Experiential Learning that Counts: Internships and Academic Outcomes
Wednesday, November 28
Anne Walter, Biology
Jan Hill, English
Pat Smith, Director CEL
Sandy Malecha, Assistant Director CEL for Internships
(co-sponsor: Center for Experiential Learning)
Since the 1999-2000 year, nearly 900 St. Olaf students have completed 955 academic internships, reflecting a growing student interest in experiential learning. The Center for Experiential Learning has recently undertaken a study of academic internships that seeks to answer a variety of questions, such as
Which students do internships? How they are supervised? Which programs make the most use of internships?
The presenters will use the information from this study to ground a discussion about best practices for setting up and supervising academic internships. Anne Walter and Jan Hill will speak to their experiences as faculty supervisors of internships, while Pat Smith and Sandy Malecha will talk about what they’ve learned about current practices, and about how the CEL works with students and faculty members to ensure high quality academic internships. They invite colleagues to share their own experiences with internships and to discuss what practices help make a successful academic internship.
