Guidelines for Internships/Practicum Courses

Summer/Fall 2006

John M. Gerber, Professor

Plant, Soils and Insect Sciences Department

308 Bowditch Hall

University of Massachusetts

Amherst, MA 01003

(413)545-5301

jgerber@psis.umass.edu

I encourage most students to try to get some practical experience while in college.  This may be working on a local farm or doing other supervised work related to your area of academic interest.  I’ve sponsored students working on a range of topics and generally you can be quite creative in setting up a Practicum course.  If you are interested in this option, please make an appointment to discuss this with me as soon as possible.  I will provide you with the necessary forms (there are several).  Any faculty member can sponsor you for Practicum credits, of course.  If you want to work with me, these are some guidelines.

1. UMass offers academic credit for the learning, not for the actual work (although this is necessary too).  If you are taking the Practicum course for a grade (not Pass/Fail), I will ask you to provide documentation of the learning.  Specific guidelines for these requirements and my grading criteria are described below.

2. The number of credits offered is based on the number of hours involved in the experience.  We expect 40 to 45 hours of work for every academic credit awarded.  During a 15-week semester, this equates to about 3 hours of work experience per week for each credit earned.  For a full-time internship experience, a student can earn one credit for each 40 hour work week.  During the summer, this means you can earn up to 12 credits for 12 full time (40 hour) workweeks provided the experience is truly “learningful.” 

3. We also offer a Pass/Fail option for Practicum courses.  This option only requires a written certification from an on-site supervisor that the student contributed the expected number of hours to the work, and a final conversation with me.  We may also arrange for a site visit during the experience. 

4. When you take a Practicum course during the fall or spring semesters, you may include these credits as part of your regular course load.  The University will not allow you to take more than 18 credits however.  When you take a Practicum course during January or the summer term, you will need to register through the Division of Continuing Education.  This includes a registration fee of $35, plus $195 per credit earned. Yes, its expensive.

To help you locate possible internships, I’ve posted some that I know of at…. http://people.umass.edu/jgerber/sustintern.htm

Documentation Requirements for Internship/Practicum Credits

In order to take a Practicum course for credit, I will ask you for the following documentation:

A proposed set of learning objectives prior to the experience - This is a brief statement of what you hope to learn from the experience.  For example, you might write:

a. I will learn practical skills related to managing a commercial vegetable farm

b. I will learn how to grow and market herbs

c. …

An outline of the intended activities or work – This is a brief statement describing the intended work.  For example;

· I will help evaluate the electrical needs of homeowners, work with an engineer to design a photovoltaic system, and do installations of these systems. 

· I will do regular farm work on a local CSA, including planting, weeding, cultural care, harvesting and working with customers. 

A means of communicating with me during the experience – This may be periodic telephone conversations, personal visits if it is convenient, or email.  The purpose is to keep me informed of your progress during the experience. 

A journal documenting your experience and reflections – The journal is intended to encourage you to reflect on your experience while it is happening.  The journal will not be examined or graded.  You may be asked to show me that it exists however.  This is a private journal of your own thoughts.  Your privacy will be respected. 

A site visit from me during the experience – Sometime during your Practicum, you should arrange for me to visit the site of your work experience, if practical.  Since I sponsor quite a few students, it will be your responsibility to contact me and arrange for a suitable time.

A written summary or expression of the experience and learnings – You will be asked to describe or express your learning experience in a written or other creative form.  This will be required before a grade is filed with the university.  If you are writing a summary of your experience, please include:

1. A description of your place of employment, including its mission or purpose, how it is organized and managed, and the general culture of the work environment.

2. Your typical work experience.  For example, if you are working on a farm during the summer, describe your day.

3. Reflections on your learning.  Review your learning objectives and describe how these were or were not met.  What surprised you?  What obstacles did you find and how did you deal with them?  Would you recommend this experience to others?  Be creative.

If you want to be creative in creating an expression of your learning, please discuss this with me “sooner than later.”  Some examples of alternatives might be: a photo essay of your experience, a book of poetry that reflect your experience, a “how to” manual based on your work.  There are lots of creative and perhaps useful ways to express your learning. 

A written certification from an on-site supervisor indicating the number of hours you worked – This is simply to provide documentation that you actually showed up for the experience.  A note or email from your on-site supervisor documenting your hours is fine.

A meeting with me upon completion of the work – If it is feasible, I’d like to have a conversation with you about the experience.  Please arrange for a suitable time. 

Final Assessment and Grading

As Practicum courses are interdisciplinary and experiential in nature, grading is more challenging than in traditional classroom settings. The following criteria are provided to help students understand the process by which they will be graded.

Each student is expected to meet the expectations of the organization or business providing the experience.  That means “showing up on time” and doing the work expected in a quality manner.  To do the expected work and nothing more however will generally earn a final grade of “B”. To earn a higher grade, we look beyond these minimum requirements for more qualitative or creative aspects of your work.  On-site supervisors will be asked for input on these qualitative factors. 

Below is a list of examples of ways that you may go beyond the minimum requirement for the course. They are not “an equation” or a list to complete - just examples. They point out some of the many ways in which active involvement in the work may be factored into your final evaluation.  There may be other or more appropriate ways to demonstrate excellence based on your individual experience. 

· Demonstration of leadership—taking on more responsibility, initiating new ideas

· Attentive and active participation in the work and learning; asking questions

· Reading additional materials which might complement the work experience

· Conversations with other people for further information and knowledge

· Suggesting improvements or novel ways of doing the work

· Integration of outside learning (such as from reading or conversations) and the work – bringing new ideas to the experience from outside sources

· Other self-directed learning—learning that takes place outside of the work experience

· Quality or amount of work; did you do more than expected?

· Synthesizing the experience—relating what you have learned in the work to your life and sharing those learnings

Final Grade; the final grade for the course will be determined by Dr. John Gerber.  Supervisors on site however will recommend a grade to Dr. Gerber based on their personal assessment of student performance.  Dr. Gerber will interview all students easily accessible prior to submitting a final grade.  Other students may be asked to submit a written self-evaluation of their performance. 

Process for Registering

1. Discuss your Iinternship or Practicum course with me as early as possible.

2. Arrange for the internship or experience with an organization or business.  Make sure they know you are taking this for credit and that they will be asked to provide a note or email certifying your attendance.  You may also need free time once or twice during your experience to show me around!

3. Complete the Departmental Independent Study – Practicum Agreement Form with my assistance.  Get my signature on this form.

4. Get Dr. Deborah Picking’s signature on this form.  She is the Departmental Undergraduate Coordinator.  Her office is 206 French Hall.  Make an appointment by calling her at 545-2249 or contact dpicking@psis.umass.edu.  If you are taking the course during the spring or fall semesters as a full time student, you’re done.  Check with SPIRE in a week or so to make sure you are registered.

5. If you are taking the course during the summer or winter term (or as a part-time student with Continuing Education) you will need to register with the Division of Continuing Education and pay their tuition fees.  Fill out the Continuing Education Independent Study Registration Form and take this along with a copy of the departmental form and your payment to their office at:

Division of Continuing Education
University of Massachusetts
100 Venture Way
Hadley, MA  01035-9430 USA

413-545-2414
413-577-3838 (fax)
info@contined.umass.edu
www.umassulearn.net

That’s it!  Please ask me for help if you are unsure of how to complete this process.