News and Events

• Work Connections is available for Adult Undergraduate (AU) and Weekend & Evening College (WEC) students only.
• The AU/WEC Work Connections option will meet the same criteria and goals of all other Augsburg Experience options but allows AU/WEC students to utilize their rich and often extensive work history to meet the requirement.
• Students who are currently working full or part-time will have the option of registering their related (current) work experience in lieu of an internship.
• The 0-credit Work Connections course will include writing learning goals that integrate experience with classroom learning and utilize reflection assignments based on the current work experiences/jobs of the students.

WORK CONNECTIONS REGISTRATION PROCESS

• Identify opportunities with your employer to gain experience in a new functional area, or enhance a skill set or experience related to your major.
• Consult with the Strommen Center staff prior to the term you wish to register to discuss requirements and to have your proposed work experience approved. You can schedule an appointment in Handshake for an in-person meeting or a phone conversation.

The Strommen Career & Internship Center at Augsburg University appreciates your willingness to supervise an Augsburg University Intern. Thank you for providing a valuable on-the-job learning experience for one of our students. We believe you and your organization will receive capable assistance, enthusiasm, new ideas, and other numerous benefits.

We understand and appreciate your investment of time in supervising a student. Your important guidance, training, and feedback are the essential components that make an Internship different from other part-time jobs. Students receiving internship credit for their work experience hope to apply classroom learning to actual situations, learn new skills and understanding, and test out career interests. In this relationship, you become a supervisor/teacher and the student a worker/learner, working together to achieve your organization’s goals and the student’s learning objectives. Additionally, you gain the personal satisfaction of helping prepare a future member of your professional community.

To encourage the best possible work and educational experience, we suggest the following best practices for supervisors.

ORIENTATION

• Provide a position description. Explain specific duties and expected standards of performance.
• Clarify schedule, acceptable attire, deadlines, degree of independence, and to whom the student will report.
• Give the student a tour of the office and company/organization. Introduce the student to key personnel and point out supplies, resources and basic office procedures.
• Describe your organization and your department. Supply an organizational chart if available. Explain the student’s role within the organization. Relate how your department fits into the big picture.
• Offer the student websites, brochures, newsletters, manuals and reports that can provide information on your organization’s purpose, development, policies and activities.
• Discuss with the student the learning objectives that she/he would like to accomplish.

ACADEMIC CREDIT

Augsburg students have the option of registering for academic credit for their work-based internship experience. If the student wishes to receive credit, he/she is required to work with a faculty member and develop specific goals and objectives for the work experience, a strategy for achieving each objective, and a method of evaluation.

SUPERVISION

• Schedule regular meetings to go over assignments, answer questions, and offer feedback. Encourage the student to contribute ideas and suggestions.
• Review performance on an informal, on-going basis. Discuss strengths and areas for improvement. Most students welcome constructive feedback on their performance. Don’t forget positive reinforcement. Many students are concerned about how they are doing, but may feel uncomfortable about asking.
• Adjust the level of responsibility, if necessary. Add new tasks or provide more training.
• Include the student in some staff meetings, if at all possible. Explain why and how certain departmental or company decisions are made.
• Share your own career path. Introduce students to professional literature and resource persons in your organization. Recommend further experiences or courses in your field. Encourage and facilitate similar discussions with other professionals.

EVALUATION

Evaluation Feedback: We ask you to assess the student’s performance at the end of the experience using the evaluation form that will be provided by Augsburg University (an internal organization evaluation form is also acceptable). We encourage you to discuss your evaluation with the student. Please discuss your perception of accomplishments and the student’s level of knowledge and skills and how this may affect future education and career goals. An optional letter of recommendation, written on your company letterhead, may be valuable to the student for future post-graduation employment or graduate school.

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We hope you find working with an Augsburg student an exciting and rewarding experience. Your efforts in this working partnership are greatly appreciated.

If you have any concerns or comments, please contact: strommen.internships@augsburg.edu

Internship experiences take on a wide variety of forms depending on the discipline, and the interests and needs of the student and the employer. Despite the technical differences in each experience there are some key guiding principles in encouraging student learning. The following resources are designed to support faculty and academic departments in developing internship guidelines and standards for the internships they oversee.

The following are the required steps for students completing internships for academic credit at Augsburg University.

Registration

• After a student secures an internship site, they will meet with their faculty sponsor to receive approval to earn credit for the site and position. During this meeting, student and faculty discuss potential learning goals, department criteria, and academic requirements for the experience.
• Faculty will indicate anticipated assignments on the internship registration form, but can be edited later on the internship goals form.
• Department chairs will review and sign off on the registration form.
• The Strommen Center provides the final signature and explains the university’s internship requirements with the student.
• Students report the internship site and supervisor information online and watch an orientation video to complete the registration process.
• Students should register their internship during the term in which they complete the majority of their hours.

Internship Goals

• Within the first 3 weeks of starting the internship, students are required to submit their official Internship Learning Goals Form online. A copy of the form will be sent to the student and the faculty sponsor once received.  Preview the questions before filling out the online form.
• Students must complete a minimum of 80 hours (2 credits) or 160 hours (4 credits) on their internship site.

Evaluation

• Final evaluations are sent to the student and the internship site supervisor in the last 2 weeks of the semester.
• Copies of both the student’s self-evaluation and the supervisor’s final evaluation will be sent to the faculty sponsor and the student after they are completed.
• Faculty sponsors award a traditional grade or “pass” based on the student’s academic reflection work completed during the internship.

Best Practices for Internships

• Provide samples of internship goals for your discipline, here is a guide for Developing Internship Learning Goals to help students get started.
• Sample guidelines for Internship journal entries.
• Sample index for an Internship Portfolio.
• Offer a department based or interdisciplinary internship seminar to encourage dialogue between students about their internship experience.
• Conduct a site visit to see the student in their internship environment.
• Hold a final meeting in-person with the student to discuss the internship.
• Ask students to update their resume.
• Encourage students to ask for references (if applicable) and connect with their supervisor through LinkedIn.
• Additional tips on encouraging final reflection for students: Reflecting on your internship.

Staff in Strommen Career & Internship Services are available to meet with your department to share additional internship best practices. Please contact us at strommen.internships@augsburg.edu or call 612-330-1148 to schedule a meeting with your department.

External Resources for Internship Best Practices

• InternQube – Internship Resources
• National Association for Colleges and Employers (NACE) – Internship Definition and Guiding Principles
• Department of Labor guidelines for Internship Programs under the Fair Labor Standards Act – Statement on Unpaid Internships
• Intern Bridge – National research and webinars on internship best practices