Due date: 5th week

Purpose: To get to know a colleague and learn from their experience and perspective

Instructions: Interview a professional at your internship (who is not your supervisor, lead/mentor, or another intern) and learn about his/her story. In a 30-minute interview, ask questions such as:

• How did you get to your current position? What has been your career path up until now?
• What do you like most about your job?
• What is the most valuable advice you have received?
• What advice would you give to those who are looking to break into this field?
• What skills do you look for when hiring employees?

On the Canvas page, provide the interviewee’s name, position and contact information, as well as two key takeaways from the interview and how those will be applied to his/her professional development.

Due date: 9th week

Purpose: To reflect on your professional growth over the internship and receive feedback from your supervisor

Instructions: This assignment is to be completed as a mid-point check-in with your team. Regardless of your start or end date, it is important to receive structured feedback & make sure that you understand progress towards expectations from your supervisor or lead at a certain point of your work assignment. Students will schedule a meeting with their supervisor, have their supervisor fill out a form (provided on Canvas), and then write a reflection on their meeting with their supervisor and progress so far in the internship.

Due date: 10th week

Purpose: To find value in skills developed during the internship and be able to articulate said skills in a future job interview.

Instructions: Consider two key skills that you have learned/improved during the course of your internship. Describe your level of competency/learning for each by telling a story (in STAR format) about a project in which you demonstrated that skill. 

Due date: 5th week

Purpose: To get to know a colleague and learn from their experience and perspective

Instructions: Interview a professional at your internship (who is not your supervisor, lead/mentor, or another intern) and learn about his/her story. In a 30-minute interview, ask questions such as:

• How did you get to your current position? What has been your career path up until now?
• What do you like most about your job?
• What is the most valuable advice you have received?
• What advice would you give to those who are looking to break into this field?
• What skills do you look for when hiring employees?

On the Canvas page, provide the interviewee’s name, position and contact information, as well as two key takeaways from the interview and how those will be applied to his/her professional development.

Due date: 10th week

Purpose: To synthesize and concisely articulate your internship tasks/accomplishments in written format, as well as understand growth & build awareness about professional skills and development.

Instructions: Write a final report to document your growth during your internship and its application to your future career goals. The report should be approximately 500 words and written in clear, concise sentences. Respond to the following sections to help guide your report:

1. General Information

• Explain your role and how your work contributed to the company
• Discuss how you got the role (e.g., career fair, networking, found online) & your initial expectations for this internship    

2. Technical Skills

• Document the technical experiences you had and the technical problems that you assisted in solving
• Give examples of the application of science and engineering principles learned through your coursework that applied to this position
• Indicate any courses or subject areas not taken that might have enhanced your performance in the position

3. Development of Professional Skills

• Describe team and leadership building opportunities on the job
• Address the ways in which you practiced oral and written communication on the job
• Share challenges you faced in the work environment and how you responded to those challenges

4. Assessments

• Evaluate your performance of assigned projects, noting both areas of strength and improvement
• Explain any skills that you plan to gain and/or further develop, given this experience & as you consider your future career goals

5. Conclusion

• Summarize by addressing the impact of the work experience on your education and your career goals; how have you confirmed (or shifted) what you'll pursue in your coursework and/or career aspirations?
• Would you return to this company? This role? Why or why not?