Syllabus

Earn academic credit connected to your work experience with outside internships, regardless of your major. Using online tools, collaboratively analyze and discuss internships with respect to the goals of a liberal arts and sciences education.

This one-credit online course serves as an academic match for your internship experience. Half of all college graduates report completing at least one internship during their time as students. This online course provides a way for students who have found exciting outside internships to earn academic credit in connection with their work experience. Students will analyze their professional training experiences in the high-tech workplace in the context of the goals of a liberal arts and sciences university education, by practicing critical reading, writing, and observation skills.

Institution: University of Wisconsin–Madison
Credits: 1
Level: Elementary
Requisites: None
Instructional modality: Online, asynchronous
Meeting time and location: None
Repeatable: Students may repeat this course up to three times. However, in most cases, students should repeat the course only if they are participating in a different internship/position than before.

NOTE: To be authorized to take this course, students must first apply under How to Enroll at this SuccessWorks page.

Instructional team

Professor office hours: 11am–12n, Tuesdays, SuccessWorks room 340 (third floor of University Book Store – enter by Moka)
TA office hours: Contact your TA

Pin-Yi "Alice" Li
pli96@wisc.edu
Principal instructor (TA)

Headshot (Jibson).jpg

Jonathan Jibson
jibson@wisc.edu
Supervisory instructor

Steven Catania - SuccessWorks photo.png

Steve Catania
steven.catania@wisc.edu
Career Education and Learning Manager

For L&S Students
Visit SuccessWorks (third floor above University Book Store)
to find hours for drop-in, online, and scheduled career advising.

Not an L&S Student?
Find your career office here.

Textbooks

Here in Canvas. Working Toward Success: Building a Career in the Liberal Arts and Sciences (2019). This 200-page PDF textbook is also split up into chapters in Modules, week by week.

Optional. You Majored in What? Designing Your Path from College to Career (2017). This book is a comprehensive guide to the job search process, written by an expert in career advising and targeted to liberal arts and sciences university students. It should remain useful to you throughout your time at UW-Madison and beyond. It's optional because you will not be assigned to read or complete anything from it, for this class. (Expect to pay $25.)

Calendar

Learning outcomes

Reflect on how your outside internship connects to your liberal arts and sciences education through writing, reading, peer interaction, and guidance from instructors and advisors.

How this course works

You should expect to spend three hours a week for Fall/Spring semesters (or five hours a week for Summer semester) on your assigned readings, activities, and writings. By UW policy, "a credit hour is defined as the learning that takes place in at least 45 hours of learning activities, which include time in lectures or class meetings, in-person or online, laboratories, examinations, presentations, tutorials, preparation, reading, studying, hands-on experiences, and other learning activities." Your estimated workload accounts for the fact that there are no synchronous class meetings for this course.

This course is intended to be matched with an outside internship. However, you will receive credit only for work that you do in this course, not for work you complete for your internship.

Posting your own field notes. Each week you will post to a text Discussion board here on Canvas, writing about your internship consistently over the course of the term.
- Field notes are always due by Saturday at midnight).
- Your field notes will also incorporate reactions to occasional assigned scholarly readings and current news articles from a news source that you choose which is related to your internship.
Commenting on others' field notes. Each week you will also comment on at least two other students' field notes, to gain insight into other internship experiences (comments always due by Sunday at midnight).
Mid-semester check-in. At the midpoint of the term, you'll check in with SuccessWorks about how your internship is going, and you'll update your resume so we can offer feedback.
Summary reflection. At the end of the term, you'll write up a final reflective summary of your experience.

Grading

Semester grades are computed out of 100 possible points on UW's scale. Grades are not curved.

90–100 = A
85–89 = AB
80–84 = B
75–79 = BC
70–74= C
60–69= D
0–59 = F

The breakdown or weighting of graded components is as follows:

40% = Weekly field notes (posting & commenting)
40% = Other weekly assignments
10% = Mid-semester check-in
10% = Final reflection

NOTE: No matter how many hours you are working at your field site, your grade is based only on your academic work. All grades will be entered in Canvas as the term progresses so you can see how you are doing, and so the instructor can leave confidential comments to you on your progress.

