Author(s):
Need. Internships are a critical pathway toward early career opportunities for students, especially in high-demand fields in information and communication technologies (ICT). Super PL addresses the need to prepare students for ICT careers by developing (1) a Career and Leadership Readiness Institute (CLRI) program, (2) an internship program for CLRI completers, and (3) a professional learning (PL) program targeted at internship supervisors for students in Northern Virginia Community College’s (NOVA) Information and Engineering Technologies programs. The goals of Super PL are to (1) increase access and improve internship outcomes and (2) develop a PL program to support intern supervision. Outcomes. Over the first 3 project years, Super PL has placed 59 students in internships at LEA partner Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS), provided career development services for more than 100 students through CLRI, and trained 20 front-line intern supervisors in effective supervisory practice. Guiding Question. While there is widespread agreement that internship participation improves student career outcomes, empirical models of that process and the role of supervision remain underdeveloped in the literature. Through a quasi-experimental mixed methods research design, this project will advance understanding of how Super PL (a) improves outcomes (i.e., professional socialization, attitudes toward ICT disciplines, degree completion, persistence in ICT careers) for CLRI completers placed in internships compared to CLRI completers who are not placed in internships; and (b) improves supervisors coaching of interns (i.e., confidence for supervising, effective coaching skills). Super PL will develop a valid and reliable assessment of intern professional socialization, which is currently lacking in the field. Broader Impacts. The model will be replicable by other IHEs with learning in the workplace programs. Since supervision quality and characteristics are critically important in determining student learning experiences and outcomes in diverse fields, the model is expected to be valuable across disciplines and for all workplace learning opportunities.
Coauthors
Chris Russell, Northern Virginia Community College
