HIED 66492: Internship, Practicum, & Field Experience (1)

Reflection:

For a semester, I worked as an intern in the Office of International Affairs, serving specifically as an International Admissions Intern. I was able to evaluate foreign academic credentials to determine applicants’ suitability for admission at Kent State. In doing so, I learned quite a bit about the educational systems of other countries, especially those of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and China. This experience complimented my coursework in Comparative Higher Education well, as one project I completed was the authoring of primers on those systems of education for use within the office. I also used my computer skills to develop and automatic GPA calculator, which is still used within the office to take some of the human error out of the calculation of students’ GPAs.

Objectives:

• 1. To provide structure for supervised professional internships that include both learning and practice of increasing complexity and involve working directly with administrators, staff, and students in a higher education setting;

  2. To provide resources to choose from among a variety of supervised professional experiences that will help develop and refine competencies compatible with the academic and professional goals of the Student, in consultation with his or her Instructor and the On-Site Supervisor;

  3. To provide experiences that will clarify and broaden professional career alternatives for the Student;

  4. To establish a teaching and learning environment in which the On-Site Supervisor assumes a teaching role, encouraging the Student to experience and be adequately instructed in pertinent aspects of the functions, responsibilities, and relationships of the internship site and various personnel involved in these activities;

  5. To provide the student with opportunities for the establishment of professional relationships with administrators in higher education and student affairs settings; and

  6. To ensure that supervised experiences are conducted under established professional ethical practices and that participants are provided with support for resolving concerns or questions during the internship.