Your weekly assignments come in a few varieties:

Read articles. Some we assign, some you find yourself through a news source that you select which relates to your internship area.
Post field notes. Describe and reflect on your internship work and training experiences, based on a guiding prompt from us each week, relating your experiences to your readings for the week.
Comment on others' field notes. This creates an online discussion community about everyone's internship experiences.
Other. You may also be asked for reflections, resumes, surveys, and more – see Modules.

Late work. Assignments will be accepted up to one week after the due date for 50% credit. You do not need to ask for permission to turn work in late. You may ask your TA to waive the 50% penalty for reasons such as those outlined in the attendance policy above – your TA has discretion in such cases.

Lack of communication. If you miss two consecutive discussion sections or weekly assignments (without letting your TA know why) we will email you out of concern for your well-being. If you do not respond to us with an explanation and a plan to get back on track, we may ask the Office of Student Assistance and Support to reach out to you to offer help.

Emergency, crisis, and extra consideration. Please contact us if you encounter an emergency or crisis situation during the semester that would require special flexibility for attendance or assignments beyond our normal policy above.

Extra credit. Students may earn up to 5 points total of extra credit (5% of your grade) this semester. There will be two optional Zoom sessions during the course (one at the beginning, one at the end). A student who participates in either one will earn 5 points – there are no additional points for participating in both.

Grading rubric for field notes

5 points: Thorough, detailed, interesting reflections that engage thoughtfully with the weekly theme. Clear evidence that student read and engaged with that week's scholarly articles. Clear evidence that student read and engaged the news source they are following. Helpful and interesting comments on other students' work. Writing is readable and clear with minimal errors.

3-4 points: Less thorough and detailed reflections that don't directly respond to the week's theme. Superficial engagement with the week's scholarly articles or news items. Minimal or superficial comments on other students' work. Writing is still readable but often unclear with several errors.

1-2 points: Vague, incomplete, or otherwise problematic reflections. No evident engagement with the week's scholarly reading or news source. Missing comments on other students' work. Writing has substantial errors or is unreadable.

0 points: No work completed.

Grade appeal policy

You may appeal a grade if you feel that it is too low. But there is a specific process you must follow in order to do so. This ensures a fair and consistent regrade process. Following these guidelines will help ensure that your request is processed efficiently and fairly. Failure to follow these guidelines may mean that your assignment does not receive review.

When can I appeal?
- You may submit an appeal only after the grade has been posted on Canvas for at least 24 hours (1 day). This gives you time to carefully review the comments provided by the TA.
- You may not submit an appeal once 96 hours (4 days) have passed since the grade was posted. That gives a 3-day window for an appeal.
- NOTE: For the assignments in the last module – the last assignments in the class – the time is shorter: it's a 1-day window, not a 3-day window.
What might happen if I appeal?
- The grade may go up, if grading errors are identified.
- The grade may go down, if further submission errors are identified.
- The grade may stay unchanged, if neither of the above is found.
Who do I appeal to?
- Always begin by emailing your TA (who is the primary grader) with your appeal.
- If, after the TA’s response, you still believe the re-evaluation is unfair, you may escalate the matter by contacting the instructor for further review.
How do I appeal?
- Review the steps above.
- Write an explanation of your appeal.
  - The onus is on you to explain the specific elements of the assignment that warrant re-evaluation – how you believe you met the assignment requirements.
  - Specific reference must be made directly to the comments left by the TA – vague or general statements will not be considered relevant.
- Send an email to your TA with the explanation attached (as a Word document or PDF).
  - Maintain a professional, courteous, and respectful tone in your email.
  - Frame your appeal as a request, not a demand.

Course website and digital instructional tools

If you are reading this page, you are already on Canvas. It is our campus learning management system (LMS) – basically an interactive course website. It is the place to submit assignments, participate in online discussions, complete quizzes, view your grades, and view a calendar with due dates. Your instructor will conduct class through this platform. (If you are new to Canvas, know that most students get the hang of it as they go through their semester. For more detailed information, use the Canvas Student Guide. For accessibility standards, review the Canvas Accessibility webpage.)

