Policies
& Procedures
Q&A About Internships
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Policies
and Procedures
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Those interested in an internship experience as part of their education
at CSN can get credit for it by taking GRC
290--Internship for Graphics Communications.
Prior to signing up for the class, the student should clear
plans with the faculty advisor who is assigned to monitor GRC 290.
(See Ed
Kanet)
Internship credit is available to students entering their last
semester of instruction for degree.
Internships can be set up for 1 to 3 credits depending on how many
hours are going to be put into the endeavor. To earn one credit,
the student must work 5 hours per weeks for 15 weeks or a total
of 75 hours; 3 credits would therefore require a minimum of 225
hours.
Enrollment in GRC 290 can occur at the discretion of the department
up to Oct. 15 for Fall Semester and Mar. 15 for Spring Semester.
After these deadlines it takes upper administration approval. Usually
enrollment is tied to completing the prearrangements of a specific
internship, as listed below.
Students interested in an internship should follow these procedures:
- Contact the program coordinator or a faculty member available
to work with interns (see list of available
advisors) to review internship guidelines, receive any necessary
counseling, and to discuss what is to be accomplished (outcomes)
with the internship.
- If the student already has an internship opportunity available
to him/her, it can be discussed at this time, otherwise, the student
needs to acquire one through either of the following methods:
- Acquire one of any internships
available through the Computer Graphics Program through
the program coordinator. (These usually are competitive and/or
require certain qualifications.)
- Student contacts businesses to find one willing to sponsor
him/her as an intern.
- Faculty advisor and business helps student set up a proposal
/ agreement.
- Business contact (mentor) writes a letter to the faculty advisor
about his expectations, what the intern will do, how many hours
he will work, and other details concerning the internship.
- Take a registration form to faculty advisor to sign into the
Internship course.
The Internship
Agreement specifies what is expected of both the student and
the business.
- How many hours are to be worked and the specifics of the work
schedule
- What the student's responsibilities and tasks will include
(specified in Employer's Letter of Support)
- What outcomes will be accomplished (specified in the Student's
Proposed Outcomes)
- When the student will report to the faculty and any other requirements
the faculty advisor gives
The intern will weekly meet with or report to the advisor to summarize
the work done. A semester grade will be based on these reports and
the degree to which the student fulfilled the Internship Agreement.
What is the Internship program?
The Internship is an opportunity for students to spend a minimum
number of hours at a design firm, ad agency, internal graphics department,
or any of a number of other organizations within the creative industry.
The purpose is to create an opportunity for experience for the student
and to allow the intern and the business a chance to work with each
other.
What is the Objective?
The objective is to provide the student with an opportunity to
learn as much as possible from persons working at a job in which
he/she has expressed an interest and in which shows ability and
skill. By working with an employee, the students will get a first
hand perspective of new and evolving competencies, and skills and
knowledge required by business.
The Goal:
The goal of the intern experience is to provider supervised and
coordinated work experiences in a relevant workplace setting to
enhance students' work-relevant skills. By working with employees
in their work environments, students will get a first hand perspective
of the skills and tasks required on the job and be able to apply
those they have learned. As a result of the experience, students
should be able to better communicate their skills, knowledge and
attitudes necessary to enter careers of their choice. This will
allow students to see and understand the connection between schoolwork
and their future careers.
Duties and Responsibilities< back
to index
During the course of your internship, you are expected to perform
whatever duties are assigned to you by your sponsoring organization,
as well as those assignments identified in your Internship
Proposal/Agreement.
Expectations of the Student:
-
Prior to your visit, call your contact person at the work
site and ask about the appropriate dress for your intern experience.
-
Arrive at your assigned work site a few minutes early. If
you are sick or having a problem, call your contact person at
the work site and tell them you will be late or unable to attend.
Please call the day before, if possible. Also contact the faculty
mentor.
-
When you arrive at the work site, introduce yourself and ask
for the person you will be working with. If you have a business
card, present it to the employer. If your "employer" does not
offer you his/her business card in return, ask for one. The
complete name, job title, and address will be useful for your
thank you letter.
-
Appropriate thank you(s) to person(s) who have sacrificed
their time and resources for your benefit.
Expectations of Employer:
After agreeing to host an extern,
accept a telephone call from a student seeking to set and/or confirm
an intern appointment.
-
Simply be yourself and let the student observe and assist
you at work. Be willing to explain the important aspects of
your job and how you relate to others in the organization. Provide
the student with meaningful observations, hands-on-experiences,
and the opportunity to ask questions.
-
Make the intern feel a part of the workplace instead of a
visitor. This can be achieved in a variety of ways -- provide
a work space, set up an in-box to receive messages or material,
provide an identification badge. Provide information on important
details such as the company's policy on smoking, how much time
is allowed for lunch, and where the break rooms are located.
-
Discuss employment requirements and hiring practices/procedures
with the intern. Identify job rotations, if applicable.
-
Help specify skills and competency levels desired from employees.
-
Designate a lead contact person to represent the program at
the work site.
-
Inform other employees about the program and gain their support.
-
Review all relevant health and safety issues and provide all
necessary safety gear, review all rules, regulations, and policies.
Afterward, complete a brief evaluation of the program and the student.
