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Career Center Internship Program as an Experiential Learning Model SUNY CDO Conference 2008 Marianna Savoca Elena Polenova Maggie Weickert Today’s Agenda • Experiential Learning: common definition • Case study: Stony Brook University • Elements of a successful internship program - Corporate inspiration - Facilitating learning • Outcomes • Experiential learning activity What is Experiential Learning? “Experiential learning takes place when a person involved in an activity looks back and evaluates it, determines what was useful or important to remember, and uses this information to perform another activity.” -John Dewey Setting the stage at Stony Brook • Enrollment 2007 = 23,354 students – 15,525 undergraduates & 7,829 graduate students – 119 majors / minors, 102 master’s, 40 doctoral, and 32 graduate certificate programs. • 15 Career Center staff (ratio about 1,500:1) • • • • Flourishing undergraduate research programs Longstanding peer education programs Academic internships for credit Service learning courses Career Center – Past • 15 work study students to support the basic functions of the office – Schedule based on convenience – Younger students – No group training Problems: • Younger Students Underprepared • Limited motivation • Disorganized and inefficient Things to Consider: • Change for office & for students • More centralized program • Add more prestige Evolution of Internship Program • Conducted Needs Assessment – Used to discover what the different functions of the office are vs. what the students need • Kept in Mind Corporate Model – – – – Recruitment & selection Extensive training & professional development Challenging assignments that have direct impact Team projects • Consulted Faculty – Needed assistance in putting together a more meaningful educational piece • Learning objectives were developed – Defined intern responsibilities and what they will be learning from us • Made transition from what the office needs to Experiential Learning – All tasks, no matter how simple, should be part of a greater learning experience no matter how big or small. • Began with Peer Career Advisors – Modeled this program after universities with benchmark Peer Career Advising programs – Best Career Peer Advising schools have some sort of counseling or education program at the university • Became a more structured program – Continue adding learning objectives – Valued experience to put on a resume Experiential Learning Model Learning – “the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.” (Kolb, 1984, p.38) Concrete Experience Testing New Situations Observation and Reflection Forming Abstract Concepts Facilitating Experiential Learning • If experiential learning is not facilitated in the correct way it can lead to wrong results • Create environments where learning can be facilitated • The facilitation of learning is key to successful experiential learning outcomes Expected Learning Outcomes • Interns will deepen their knowledge in their respective fields • Interns will acquire knowledge of the industry they are working in • Interns will develop transferrable skills • Interns will develop skill specific to their industry Recruitment and Selection • • • • Highly selective Involve current interns in recruitment process Outreach to student groups Use job posting venues that are familiar to the students • Two stages interviewing process Training and Facilitation of Learning • Pre-semester weekend retreat • Mandatory weekly two hours meetings • Combination of academic style seminars, role playing, and de-briefing sessions • Joint seminars in which all career center interns participate, as well as separate group sessions • Regular meetings with faculty advisors • Regular meetings with on-site supervisors providing feedback • Written reflections • Meaningful projects, and group projects Asst Director Employer Relations & Diversity Associate Director Employer Relations Associate Director Career Education VCS Coordinator Internship Consultant Arts & Humanities Student Employment Career Counselors Career Counseling Interns Human Resources Interns Communications (reports to director) Marketing Coordinator Marketing Interns Public Relations Interns Communications Assistant Graphic Design Interns Technology Interns Career Planning & Development Asst Career Counseling Interns Responsibilities • Assist peer students at Stony Brook in their career development • Use CC resources to assist students Learning Objectives • Apply career development theory to interactions • Use counseling skills • Make referrals Human Resources Interns Responsibilities • Conduct resume reviews & mock interviews • Assist in organizing job fairs & recruitment events • Prospect employers via written & telephone Learning Objectives • Increase their knowledge of the recruiting process • Learn effective communication skills Marketing Interns –Communications Team Responsibilities • Promote services among students in a variety of campus venues • Create & execute marketing plans • Deliver presentations in classes & club meetings Learning Objectives • Learn how to develop marketing plans • Develop public speaking skills • Discover the different types of creative ways to reach their target audience Public Relations Interns-Communications Team Responsibilities • Develop content for website & Career Planning Calendar • Write copy for and record CC podcasts • Assist with the planning and execution of major events Learning Objectives • Further develop professional writing skills • Discover the different types of creative ways to reach their target audience Graphics Interns-Communications Team Responsibilities • Design advertising and promotional materials for the Career Center, CC publications, special events and bulletin boards. Learning Objectives • Gain an understanding of connections between design and marketing strategies Technology Interns-Communications Team Responsibilities • Provides tech support for the office • Assess new technologies & make recommendations • Manages office servers • Web Programming Learning Objectives • Learn to communicate with non-technical clients • Develop programs in response to client needs • Learn new technologies • Assess needs in order to create friendly & functional website a user- "For me, the Career Counseling Internship has helped me gain insight on how students make career decisions, and I was able to play a part in helping students explore career options, which in turn was wonderful to be a part of.” -Maria G.‘08 "Communication is key. Working on a class assignment trying to make it meet specification is one thing but effectively managing requirements and feature requests from multiple people is a very different realm. Regardless of the book knowledge that you may have, if you cannot effectively communicate and understand the ideas that you or others may present, everything you bring to the table is practically useless. This is the kind of experience that is difficult to mimic in a classroom setting.”- Betson T.‘08 “The Career Center has been a nurturing environment where I could explore my specific interests in the broad field of human resources. I have been able to do everything from strengthening my presentation skills …to learning more effective ways of communicating with employers, professionals, and colleagues…. I am confident that accepting this internship at the Career Center is one of the best decisions I have ever made, and I know I will keep benefiting from the knowledge I gained here for years to come.” – Theresa C. ’07 “I learned that criticism and change comes with the field. It was hard to accept at first, especially when you feel confident about a design and the way you had the layout. However, it is ultimately up to your client who decides what the final design and layout will be. If the client is happy, then you've done your job.“ -Rodney C.‘08 Our Success Stories • • • Kristen Gallo’05 CCI – Northeastern Univ (higher education) Deirdre Gross’04 CCI – Syracuse Univ (school psychology) Scott Moeller’05 CCI – Univ of Michigan (PhD program in social psych) • • • Phil Camacho’07 TECH – SBU Client Support Kaman Cheong’07 CCI – SBU Human Resources / SA Lucy Kim ’05 CCI – SBU Academic Advising • • • • • • • • • • • Monica Myers ’08 ER, Kevin Quan’06 ER -Lehman Brothers Poonam Kaur ’08 ER – Travelers Jessica Inoa ‘08 HR- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Liang Guo ’08 Graphics, Viraj Mehta’07 TECH-JP Morgan Chase Nadia Saleh, ’07 MKTG – Target Mgmt Associate program Meti Yemani’07 CCI – Simon & Schuster Argenis Sanchez’06 MKTG and Marisela Lopez’07 HR – Citigroup Luis Gil’07 MKTG and Manting Li’06 MKTG – Goldman Sachs Christina Rugari’06 ER –ICON labs Faye Lee’06 CCI – Bilinguals, Inc. Lauryn Couch’05 EDIT – Dan Klores Public Relations QUESTIONS?