Sample Syllabus for Internships
Seaver College defines an academic internship as a structured, supervised, professional
work experience within an organization. The internship is guided by learning goals
and reflective assignments. It is supervised academically by a faculty member and
professionally by an internship supervisor. All academic internships must be approved
in advance, and students must be concurrently enrolled in academic internship units
(0 or more units).
(* denotes syllabus elements required by Seaver College)
- *Instructor Information
a. Professor name and professional title
b. Professor contact information
c. Office hours and location
2. *Course Information
a. Course title and catalog number
b. Course Description
c. Meeting time if applicable.
d. Course Format: Indicate the way in which the professor and student will interact during the internship, whether face-to-face traditional class meetings, individually scheduled meetings, email discussions, skype sessions, phone calls, etc.
3. *Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
a. You can use the three general internship learning outcomes listed below, and/or develop more specific ones in conversation with the student.
Students who successfully complete an internship will be able to:
- Apply knowledge gained in the classroom (or major) to real-world challenges in an internship environment.
- Develop and enact a compelling professional vision that values diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
- Engage in responsible conduct while working as an intern and allow decisions to be informed by a value-centered life.
4. *Support of the University and College Mission
a. You may use this statement or write your own
b. "This course is committed to the Christian mission of Pepperdine University and Seaver College through strengthening students to live lives of purpose, service, and leadership. It explores how Christian values can inform internships, and how students can become value-centered and ethical leaders who treat everyone with dignity and respect, using Christ as the ultimate example."
5. *Course Calendar & Topical Content
a. It is appropriate to assign readings related to the industry, the world of work, professional development, etc. Reflections, journals, or forums related to the readings are common assignments.
b. It is best practice and good pedagogy to have assignments due over the course of the term rather than one submission at the end of the term.
6. *Grading Methodology
a. Clearly define the methodology used for assessing student learning and the assignment of a course grade (or a "C" vs "NC" in a C/NC course).
7. Internship Evaluations
a. Best practices suggest that all students and supervisors are required to complete a final evaluation as part of the course requirements. Students evaluate the work site and supervisors evaluate the student's performance at the internship. The career center facilitates the evaluation process. They will compile the evaluations and send them to you during finals week. If you could have all evaluations due the Wednesday before finals, this would help facilitate timely reports to you.
8. *Student Accessibility Needs
a. A statement concerning the Office of Student Accessibility. For an exemplar statement see: https://www.pepperdine.edu/student-accessibility/faculty/syllabi.htm
9. *Academic Integrity
a. A statement regarding academic integrity. The required material is posted here: https://seaver.pepperdine.edu/academics/academic-support/integrity/policies/code.htm
Possible Assignments:
- Internship Journal: guided or open journaling of internship experiences. Students should connect their experiences to their major, discipline, or field of interest. Other topics could include vocation, ethics, communication or industry analyses.
- Organization Analysis: student researches the mission and history of the organization, its management structure, changes in the industry over the past few years, and challenges for the future.
- Diversity and Inclusion Analysis: student analyzes the way in which diversity is present in the organization and the ways in which inclusion is demonstrated in the workplace and product.
- Networking Project: student collects a set number of business cards and provides a summary of how each type of contact could be important in their career.
- Problem Analysis: student selects a problem faced by the organization or industry and uses critical thinking skills and discipline-specific knowledge to analyze the problem and propose solutions.
- Final Reflection Paper: overarching reflection on the experience. Prompt students to reflect on how their liberal art education, major, or GE courses prepared them to succeed in their internship.
Other Internship Assignment Ideas: