Internship Course Provides A New Perspective

One of the signature components of Arcadia’s credit-bearing internships is the supporting academic coursework that challenges the intern to situate their work experience in a larger context. This learning outcome was achieved for the majority of the program’s history through the course INPR 310 Work in Thought and Action, which required completion of a research project relating to themes in the work placement. 

In recent months a number of our academic staff have collaborated to develop additional access for interns, and to meet a broader range of academic and career-oriented needs, in accordance with our Hallmarks of Teaching and Learning .The outcome of this work is an additional entry point to the internship, with the course INPR 210 Work in Thought and Action. 

Students will intentionally interact across the two levels of the course through lectures, developmental workshops, and reflective presentations at the culmination of the semester to showcase their learning achievements throughout their time in their placement. All students will pursue identical placement hours for maximum exposure to their organization and industry. 

Our new offering of INPR 210 will have a focus on continuous reflection opportunities and participation in our market-responsive workshops that guide students through the creation of practical career tools. Our lecture sessions are designed to introduce students to their local workplace culture, challenges facing those workplaces, the future of work, and the importance of framing their internship experience for their career aspirations post-graduation. Students participating in the INPR 210 section will have the faculty guidance necessary to build their foundation of work learning, and the course is suitable for sophomores. 

The INPR 310 section will also incorporate the emphasis on tangible professional resources and consistent reflection, but will retain the intensive independent research paper as part of the differentiation of the upper-division course, along with the associated writing assessment expectations. 

We are launching this initiative with our London Center for the Fall 2021 semester. Institutions can opt for the level which is most appropriate for their students, and we are happy to adjust registrations as needed.  We will provide updates as we continue to expand this opportunity to our other locations with semester internships.