Longwood University, College of Business & Economics
Internship Syllabus for MARK 492 – Fall 2011
Instructor: Dr. Linda Wright
Office: Hiner G 15-2
Office Phone: (434) 395-2777
email: wrightlb@longwood.edu
General Mailing Address:
Longwood University
201 High Street
College of Business & Economics
Farmville, VA 23909
Course Description
The internship experience is designed to enhance the curricula of the College of
Business and Economics. The program offers a joint opportunity for business
executives and business and economics faculty to enhance the education of future
business leaders for the global environment.
Internships provide an on-the-job learning experience that is designed to offer
students an opportunity to apply their technical and professional skills to the work
situation and to observe organizations in action. The sponsoring firm is asked to
provide a challenging learning experience related to the intern’s concentration in the
business and economics field. The intern works with the internship supervisor at the
sponsoring firm and the internship instructor at Longwood to identify the roles and
responsibilities for the internship experience. The instructor and supervisor monitor the
activities of the intern and provide guidance to the intern throughout the internship
experience. Some internship positions are compensated, while others are not.
Prerequisites
To enter the internship program, the student must meet the following prerequisites:
Cumulative GPA of 2.33 or greater
A minimum of 60 earned credit hours
Declared business or economics major with a declared concentration
Permission of the internship director
Internship Objectives
The objectives of the internship program are to:
1.
Introduce the student to on-the-job experiences providing an opportunity for each
student to apply classroom knowledge to the work situation.
2.
Prepare the student to make the transition upon graduation from the classroom
to the workplace.
3.
Provide an opportunity for the student to grow personally and professionally as
he/she faces real problems and ethical choices in the work situation.
4.
Aid the employer through the services performed by the intern.
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Internship Seminar and Manual
Students are required to attend an Internship Seminar prior to entering the internship
program. The internship director will go over the process for applying for and
completing an internship. (Two seminar sessions will be offered each semester.) The
student is expected to read and use the internship manual.
Internship Agreement
Students must work with the sponsoring organization and Longwood University
personnel through the College of Business Internship Office to complete the Internship
Agreement, which defines the roles and responsibilities of the intern. The intern,
supervisor, instructor, and director must sign this form prior to the student registering for
the internship. Please see Mrs. Nancy Postans in the Internship Office. The internship
agreement acts as a contract between all of the involved parties. Therefore, you are
expected to fulfill all of the requirements stated in the agreement. Failure to submit a
fully completed internship agreement with all information may result in a lower grade for
the internship course.
Internship Requirements
During the internship the intern is required to complete the following:
- Comply with the host organization’s policies and procedures and fulfill all
assigned tasks to the satisfaction of the internship supervisor.
- Complete a minimum of 80 hours internship work for each credit hour earned. 3
credit hours are recommended. Thus: 240 hour minimum recommended.
- Complete the internship during the period as stated in the internship agreement.
- Notify the internship office and the instructor of any changes to the information
stated in the internship agreement.
- Keep a journal of their daily work activities throughout the internship and turn in
the journal at the completion of the internship. Be as complete as possible.
- Make at least 3 contacts with the internship instructor. The student must send at
least three e-mails to the instructor: one on the first day/week of work, one during
the internship-in-progress, and one on the last day of the internship. Include the
name of the supervisor and his or her email address in the first email to the
instructor.
- Design and complete at least one marketing project that benefits the organization
and challenges the intern.
- Write a final report that summarizes the internship experience and discusses the
knowledge gained from working on the marketing project(s) as stated below.
- Provide any supplementary materials and exhibits that help explain the marketing
project(s).
- Complete the student evaluation form based on the internship experience.
- Provide a photograph of the intern and the supervisor in front of the company
building with the company’s name or logo, or an equivalent setting.
- Write a thank you letter - Upon completion of the internship, the student must
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send a thank-you letter to the supervisor (a copy of the letter must be submitted to
the instructor).
- After completion of the internship, the intern will have an in-person exit interview
with the instructor.
Supervision and Evaluation
The work supervisor should submit an evaluation of the intern’s performance either
online or by sending a completed “Internship Supervisor Evaluation Form” from the
Internship Manual directly to the attention of Nancy Postans in the Internship Office. Do
not hand-deliver the supervisor’s evaluation. Failure to comply with this requirement
may result in a failing grade for the internship.
The Internship Director will have at least one contact with the supervisor and intern.
Grading
The intern will be graded based on the following:
Journal of Daily Work Activities
10%
Internship Report
40%
Supervisor’s Evaluation
10%
Instructor’s Evaluation
30%
Intern’s Self Evaluation
5%
Intern’s Exit Interview
5%
Journal
The student should document their assignments and experiences while completing the
internship. Students are expected to note the kinds of activities that they are assigned
and their efforts to complete those tasks. Information to record includes what
constitutes a typical day, unique events, and the entire process of the marketing
project(s). Other relevant information and any exhibits should also be included. In
addition, the intern should include comments, reflections, and thoughts about the
internship. For example, what things are going well, what challenges are being faced?
Further, this journal will be used to determine class attendance. In accordance with
Longwood University’s attendance policy, students who miss 25% or more of the class
hours may fail the course and students who miss 10% or more of the class may have
their grade reduced by one letter grade.
Report
At a minimum, a ten page report (double spaced) is required for a 3 credit course, a 7.5
page report is required for a 2 credit course and a 5 page report is required for a 1
credit course.
The report should demonstrate that the student has fully participated in the internship
and considered at length what they have learned about the workplace and his or her
self. The report should include, but not be limited to the following: Describe the
employer and the work environment of your internship. Describe what you did for your
internship, in general and specifically. Describe at least one marketing project that you
initiated and completed for your employer. Include how this project benefitted the
employer as well as how it helped you. In addition, include what was done during the
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planning process, the decisions that were required to implement the project, the
information that you needed to complete the project, an evaluation of the outcome, and
any other pertinent information. What did you like best and least about this working
experience? How did your business course work prepare you for this internship? (Or
not?) What courses were most helpful? What did you learn about yourself while
completing your internship? Is there anything else you thought was important?
Evaluations
The Instructor’s evaluation will be based on completion of the required activities and
materials for the course as well as an overall evaluation of the internship. It will be
based on the quality of the roles and responsibilities performed by the intern.
The intern’s self-evaluation will be graded on timeliness, completeness, and on the
degree to which it reflects serious reflection on the intern’s own performance. An
assessment of strengths and weaknesses and a critical analysis of performance are
expected.
The face-to-face exit interview that evaluates and reflects on the intern and internship
will be conducted with the instructor and the intern at a time that is convenient for both
parties.
Due Date
All materials are due after the completion of the internship at the time of the exit
interview. All materials must be hand delivered in hard copy in a manila envelope (or
equivalent) to the instructor at the College of Business and Economics (except the
supervisor’s evaluation). Failure to submit a complete package of materials will have a
negative impact on the grade for the course. Thus, no e-mail and/or attachments are
accepted.
If the internship is completed and the materials are submitted two weeks before the end
of the semester, a grade will be assigned at that time. If the student does not have the
work completed by two weeks before the end of the semester, he or she will receive a
grade of incomplete. The student is required to notify and consult with the instructor if
this occurs. If permission is granted for late submission, the student must comply with
the instructor’s requirements for the removal of the grade of incomplete.
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