SDU Universitetspædagogik

Internship report

This type of exam is used as the final report on an internship assignment, e.g. a process in which, the student has entered into a contract for an internship on a work experience placement placement but where the workplace plays no role in the assessment of the student.

In the assignment, the student must explain how the internship worked and document that the content of work tasks was academically relevant at a sufficiently high level in relation to the overarching purpose of the study programme.

Depending on the student’s work tasks while on work experience, the internship could be used to teach – and the report partly to document – the application of abilities and skill-sets within the subject area to complex work situations, possibly in collaboration with others.

This assessment method is also suited for group examination.

Learning objective that can be addressed using this assessment method
Knowledge of theory, method and practice
Understanding and reflecting on theory, method and practice
Applying methods and tools	X
Assessing problem definitions and selecting solution models	X
Communicate and discuss academic issues
Dealing with complex situations – in the context of studying or work	X
Ability to independently initiate collaboration	X
Taking responsibility for personal learning and development	(X)

X indicates that this assessment method is suitable for testing the learning outcome. (X) indicates that this assessment method is of only limited use for this.

Evaluating the method of assessment

Assessment Criteria
Validity	This type of evaluation is capable of immediately documenting the student’s understanding of the work tasks performed, but is only indirectly capable (via the student’s written representation) of documenting the actual quality of how the tasks were performed. The learning targets for internships usually relate to the opportunity for the students to apply and test their academic knowledge in a real-life work context. The report indirectly documents the degree to which these learning targets have been met. Thus, construct validity is low. Almost the same could be said for content validity, as there is no direct documentation of the extent to which the student worked with relevant academic abilities and skill-sets. If this is preferred, the portfolio can be used as assessment method and the workplace can be involved in the assessment of the student.
Reliability	Because work experience placements vary greatly, this type of evaluation does not distinguish consistently between good students and poor students. For this reason, reliability is low.
Backwash effect from testing to teaching	The requirement of writing a report can help to focus the student’s efforts during the internship.
Resources	Some resources need to be devoted to each student individually in connection with setting up a work experience placement. The report on the internship is usually 15 pages long, and accordingly takes some time to read.
Digitisation	The internship assignment can be submitted digitally without any problems. This allows for inclusion of audio and video documentation.
Acceptance	There is widespread acceptance among students and among many teachers regarding the relevance of internship assignments, both as part of the study programme – a way of relating the academic theory and method to actual practice – and as a ‘taster’ of work-tasks to come, on completion of their study programme.

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