Granting Credit
Arranging Credit
Students must earn academic credit on their home campuses while abroad on their internships. Internships range from ten weeks to six months of full-time work. Students arrange for appropriate credit with faculty at their home institution. The student should present a copy of the Internship Position Description to you so that you can have a clear understanding of the host organization, the student's internship duties, and the cultural and geographical setting the intern will be placed in. The specific reporting requirements or assignments for credit are up to you.
Before the intern can be registered for credit by their IE3 campus advisor, they must decide on the reporting requirements for the credit to be awarded. A general guideline for internship/practicum credit is one academic quarter credit hour for every 30 hours of work. Additional research or academic work can be a contributing enhancement to a students' on-site experience - but both interns and faculty should keep in mind that the internship itself is the focus of the students' time abroad. Most hosts are open to side projects and academic papers, particularly when these can complement the intern’s on-going work assignment, but please keep in mind the amount of work the student will be putting in as he or she adjusts to both a new culture and a new professional organization.
All interns must be enrolled for academic credit through their home campus for the duration of the internship. Individual campuses set their own minimum enrollment; some students will choose to carry very little credit, but many others need to remain full-time students in order to access financial aid.
Possible Assignments for Credit
IE3 provides interns with an in-depth and rigorous reflection journal, which can be useful for your assignment. The IE3 journal prompts interns to consider their internship goals, initial adjustments and reactions, personal challenges, host organization problem-solving, and other important aspects of the intern’s complex journey. Many faculty consider the completion and submission of the journal to be sufficient for credit to be awarded. Other ideas for academic credit include:
- Develop a presentation to give upon return to your classes and facilitate a discussion;
- Write a journal ('blog') integrating both theory and reflective entries;
- Prepare a focused research paper or current events report, documenting local conditions and problem-solving initiatives or approaches; or
- Maintain e-mail correspondence or a blog for members of your class at the home campus.
Registering for Credit
Students should obtain a credit agreement form from their campus advisor, and return the completed form to the campus advisor once they have concluded a credit arrangement with the faculty member granting credit. Students should NOT be enrolled in credit directly by faculty or individual departments, or they will be charged incorrectly for their internship credit.
If you have questions about credit awarded for an internship in the past or methods used on other campuses, please contact the IE3 campus advisor at your institution, or the main program at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).