Keywords:

Experiential Learning, Research Internship, Graduate Education.