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Definition: Internship/Experiential Learning (I/EL) is the program which enables students to earn academic credits for experiential learning projects formulated with the advice and consent of faculty.
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The program is open to degree candidates who in general should be juniors or seniors. Students below the junior level who can establish their capability for a proposed project may participate in the program. (I/EL) experiences are not available to students on academic probation, unless they are excused by their college dean.
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The formal written proposal shall contain an outline of the project to be pursued and a statement of the credit hours to be awarded to the student upon the successful completion of the proposed project. The proposed contract must be approved by the outside agency concerned, a faculty sponsor, and the chairperson of the sponsoring academic department.
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The chairperson of the student’s major department shall decide in advance if the proposed (I/EL) credits will be applied to the fulfillment of the major. (I/EL) credits may not be used to fulfill distribution requirements. If they are not applied to the student’s major they will be counted as free elective credits. (I/EL) credits are not eligible to be included in the 30 credits of advanced or specialized courses (interpreted as 300 level or higher) required for graduation.
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For every (I/EL) project there shall be at least three meetings of all three persons involved (faculty sponsor, student and agency supervisor). The first meeting will be at the beginning of the project to develop the conditions for learning and evaluation. The second meeting will be held before the last day that the "W" grade may be awarded. The third meeting will be held at the end of the contract period to evaluate the results.
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The evaluation of the student achievement shall be the responsibility of the faculty sponsor who shall consult with the student’s immediate supervisor(s) from the outside agency. The evaluation shall be on a credit/no credit basis for the number of hours specified in the contract (for business courses, it will be a letter grade). The title of the contract shall be noted on the student’s transcript.
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In order to receive credits for a contract, the student must submit to the faculty sponsor a written articulation of the contract’s results. Such a document, whose nature is to be determined by the sponsoring faculty member, might, for example, include the following: a) how objectives were met, b) how personal improvement has been stimulated, c) how the contract relates to his or her academic experience, d) how the contract could be improved for students who pursue similar projects in the future.
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The normal contract should be for three credits. Typically, a three-credit experience equals nine hours of work a week with approval of the Career Resource Center and your faculty sponsor. For a one-credit experience, it would be three hours of work a week. Projects proposing a greater number of credit hours should be scrutinized with extra care.
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A student may take up to 1/8 of UMD graduation credits, but no more than 15 credits, under (I/EL). If students take more than 6 credits under this program, they must first secure permission from the Dean of their college.
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(I/EL) credits are considered as part of the normal student credit load and subject to University policy with regard to credit hour limitations. During the drop–and–add period, students may drop their contract. Up to five weeks in the semester, students may increase the credit hours for their contract, subject to the same approval procedures as for the original proposal.
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Supervision of students doing projects under (I/EL) shall in all cases exclude individuals who are undergraduate degree candidates at UMD. Offices and departments within the University may act as outside agencies, provided that the supervisor of the project is not also the faculty sponsor nor chairperson of the sponsoring department.