Chrome is the recommended web browser for Canvas, and it is best to always have the latest version installed for security reasons and to experience full functionality of the course. (Visit the Canvas Community to learn more about which browsers Canvas supports.)

Zoom is a web conferencing tool that you might use to meet synchronously (live) for office hours and/or for particular class sessions. In Zoom, we can also share documents, create polls and surveys, and use whiteboard technology to collaborate with one another. You can access UW-Madison Zoom here. (You can also get support for Zoom on your own.)

Tech support resources

Computers & Equipment For Students: What Do I Need?
DoIT Help Desk: The Help Desk provides free tech support and troubleshooting help with your computing needs by phone (608.264.4357), email (help@doit.wisc.edu), chat (https://helpdesk.wisc.edu/chat) or in-person at 1210 W. Dayton Street.
Download WiscVPN: A VPN is a "virtual private network". WiscVPN allows you to access University resources without being on campus, and provides an extra layer of security.
- How to connect to the WiscVPN

The privacy and security of faculty, staff and students’ personal information is a top priority for the university. The university carefully reviews and vets all campus-supported teaching and learning tools, including proctoring tools, and it takes necessary steps to ensure that tool providers prioritize proper handling of sensitive data in alignment with FERPA, industry standards, and best practices. (Visit the Office of the Registrar's FERPA overview for more information on student privacy and educational records.)

Notifications

We use the Canvas Announcements feature to send information and reminders to students. You can view past Announcements by clicking on the menu choice on the left.

Make sure that your Canvas settings allow our course Announcements to flow directly to your email! Click on the Account button on the upper-left of the screen and choose Notifications to verify that your email settings for Announcements are turned on. (See example below – the little bell is green indicating that announcements will automatically flow to your email.)

Academic policies and statements

The university has provided several additional policy statements at https://guide.wisc.edu/courses/#syllabustext. (You may recognize them from other course syllabi.) We hold, honor, and abide by these policies. Take time to read through them. Notify us if you feel that a policy is being violated.

In addition, we want to clarify a few points beyond what the university has stated, as they apply to our course.

Accommodations. There are several reasons a student may receive accommodations, from holidays to sports teams to the McBurney Center. Whatever the reason, you are expected to reach out to your instructor and connect about your accommodations within the first two weeks of the semester (or else as early as possible).

Generative AI. We expect you to complete your own work in this class. You are expected (1) not to use work you did not do, and (2) not to pass off work as your own if you did not do it. In this course, it is unacceptable for you to use generative AI – such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, or Grammarly – for your assignments. It is true that prompt engineering for generative AI is a real skill in the workplace, but our course is focused on developing other skills. (Most of our assignments are to do an activity and then to write about it, so it will be easier to write it yourself than to wrangle a machine to write it for you!)

Your TA has the ability to mark an assignment down if the assignment bears the hallmarks of being generated with AI. If it is the first time you are graded down for this, your TA will allow you to resubmit for a re-grade, but not in subsequent instances.

Your TA also has the ability to follow UW–Madison's academic misconduct process in particularly egregious cases.

Personal electronics. Bring a personal electronic device to every in-person class meeting, because some activities will require you to use one. In discussion, you may not otherwise use a personal electronic device – unless the instructor has connected with you about accommodations. In lecture, you may use a personal electronics device to take notes, but not for any other activity – to do so is disrespectful to your instructors, distracting to your classmates, and wasteful of your tuition. (We encourage you to take notes by hand because it involves better mental processing and because we will not test you on in-class material.)

Email etiquette. You are expected to communicate respectfully when you communicate via email. Here are some reminders:

An email should not read like a text message.
You should not expect a reply until at least one business day has passed.
If you send an email after the end of the workday or over the weekend, you should not expect your TA to read it until the start of the workweek – and you are not automatically excused from or granted accommodations on whatever your email was about.