Pros and Cons of
Internships < back
to index
Internships can provide a unique learning experience outside the
traditional academic environment, one where you can test the theories,
concepts and methods introduced in the classroom. In studying
the functions and workings of a particular organization, you also
gain experience working with others and seeing how decisions are
made. Also, as an intern you get the chance to explore potential
careers and make key contacts in the field.
Perhaps most important of all, internships can provide you with
the opportunity to get to know yourself better:
-
What kinds of work do you enjoy the most?
-
How do you react in particular work environments?
-
What kinds of people do you like to work with?
-
What things can you do particularly well?
-
What area of would you like or do you need to know
more about?
-
What kinds of work environments or jobs really aren't right
for you after all?
Internships can be wonderful experiences -- educational, exciting,
challenging -- but they are not for everyone. Working as an
intern involves discipline, responsibility and a firm commitment
to get the most from this experience. Before trying to find an internship,
be sure that your goals are realistic and that this is really the
opportunity for you. Do not expect to get rich -- although
some organizations do offer minimal salaries, many do not.
What
you will receive in the way of experience, contacts and knowledge
more than makes up for the donation of your time.
Contacting possible internship sponsors
When you've finished your research, you should have a list of possible
sponsors and phone numbers or addresses where they can be reached.
When you contact them, you need to be politely aggressive, efficient
and professional-seeming. Some things to think about before calling:
- Be prepared for some curves; the internships listed
may no longer be offered, or may be offered next Fall, etc.
Be polite but firm in getting to the right person to tell you
which internships are available, now and in the future.
- Prepare a professional story about yourself. Some elements
of this story might be your background and interests in the type
of work this organization does; your course work; your writing,
data-gathering, statistical and research skills; and your career
goals.
- Have at least a draft letter of interest and resume ready
to go. You should tailor it a bit for each position
-- ideally, it should be on a computer disk so you can make minor
changes and print it out quickly. Many places will want to see
such paper from you, or will be impressed if you get it to them
as soon as you can.
- Be persistent and cultivate contacts. Even if things
don't work out this semester, there are more semesters and more
internships, and you may discover valuable advice on how to appear
more competitive on paper as you go along. Don't be shy
about calling people back either -- after a decent interval has
elapsed since you sent a resume. A polite but firm aggressiveness
may be to your advantage.
- When you do set up your internship, be sure that all of
the arrangements between you and your sponsor are clear, including
the length of the internship, hours per week, pay, supervision
and, most importantly, the specific duties you will be performing.
Menial tasks and answering the phone are not what internships
are designed for -- you may do some work like that, but make sure
that you also will be doing work which will give you practical
experience in the field of computer graphics. When people do encounter
problems with their internships, one of the primary reasons is
that there are unclear expectations among the parties. Don't let
this happen to you.
Cooperative education and internships formally integrate college-level
academic study with work experience in cooperating organizations.
The combined study-work experiences are offered by academic departments
as an extension of regular day school programs. They are designed
to complement and strengthen the student's major field of study.
The Computer Graphics Program internship opportunities give students
a combination of academic learning with a work practicum.
Students desiring to register for internship education must receive
prior Program approval and complete registration before commencing
an internship.
The usual rule is 75 hours of work equals one credit in Internship
in Graphic Comunications, so a "typical" internship involving about
15 hours of work per week for an entire semester yields three academic
credits. Only three hours credit will count toward major requirements.
In order to register for your internship, fill out an Internship
Proposal/Agreement. Besides basic information on you and
your sponsor, you are asked to indicate the office/department in
which you will be performing in the internship. You will then
need to register for the number of credits you will receive based
on your planned hours of work.
After you've completed as much of the application as you can, your
next step is to approach the Computer Graphics Program coordinator
or faculty advisor and receive his permission for the proposed internship
and to arrange the written assignments and their due dates.
You will be expected to keep a journal detailing your experience
and examples of work done during the internship.
Just remember: this is academic credit. Simply describing
your job or the agency or company you work for is not enough.
Once you and the coordinator or faculty advisor have discussed
the nature of your internship and academic project, along with any
necessary arrangements for keeping up-to-date on your progress,
both of your dated signatures are necessary at the bottom of the
completed Internship
Proposal/Agreement.
What occurs during the
internship?
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During your internship you will have a visit from your advisor,
meeting with your employer or supervisor. This onsite meeting will
be set up by appointment.
Also, each week the intern will file a report
with the advisor. This serves as a sort of time sheet signed by
the employer or supervisor.
What about problems during
an internship?
< back to
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In any situation where you are dealing with people, it is possible
for misunderstandings and personality conflicts to occur.
Part of your learning experience will be to handle the problems
in a professional manner as they arise. Don't wait for small
issues to mushroom into huge problems; encourage communication and
feedback on what is going on. Along with unclear expectations,
poor communication is the primary cause for problems in most internships.
Hopefully, your maturity and communication skills will avert any
major problems; if, however, a situation does arise which you and
your sponsoring organization are not able to resolve, contact your
faculty advisor.
If you have any questions that we have not answered here, please
contact Ed Kanet, Computer Graphics Program, 651-4159. |
part
of the Department
of Media Technologies 