| Learning objectives |
At the end of the internship you
should be able to
- Apply the knowledge and skills related to the concepts,
principles and methodologies of the IB program in a professional
setting
- Acquire new knowledge in a new setting to enhance classroom
education
- Apply higher order thinking skills, such as critical thinking,
analysis, synthesis, evaluation, complex problem solving, to
real-life situations
- Gain practical experience relevant to IB program’s competence
profile
- Develop personal and interpersonal skills (profession-specific
competencies, oral and written communication skills, interpersonal
communication and interaction skills, observation and
interpretation skills, leadership skills) to work effectively
within diverse environments.
- Critically reflect upon and evaluate the internship experience,
especially in relation to the knowledge and competencies gained
through the IB program
|
| Course prerequisites |
Formal requirements: This course
description covers only internships providing full-time employment
(approximately 37.5 hours per week) over a 6-month period.
In order to be considered for an internship credit transfer the
student must apply for pre-approval. The application for
pre-approval must include the following documentation:
1) A formal and signed document by the organization that contains a
detailed description of:
• Learning objectives of the internship
• Defined job training areas
• Specification of formalized learning processes (i.e., name and
length of structured classes or lectures, or name of the mentor)
• Specification of the time period and working hours of employment
2) A letter of motivation (max. 2 pages) from the student
describing what s/he intends to achieve by undertaking the
internship and in what way(s) the experience contributes to her/his
education under the IB program. This letter of motivation must
specify the elements of the IB program that correspond to the job
training or formalized learning processes of the
internship |
| Examination |
|
BSc IB
Internship, 30 ECTS:
|
| Exam ECTS |
30 |
| Examination form |
Home assignment - written product |
| Individual or group exam |
Individual |
| Size of written product |
Max. 20 pages |
|
For the 6-month internship the report must be in
between 17-20 pages long. |
| Assignment type |
Report |
| Duration |
Written product to be submitted on specified date
and time. |
| Grading scale |
Pass / Fail |
| Examiner(s) |
One internal examiner |
| Exam period |
Autumn Term and Spring Term, Each student is
required to submit an academic report within two weeks upon
completion of the internship. |
| Make-up exam/re-exam |
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
|
Description of the exam
procedure
The examination form for this course takes the form of a
20-page, excluding the bibliography and appendices, internship
report following the specifications outlined below. The Internship
Report must include an outline of the business of the company for
which you worked, summarize the work you did, and discuss the
specific international business relevant aspects of your work term.
The report must demonstrate your ability to communicate what you
have done in your internship, it must demonstrate your ability to
relate your work to the bigger picture, and it must demonstrate
your ability for critical thinking. You have to demonstrate that
your internship had a major international business component, or
that you are able to relate your work term to international
business issues.
Your internship report has to contain three subject areas:
1. Outline of the background and specific business of the company
and/or department in which you performed your internship.
2. Outline of the work that you have performed in the company.
3. A discussion of a specific electronic commerce issue related to
your internship.
The first two components can be brief. The major focus of the
report should be on the third component, the critical discussion
and analysis of a specific internship-related topic. We refer to
this component as analytical component. The
analytical component should relate academic knowledge to practical
experience. Its purpose is to help you develop written and
analytical skills. You will not only gather information but
interpret, organize and present it clearly and understandably.
It is common that the analytic component and the demonstration of
the international business focus of the internship is perceived as
a major challenge of the internship. However, note that it is well
acknowledged that many aspects of your daily work can be praxis
oriented rather than academically oriented. It is thus clear that
your work might include administrative duties as well as mundane
tasks required by your employer. It is, of course, important that
you follow the direction of your employer. However, to pass the
academic requirements of the internship you must go, if necessary,
beyond the following of instructions and demonstrate your ability
in critical thinking and the international business field. Thus,
the internship report allows you to examine aspects of a project or
the organization beyond the work performed by the company. Ideally,
the report will be of practical benefit to your employer and
demonstrates initiatives beyond your instructed work.
Starting early is the key to producing a high-quality, professional
report. Last-minute efforts are reflected in a lack of research and
poor quality of writing. While you cannot write your report the
first month on the job, you can begin gathering information and
outlining your ideas. Once you have chosen a topic, keep a notebook
to record your activities related to the report's research -
methods, observations, meetings attended. Preparation is an
on-going process.
Choosing a subject is a crucial aspect of your success of your
internship report. It is sufficient to concentrate on one specific
aspect or problem related to your internship, and it is not
required that you report in depth on all the projects that you
might have encountered during your internship. However, the chosen
subject has to be discussed with enough depth, if necessary with
efforts beyond your daily work, so that your treatment of the
subject demonstrates specialist-level ability in international
business. If you doubt your judgment on a topic, you may speak with
your company supervisor or contact your faculty advisor.
Grading: In the process of preparing the
internship report the student could rely on the role of an advisor
chosen on the basis of the international business topic to be
discussed in the report. The advisor is involved in discussing the
issue formulation and the framing of relation of the practical
experience to the international business theories. Each student is
entitled to 5 hours of supervision from the advisor. The advisor
will be the sole evaluator of the report, which would be evaluated
on approved/not-approved
basis.
|
|
| Course content and
structure |
|
Internships are an integral part of the B.Sc IB program. All
students are encouraged to arrange internships with companies or
organizations of interest. Students must undertake the internship
whilst they are still enrolled in the IB program. An internship
must involve both on-the-job training and
formalized learning processes. Formalized learning
processes are defined as either 1) structured classes or lectures
taken within or through the organization in which the student
undertakes the internship, or 2) supervision provided by a mentor
in the organization the student undertakes the internship.
The internship must be taken within an existing
organization, such as a company, or governmental or
quasi-governmental agencies such as ministries or embassies, or
non-governmental organizations, such as the Red Cross etc.
Companies or other types of organizations established by the
student will not be taken into consideration.
Students need to be hired under a formal contract, which, at the
minimum, specifies the period of time the student is hired for and
respective working hours. In cases where the student is already
employed by the organization and wants to transform the contract
into an internship program, documentation signed by representatives
of the organization must be submitted to prove that job-functions
new to the student are established in relation to
the internship program, or that formalized learning processes will
be initiated.
The job-training areas and the formalized work experiences in terms
of academic content must correspond to the curriculum and learning
objectives of the BSc IB program.
|
| Teaching methods |
| Supervision hours. |
| Further Information |
|
The application for pre-approval must be sent to the BSc IB
Program Administration prior to having begun the
internship. The final decision on the pre-approval application
rests with the Course Coordinator. Applications must be submitted
well ahead of time of the start of the internship to allow for the
Course Coordinator to make an informed decision. In terms of the
internship application itself, students are recommended to follow
the deadlines stipulated by individual organizations. As already
stressed, arranging for an internship remains the individual
responsibility of the student, not CBS or the BSc IB. Students are
also individually responsible for obtaining work permits and any
other documentation necessary to undertake employment in the
country in which the internship will be conducted
Please look at the internship guidelines for further
information.
|
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