Academic Internship
Orientation
Academic Reflection Of Your
Internship Experience
What Is An Academic Internship?
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An academic internship is any carefully
monitored work or service experience in which a
student has intentional learning goals and reflects
actively on what she or he is learning through the
experience. Academic credit is earned for the
experience.
• The internship is overseen by a faculty or staff
member at the University of Memphis and by a
designated representative at the internship site.
What’s the difference?
Part-time Job
Great source of income, limited new
learning opportunities generally.
Academic Internship
Purpose is to learn something new, acquire
new skills and knowledge for future job
preparation.
The Learning Experience
Learning can come from many different sources:
The work assignments
The work environment
The work team
The community partners
Events that occur during your internship
experience
Get Prepared To Learn
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Be Open To New Experiences
Start With A Great Learning Attitude
Learn As Much As You Can
Anticipate Your Experience
Be Open To Feedback
Become A Keen Observer
Your Site Supervisor and Feedback
Feedback is how we
learn—don’t be afraid of it!
If you’re unsure, ask for
feedback!
Learn from the
feedback—if you’ve made a
mistake, learn from the
mistake and excel in that
activity next time!
Academic Reflection
Reflect Upon Your Experience and Ask Yourself
These Questions:
What did I learn through this experience?
How have my previous courses prepared me
for this?
What would I do differently if I could repeat
this experience based on my new knowledge?
Your Academic Portfolio
A Summary Of What You’ve Learned—For Now
and For The Future
Use The Outline In Your Internship Orientation
Packet To Guide You
Sample Student Portfolio
Getting Started
 Learning Goals—What Do I
Hope To Accomplish?
 Connecting Your
Coursework To Your
Internship
 Internship Site Research—
check the website, what
does your employer
provide to the campus or
the community?
Learning About Yourself
Career Assessments
Does this experience help you know more
about your future goals? www.memphis.edu/career
services/Focus 2
Career Preparation
Update your resume with your new skills,
include in your portfolio
Ask your site supervisor for a future reference
Learning About The Experience
Portfolio—1-2 page typed summary
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Evaluate what skills you’ve acquired
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The new knowledge you’ve obtained
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The “soft skills” you’ve learned-teamwork,
etiquette, culture, communication and
more!
Journaling and Time Log
• Time Logs—Keep track of your hours; it will be
too difficult to do at the end—sample time
logs in your packet.
• Personal Journal—Keep notes of what you
learn in a personal journal. You’ll be able to
recall experiences easier for your summary at
the end.
Program Evaluations
Using the forms provided, gather evaluations
from:
Your faculty advisor (at the end)
Your internship site supervisor (at the end)
Your personal evaluation—midterm and final
Copies of form in your packet, email Mrs.
Tuberville for electronic forms to submit.
Using This Experience In The Future
• Take Your Portfolio To Future Interviews for
internships and Jobs, Scholarship Interviews
• Show What You’ve Learned—include photos or
project samples; demonstrate your experience
creatively!
• Save on a DVD—you can keep it easily and
share with future faculty and employers
Resources Available
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Office of Academic Internships
Career Services
The Internship Team Members
www.memphis.edu/internships
www.memphis.edu/career services
Faculty Advisor
Remember This Is A Learning
Experiences
“Education is revelation that affects the
individual”
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, 1780
“It gives meaning to everything you have learned
and makes practical sense of something you’ve
known as theoretical.”
Student Intern Reflection
An Internship Experience…
Will Be What You Make It
Do Your Best and Make It A Great Experience!