4.1 Online internships: a successful model  (Page 3/5)

Each administrative intern has a committee comprised of the Capella University internship instructor and the local site supervisor. They work closely to ensure that the internship meets state and professional standards. Candidates are required to develop an internship proposal that must be approved by both the Capella University internship instructor and the site supervisor. During the two quarters, the candidate constructs and maintains a portfolio that is designed to demonstrate entry-level competency in each area required by the statute. The portfolio is reviewed and discussed during a conference at the end of the second quarter.

Best practices

Because Capella is an online university, the composition of the candidates in a course can span the country and sometimes even the globe. It is not uncommon to have an instructor in Arizona facilitating a course that has candidates from Georgia to Alaska and from Hawaii to Maine. Additionally, a course may have candidates from territories outside the US mainland or foreign countries. This requires a different paradigm for delivery of the course and alters the traditional quality control criteria.

An online ‘interaction’… takes on a different shape than its face-to-face counterpart. A talented lecturer or workshop leader is finely attuned to the nuances of his or her audience. But in the virtual world, there is not body language from which the instructor can gauge the interest of the participants and, consequently, adjust the tone or pace of the presentation (Collison, Elbaum, Haavind,&Tinker, 2000, p. 1).

By combining the requirements of two states (State of Minnesota Statutes, 2006; Arizona State Board of Education, 2008), the ISLLC standards (Arizona State Board of Education, 2008), and best practices for online education, Capella had developed a unique system of delivering a quality internship experience that is facilitated in an online environment. The following best practices are implemented in the Capella internship program.

Assessment. Perhaps the single most important aspect of the online internship is a viable and credible means by which to assess the learning and work of the intern. Effective assessment starts with a clear understanding of expectations. Capella utilizes a series of specific rubrics and checklists to measure the intern’s progress and performance. These tools are provided to the intern prior to beginning the first quarter of the internship so that they can be taken into account as the intern develops the internship proposal that has to be submitted to and approved by the committee. The intern is provided with a detailed explanation of each rubric and checklist and for the portfolio components. The internship instructor also is available either through the course room or via electronic communication (email, telephone, etc.) to answer any questions and clarify any points.

Communication. First and foremost, good communication is the key to a successful online internship program. “Not surprising, many online management issues involve communication—between you and your students and among the students themselves. Designing an effective communication system and monitoring it are key steps in teaching online” (Ko&Rossen, 2003, p. 197). It is critical that effective communication occurs between the intern, the internship instructor, and the site supervisor. Frequent phone conferences need to (and do) transpire. Web based communication tools such as Skype and Breeze are two of the tools used effectively to maintain a constant flow of communication. These tools when used with webcams simulate face-to-face interactions and compensate for the lack of physical proximity. As such, they assist in enhancing effective collaborative engagement.