Faculty Guide to Internships

Department Chair/Coordinator Internship Approval  

The department subject matter expert (SME) may be the program coordinator, faculty sponsor, or department chair.

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Step 1: Department Chair Assignment of Faculty Sponsor

• Establish a course section for the internship course.
• Ensure start dates are later than the semester dates to allow students time to finalize their internship placement.
• Course descriptions should indicate that a student’s internship must be approved prior to registering for the internship course.
• Each semester, identify the faculty members who will be serving as faculty sponsors for interns under each program in your department.
• Complete the request from the Career Development and Internships (CD&I) office with the names of faculty sponsors.

Step 2: Review and Preliminary Approval of Internship by Dept. SME

1. Go log in to Owl Careers.  
2. Click on “Faculty.” Use your PGCC user ID and Password to log in.
3. Click on My Students to see a list of students who have submitted a request for internship approval in your department.
4. Review students’ internship applications and experiential learning placements.
5. If you are not familiar with the employer, contact the site supervisor listed on the student’s experiential learning placement.
6. Use the NACE criteria to determine if the internship site and position are suitable for the student.
7. If the site and position are suitable for the student, the department’s subject matter expert will approve the student’s internship.
8. Click the link to approve the assigned students’ Experiential Learning Placement in Owl Careers.

Step 3: Final Approval of Internship by Department Chair

1. Documentation of regular contact with the student during the ELE:
   • Ex. Telephone calls, on-campus/virtual meetings, emails, site visits, etc.
   • A weekly or bi-weekly frequency of contact should be discussed and agreed upon during the first Faculty Sponsor/Student meeting.
2. Documentation of contact with the site supervisor
   • Telephone calls, emails, site visits, video conferences, etc., will suffice.
3. Completed, final student self-evaluation and the final Employer evaluation for the ELE.
   • Evaluation means and measures for the course will be pre-established by the Department Chair.
   • Faculty Sponsors review and honor the student’s Experiential Learning Agreement found in College Central Network.
   • Faculty Sponsors complete the faculty evaluation that their department has established for students registered for ELE credit.

Faculty Sponsor Internship Management

The department subject matter expert (SME) may be the program coordinator, faculty sponsor, or department chair. Embed the Owl Careers into the internship course Canvas site to encourage regular student access for administrative tasks.

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Step 1: Identify assigned internship students in Owl Careers.

• Log in to Owl Careers.  
• Click on “Faculty.”
• Use your PGCC user ID and Password to log in.
• Click on My Students to see a list of students assigned to you each semester for their internship course.
• If not already completed, click the link to approve the assigned students’ Experiential Learning Placement in Owl Careers.

Step 2: Meet with assigned students

• Review the list of assigned students.
• Review students’ contact information and schedule a time to meet with them within the first week of classes.
  • The initial meeting can be either virtual or in-person.
• Review the goals each student has established for their internship.
  • Using the employer’s job description or identified learning experiences/assignments/goals, assist each student with establishing measurable learning outcomes for the internship, which will serve as the basis for student evaluation
• If a student is utilizing a current employer for an internship site, the internship experience must consist of tasks and responsibilities that are beyond their "normal" duties.
• Confirm each student’s work schedule and calculate the required hours to meet based on credit enrollment.
• Discuss methods for student evaluation (i.e., final paper/project, weekly reports, etc.).
• Remind students to keep track of their time and attendance using the Track Hours feature in Owl Careers.
  • Students should document work activities on a weekly basis in Notes under Track Hours.
• Determine if the student intern will be working with an organization that has a documented plan that ensures their safety and well-being while on site.
• Inform students that you are available to provide internship guidance throughout the semester/term.
• Establish subsequent meeting times with each student.

Step 3: Contact students’ site supervisors.

• Contact each student’s site supervisor and introduce yourself as the interns’ faculty sponsor.
  • Inform the site supervisor that you can be contacted for feedback on the student interns throughout the semester/term.
• Obtain an internship work summary or the job description of the position the student intern has accepted, if it was not provided earlier.
• Remind the site supervisor to complete midterm and final evaluations for each student intern when they are sent through Owl Careers.
  • Provide approximate dates to expect evaluation requests and completion deadlines.
• Both midterm and final evaluations will be automatically emailed to site supervisors; you will be able to review the completed evaluations in Owl Careers.
• To review students’ Track Hours, Notes, Mid-term and Final Evaluations, etc.
  • Log in to: Owl Careers  
  • Click on: Experiential Learning
  • Locate the desired student and click on: Student's Name
  • Click on: Experiential Learning Placement
  • Select desired content by clicking on the following links: Track Hours, Notes, Student Mid-term Evaluation, Student Final Evaluation, Employer Mid-term Evaluation, Employer Final Evaluation, etc.

Step 4: Hold a second meeting with the assigned students

• The second meeting with an assigned student should take place once the student has started working in the internship position.
• During this meeting, finalize the learning objectives and remind the student to submit the revised version in Owl Careers.
• Obtain verbal feedback from the student regarding their internship and take note of the feedback.
• Guide students on how to get the most out of their internship experience.
• Remind the students of the internship mid-term and final evaluation due dates.

Step 5: Arrange Site Supervisor and Faculty Sponsor Meeting

• Contact site supervisors to arrange a meeting.
  • If possible, plan an in-person visit when the student intern is working.
• It is recommended that Faculty Sponsors perform at least one site visit during the semester/term for the following activities:
  • To assess the student’s professional development and work environment
  • To confirm the site’s suitability for the student to achieve learning goals
  • To observe student-employer interaction
  • To demonstrate a commitment to ensuring an appropriate student learning experience; and
  • To solidify the relationship between the College and the employer.
• When distance or other variables do not permit an on-site visit, the site visit can be conducted through documented communication with the site supervisor by telephone, virtual appointment, or email.
• Inquire about the student’s specific work, i.e., projects, work samples, professionalism, and how well the student carries out their daily responsibilities.
• Request that supervisors provide feedback on the student intern’s progress.
• Determine if an employer can host more student interns in the following semester/term.

Faculty Sponsor Record-keeping and Administrative Tasks

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Record-keeping

• Faculty Sponsors maintain a record of the following items for each student intern:
  • Current Job Description or Work Assignments
  • Work Schedule and Calculation of Required Hours
  • Learning Objectives/Goals
  • Student Journals/Logs/Reports
    • Experiential learning is a critical component of a successful internship.
• An internship experience requires students to connect what is learned during the experience to prior, discipline-related classroom instruction.
• Documentation of regular contact with the student during the internship:
  • Telephone calls, on-campus/virtual meetings, emails, site visits, etc.
  • A weekly or bi-weekly frequency of contact that is agreed upon during the first Faculty Sponsor/Student Intern meeting.
• Documentation of contact with the site supervisor
  • Telephone calls, emails, site visits, video conferences, etc., will suffice.
• Completed, Mid-Term and Final Evaluations from the student intern and the site supervisor.
  • Evaluation means and measures for the course will be pre-established by the Department Chair.
  • Faculty Sponsors review and honor the student’s Experiential Learning Placement in Owl Careers.
  • Faculty Sponsors complete their department’s faculty evaluation for students registered for a credit internship.

Administrative Tasks Upon Internship Completion

• Faculty Sponsors determine the student’s final grade for the internship course.
  • Input from site supervisor(s) is expected and desired.
  • Faculty Sponsors are ultimately responsible for awarding the final grade by the date and time specified by the College Registrar.
• Faculty Sponsors provide the Office of Career Development and Internships with up-to-date contact information and any related information that may be helpful with establishing or continuing an ongoing relationship with an approved Employer.