Methods and Methodologies 41

Using a case study approach, this dissertation sets forth a framework for an internship program housed in an English department that allows students to receive course credit for paid and unpaid internship experiences. First, however, relying upon secondary research, the dissertation defines the terms “intern” and “internship” in order to help program developers identify the kinds of program students can pursue for course credit and experiential learning. This dissertation topic is important as the demand for students to have internship experiences prior to graduating from college increases, as well as the demand for colleges to better prepare students for work after college (see Richard Keeling and Richard Hersch). Then through an examination of secondary sources, the dissertation explores opportunities for universities to develop internship programs that serve student learning through observation and experience.

The overall structure of the dissertation is a historical study with a pedagogical focus. I wanted to gain a better understanding of programmatic development serving the internship needs of undergraduate students and the kinds of effective pedagogical structures that can add to traditional classroom learning practices for English studies, rhetoric, and composition students. The GSU Institutional Review Board (IRB) allowed me to conduct five interviews—two faculty members and three internship providers. The information the faculty members provided allowed for a better understanding of how a program can be feasible and manageable for program

administrators and what structures best serve the participants—students, faculty members, and internship mentors. The internship providers added to what was learned from the faculty members, which created the opportunity to expand my own knowledge about the practices and approaches of mentors in the field working with student interns. The archival review of

departmental records created a narrative that supports internship program development for English students.

Chapter Four, which focuses on locations for internships, examined GSU’s history to understand how the founding of the university placed it uniquely within the downtown business community. Then, an examination of English Department archives showed at as early as 1996 students had an interest in pursuing internships for course credit and the department supported these desires. Internship proposals provided an understanding of where the internships occurred, what kinds of work students performed, and how the program grew over the years.

The interviews of individuals connected to the program required that aliases were used in place of the names of the faculty members and internship mentors interviewed. Dr. Caruso and Dr. Villette are the aliases of the professors who shared their knowledge and experience about GSU student interns. While there are many faculty members who have worked with student interns and are familiar with the department course, these two individuals have a substantial amount of experience working with students enrolled in the internship course for non-teaching and teaching internships. The project also includes interviews of three internship mentors who have worked with GSU students. The scope of the project provided for an inquiry into general information about their experiences working with student interns enrolled in an internship course. Mr. Raden, Ms. Long, and Ms. House are also aliases—pursuant to the IRB Research Approval, neither their real names nor places of employment were revealed in this study. In addition to the interviews, I supplement the project with my experience as an internship mentor while at GSU in the form of an autoethnography. The information gained through the

conversations focused on programmatic concerns and not the performance of individual students or relationships with specific faculty members.

The goal was to identify locations for experiential learning experiences for students, understand the structures for successful learning experiences, and explore the opportunities and potential of internships for GSU students. This knowledge resulted in the list of best practices for internship course design serving English and writing programs in Chapter Six.

The IRB approval was shaped by a series of questions that challenged me to expand my knowledge and understanding of the GSU program. There were two broad questions that shaped the overall study:

• How might the term “internship” be defined for course design purposes?

• What pedagogical structures and practices allow for effective internship experiences for

undergraduate students and their internship providers?

There were eight questions developed for faculty member interviews:

• What is an “internship” for purposes of enrollment in the GSU internship course in the

English Department?

• How do students connect with internship providers?

• How much and what kind of interaction do faculty members have with the internship

providers through the course of an internship?

• What are the learning outcomes and goals of the course in its current form?

• How has the course evolved over the years—how has it changed?

• What course components (assignments and pedagogical practices) do you find effective

and ineffective?

• What internship experiences and partnerships have you found the most beneficial for

• What resources and contacts have provided assistance in the development and

maintenance of internship courses?

Finally, there were seven questions relied upon during interviews with internship providers:

• What constitutes an “internship”?

• How do you select interns and what is the most effective way for a student to become an

intern?

• What kinds of communication do you typically have with faculty members from an

intern’s college or university?

• What kinds of support structures and communication practices could or do enhance an

internship experience?

• What kinds of outside activities (particularly those associated with an internship course)

do you feel would help an intern reach a higher level of success in an internship?

• In considering the assignments and experiences of interns, where do they excel and where

do they fall short?

• What practices could colleges and universities provide to students before and during their

internships to help them be better prepared to take full advantage of these kinds of learning experiences?

These questions allowed for the articulation of considerations for effective course design, including specifically assignments and structures, for undergraduate English studies students. In addition, the study explored the concept of internships and provided thoughts about how

extracurricular learning experiences are enhanced by partnerships between university faculty and internship providers, and how faculty members can develop partnerships within the non-profit and for-profit sectors that could lead to more internship opportunities.