Service-Learning Internships
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A successful service-learning internship meets the needs of both the community agency and the student.

A good fit : When designing an internship, agencies must remember that the clearer the job description, the better the fit. The agency should include characteristics and skills that are required for the internship.

Schedule : Where possible, indicate specific dates, events, or scheduling constraints that may be relevant to the intern in the job description.

Feasible : The internship must be completed within 10-12 hours per week of service over a 14- or 15-week period, totaling 150 hours in the spring. In the summer, interns are required to work 40 hours per week for 8 weeks, totaling 320 hours in the summer.

Flexible : Interns will not be expected to work during Official University holidays, breaks or during exam week. Official University Holidays falling in the Spring Term are: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Spring Break, and Good Friday.

Connection to Learning : APPLES internships are uniquely offered to help students connect learning in the classroom with “real world” experiences they have in the organizations.

Internship characteristics that provide for effective service-learning:

  • Enhance the student’s understanding of a specific social need or issue connected to their academic learning
  • Opportunity for action rather than simple observation
  • Reasonable requirements appropriate for student load
  • Minimal time on clerical or administrative tasks
  • Structured, but flexible
  • Work designed to further an agency goal
  • Regular communication between agency supervisor and intern’s faculty advisor
  • A sense of closure or completion at the end of the semester
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