Environmental Technology Practicum - ET 330
COURSE SYLLABUS
Instructor:
Dr. Stephanie Jeffries
Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources
3113 Jordan Hall
Email (best way to reach me): steph_jeffries@ncsu.edu
Office phone: (919) 515-7994 (sporadic in summer), (919) 605-2905 (please be judicious and
courteous with calls as this is my personal phone)
Office hours: By appointment
Meeting Place:
The course does not formally meet, though students may meet with me in person or
communicate by email about their internship for approval. All assignments and communication
will take place over email (preferred) or phone. I’m happy to meet with you in person, too, if
you’d like to schedule an appointment. I expect you to check your NCSU email daily.
Course Description:
ET 330 prepares you for a career in environmental technology by giving you experience
developing your resume and searching for an internship, in addition to practicing professional
and technical skills in the workplace during your internship. Your internship should total 150
hours or more and MUST have a strong connection to your coursework in environmental
technology.
Objectives:
After completing this course, you will know how to:
1) Apply knowledge gained through course work to a professional environmental
technology setting.
2) Solve problems in the field, think critically, communicate and work with others.
3) Make future course work choices and applications more salient to your chosen career
objectives in environmental technology.
4) Identify and pursue a satisfying and useful future career path.
Logistics:
Your internship must be approved by your adviser or me before you begin. All required
paperwork should be submitted electronically by email or in person by the deadlines indicated
in the class schedule. If you have any issues or concerns during the course of your internship,
please contact me. Likewise, your supervisor is welcome to contact me with any questions or
concerns.
Assignments (all are required for a grade of S):
Resume/Initial meeting: You should first schedule a meeting with me to discuss your proposed
internship, and you must bring a copy of your resume for review. Your internship must be
approved by either your academic adviser or me before you begin work, and it is your
responsibility to get approval. If you are already off-campus for the summer, you may submit
the internship information sheet (below) with a detailed job description, along with your
current resume, by email.
Internship Information: Before your internship begins, please complete and submit the
Internship Information form. This includes a complete job description, which you should
prepare with the help of your supervisor. This serves as a written agreement with your
employer about your job responsibilities. This description should make it clear that you are
doing entry-level professional work in the environmental technology field. Submit this form to
me for approval of your internship before you begin work.
Career Fair: You should attend one or more career fairs every year you are at NC State. Dress
professionally (business casual) and bring polished copies of your resume. There are no career
fairs at NC State in the summer, so this requirement is waived for students taking ET 330 in the
summer. In the fall semester, attend the FER Career Fair. In the spring, you may choose to
attend either the Engineering Career Fair or the CALS Career Fair.
Evaluation: The chance to get feedback on your work is invaluable. It helps you to know what
you are doing well in addition to the skills or areas you need to improve. Please ask your
supervisor to complete the forms well in advance, and at the same time, schedule time to meet
to discuss the evaluation. You’ll both sign the evaluation form and then submit it. The forms are
editable and can be filled out electronically and emailed.
Final Reflection: This is a short paper that should analyze and discuss your internship
experience. The paper should a) introduce the organization you’re working for and the projects
you’re working on, b) describe your internship, c) outline your responsibilities, d) assess what
you learned (good and bad), d) critique the position, noting its strengths and weaknesses, and
e) discuss where you’ll go from here, career-wise. See the assignment prompt for more
information.
Expectations:
This course is straightforward, and it not difficult to earn a passing grade (see Grading, below).
Since the focus is professional development for juniors and seniors, you can expect me to treat
you as entry-level professionals. I will challenge you to make the most of your internship
experience, including translating that experience into career skills that you can market for your
next job. I am happy to meet with you to work on resume updates, cover letters, and general
job search advice.
In turn, I expect high-quality work that is handed in on time, as well as timely and professional
communication. I expect you to put your best effort into the class and your internship, and I
expect you to be responsible, respectful, and resourceful in both your internship and in class. If
I receive an assignment that is incomplete or poor quality, I will return it to you to redo. If I
receive communication from you that lacks a salutation, closing or professional courtesy, I
reserve the right to not respond.
Why this emphasis? Employers frequently mention that today’s college graduates lack these
professional skills. Please remember that you are representing NC State and the Department of
Forestry and Environmental Resources when you are on the job, whether that job is paid or
unpaid. Your actions not only affect you and your employer, but also your future NC State
peers. When an employer is impressed by one of our students, they are more likely to seek out
our students in the future for opportunities.
Grading:
S/U grading. Your performance in this course will be reported as S (satisfactory grade for
credit-only course and given when course work is equivalent to C- or better) or U (no credit
grade for credit-only course). The grade for a credit-only course will have no effect on your
grade point average. However, the course and its grade will be counted in the cumulative hours
attempted. All assignments (Resume, Internship Information, Evaluation, and Final Reflection)
must be completed to earn a grade of S.
Important Dates:
Please see the due dates for the current semester in a separate document. You are responsible
for meeting all deadlines.