Experiential Learning: Internship/Practicum/Fieldwork/Student Teaching

Experiential learning at St. John Fisher University refers to learning that 1) results from experiences students have outside the traditional classroom and 2) includes reflection on those experiences. Experiential learning places students in settings external to the traditional classroom where they engage in hands-on experiences, gain knowledge, and develop skill-sets applicable to realistic career and professional opportunities. Essential elements of experiential learning include active participation, reflection, and the application of theoretical knowledge to practical experiences. Experiential learning offers opportunities for career exploration and fosters personal and professional development.

Experiential Learning includes:

  • Internship — A credit-bearing, free-standing activity in an area of student interest. The student will gain hands-on experience, professional development, and career exploration through work with practicing professionals. The student may or may not be paid for the experience.
  • Clinical Experience — This is a more specifically defined internship experience in which students practice learned didactic and experiential skills, most frequently in health care, human services, or education under the supervision of a credentialed practitioner; it may be in person or simulation based.
  • Student Teaching — This experience is specific to students in pre-professional and pre-service teacher education who are gaining required and evaluated experience in supervised teaching.
  • Practicum/Fieldwork — A relative of the internship, this form of experiential learning usually is a course or student exercise involving practical experience in a work setting (whether paid or unpaid) as well as theoretical study, including supervised experience as part of professional pre-service education.
  • Community Engaged Learning — This is a method of teaching and learning in which students apply academic knowledge and skills from academic courses to client support or capacity-building projects, to meet identified needs of a community partner and enhance students’ academic learning and civic and professional development. This opportunity moves beyond the traditional understanding of community service, charity, or volunteerism through its integration into academic courses and focuses on mutually beneficial outcomes.
  • Research Experience & Creative Work — Mentored, self-directed work that enables students to make an original, intellectual or creative contribution to a field-of-study. Students typically explore an issue of interest to them, create original work, and share the results of their work with others.
  • Study Abroad — Students usually engage in courses at higher education institutions, either domestic or international based. The experiential learning component is cultural immersion which provides novel challenges for navigating living in a new place. The coursework connected to studying abroad can also include internships.

 

*While not included as experiential learning, we recognize Community Service, Civic Engagement, Entrepreneurship, Work Study, and Academic/Professional Competitions are additional opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Many departments offer opportunities for experiential learning, which can serve to enhance a student’s overall academic program. The goals of experiential learning can be fulfilled by courses such as internships, practicum, and fieldwork. These credit courses enable students to work in an area related to their academic or career interests and use their knowledge and skills in an actual work experience. Since students will be expected to blend theoretical and practical approaches in experiential courses, these courses may include traditional academic assignments such as readings or research to complement the practical work experience.

  • Departments establish clearly defined minimal requirements for participation in credit-bearing internships.
  • Credit-bearing experiences require registration and tuition payment in the semester in which the internship is done.
  • The mechanism for evaluation of the student’s performance will be set by the department. This could include: a journal of work accomplished and a log of meetings with the professor and work supervisor; the work supervisor’s evaluation; and a post-experience report describing the relationship to courses taken, new skills acquired, and problems encountered.
  • Registration for an off-campus experiential learning, including internships, practicum, and field work, requires departmental permission. The process for enrolling in student teaching follow the policies set up in the Student Teaching Handbook published by the School of Education.
  • A student may register for only one experience each semester. A student cannot receive credit in two programs for the same internship experience (i.e., a single internship can only fulfill the requirements of one internship course).
  • Depending on departmental policy, a student may be limited in the number of experiential credits they may fulfill program requirements. All internship and other experiential courses in each department, whether or not they fulfill major/minor requirements will be used in computation of the major or minor GPA if the students in the course receive a letter grade. S/U courses do not count in the GPA.
  • Fisher Sponsored Transportation to Placement Sites: Students are ultimately responsible for finding their own transportation to off-campus placement sites. Nevertheless, subject to availability, budgeting limits and other transportation demands, St. John Fisher University will endeavor to provide transportation to off-campus programs for students who live on campus. Fisher has no liability for any transportation method used by any student, other than transportation on official Fisher vehicles. Please plan accordingly.gly.

Course-Related Off-Campus Experiences and Liability

All procedures described herein apply to students engaged in internship, fieldwork, practicum, clinical, student teaching, and all other forms of classroom-based off-campus experiences, whether in schools, hospitals, clinics, community programs and agencies, or corporate settings. More detailed information concerning the expectations of students is outlined in the appropriate course syllabus.

Professionalism

Students are expected to exhibit appropriate professional dispositions in their classes, class-related off-campus experiences, and in their interactions with others. Dispositions are identified as the values, beliefs, and professional ethics of the student’s discipline that influence behaviors toward others and affect student learning, motivation, and development. Dispositions are guided by the beliefs and attitudes related to the Fisher Creed and the values of goodness, discipline, and knowledge. Professionalism involves, among other things, personal responsibility, reliability, respect for others, effective interpersonal relationships, valuing diversity, and ethical behavior including honesty and integrity.

Students are expected to demonstrate professional behavior, both on and off campus. Students who exhibit inappropriate behavior in course-related off-campus experiences may be recommended for removal from the experience.

Registration Guidelines for Internship, Practicum, Fieldwork

The student should be aware of the minimal requirements for participation in off-campus experiences in the department. These may include class and/or major restrictions, course prerequisites, minimal GPA requirements, and instructor approval.

The student must verify with the program/department that they meet the minimal course requirements.

The student and assigned faculty/staff member will agree on the number of credits for the experience if the credits are variable. Note: there should be a reasonable expectation that required hours for the number of credits can be completed during the semester, barring unforeseen circumstances.

Both the student and faculty/staff member should be aware of the extended registration deadlines for experiences of fewer than 3 credits. Note: if the experience begins late in the term, the student may not be allowed to earn credits beyond that which could be completed in the time remaining in the term.

Expectations

Prior Approval

Students must obtain prior approval from the designated faculty/staff member before registering for any course-related off-campus experience. This approval pertains to both the number of credit hours for the experience and the actual site. To be placed in a course-related off-campus experience, a student must be in good academic standing.

Time Frame for Completion

Students are expected to complete their required hours, as outlined in the syllabus, during the semester in which they are registered. The dates published by the Registrar’s Office are the official dates of the semester. The only exception applies when a student requests and receives an “Incomplete” grade in the course from the instructor. In this situation, the student must develop a plan for completion with the faculty instructor within the six-week deadline for removal of “I” grades. The insurance coverage under the University’s liability policy would extend to those on-site activities required to complete the course.

Note: If a student wishes to continue at the placement site after the completion of the course, he or she will have to be hired in some capacity by the site or register as a volunteer. He or she will not be covered by the University’s liability insurance, will not receive supervision from the faculty, and cannot use the additional hours to meet the requirements of subsequent courses.

Liability Insurance

Students registered in course-based off-campus experiences are covered by the University’s general liability insurance. In addition, students in professional programs will be covered by the University’s professional liability policies.