Professionalism. The topic of this class is how to connect your academic and extra-curricular university life to your future life in the world of work. Part of what we practice in this class is professional conduct, including such things as:

clear and timely communication
respect for the views and experiences of others
constructive participation in discussion without monopolizing the discourse (which includes listening as much as talking)

Supporting you

If you find yourself needing additional support, please look through the support resources below to help you be successful.

About internships

What even is an internship?

A short-term, real-world work experience that integrates knowledge from the classroom with practical application and skill development. An internship can occur during the academic year, a semester or summer, or after graduation.
A mutually-beneficial relationship between both you and your employer. You receive real-world training and mentorship, and your employer builds a relationship with a potential future hire.
A chance to work side-by-side with someone in your potential career. An internship always involves a personal, ongoing relationship with at least one supervisor, manager, or professional at the organization.
A diversity of organizational types and employment relations. Internships can be paid or unpaid; they can demand full-time or part-time work; and they can involve a for-profit, non-profit, or governmental organization. Many organizations now require interns to be enrolled in a credit-bearing college course in order to be eligible for their internship.

What are some examples of work that would be called an internship?

A paid corporate internship. You have been hired to work for minimum wage in a company's official summer intern program. They have a formal application process and orientation process for all of the interns they hire each year, from all over the US.
An unpaid corporate internship. You have been approved to work as an unpaid reporter for a news organization for a three-month period, supervised by a professional journalist, in which your goal is to write a piece of your own and have it published by the end of the contract period.
A public service internship. You have been accepted to a competitive (but unpaid) state government program for college students to work as volunteer aides to legislators throughout the fall school term.
A community service internship. You arrange, on your own, a deal with a local community organization to volunteer with them on a regular, weekly basis at their location, doing a variety of tasks that both benefit the organization and introduce you to a particular kind of career in the non-profit sector – and you have a designated professional at the organization who you report to.

What are some examples of work that would not be called an internship?

Anonymous volunteering. If you're just volunteering with an organization on an irregular basis, without any personal, ongoing relationship with the organization's staff or regular set of duties, you're not an intern, and cannot combine this experience with our internship course. (However, this kind of community work might connect well to a service-learning course.)
Independent projects. If you're working completely on your own, trying to put together a project that you hope will be of interest when you submit it to an outside organization after weeks of preparation, you're not an intern, and cannot combine this experience with our internship course. (However, this kind of independent work might connect well to a directed-study course.)
Regular employment. If you're working for an organization as a regular employee, full-time or part-time, simply as a way to gain a paycheck with no interest in exploring the meaning or value of the organization as a future career path, you're not an intern, and cannot combine this experience with our internship course.

What is the value of an Internship?

Develop marketable skills
Gain hands-on experience
Build confidence and self-esteem
Try out a career on a short term basis
Develop relationships with professional contacts for future networking
Be more employable since employers want to hire students who have had internship experience
Reflect on the value of your undergraduate education in order to make the most of your remaining time at UW-Madison

Participating in an internship falls under Step 3, Build Experiences, of the Steps to Career Success.

If for any reason you find that you cannot complete your internship, you must inform the course instructor immediately. Depending on timing and circumstances, there may be a way to withdraw from the course or complete the work of the course based on a partial internship experience.

If you are repeating the course with the same internship organization, your field notes, article responses, and final reflection must all be substantively different than the work you turned in when taking the course before. We expect that you will build on your earlier experiences, not simply repeat them, so we need to see clear progress in the content and detail of your reflections.

Internship site supervisors cannot grade students; nor can students count work performed at an internship site for college credit. All UW internship courses must be supervised by a faculty member and graded only on academic work completed in parallel with on-site internship work.

Using Inter-LS 260 for the F-1 visa Curricular Practical Training (CPT) employment authorization. International students who have secured CPT with their enrollment in this course must consult their International Student Services (ISS) advisor prior to making any changes to enrollment in this course. Please see the following resources:

International Student Services https://iss.wisc.edu/
F-1 Curricular Practical Training employment authorization https://iss.wisc.edu/employment/f1-employment/f-1-curricular-practical-training-cpt/

Helpful career resources