WELCOME
Video message from the internship coordinators Jorge Santos and Melania Borit Contacts and registrations: [email protected] [email protected] |
GENERAL
Overview
An internship is a temporary work experience offered by companies or organizations that provides hands-on training to students or recent graduates in a particular field.
Internships are an excellent way to gain practical experience, explore different career paths, learn new skills in a real-world setting, and make connections in your industry of interest. Internships can be pursued at various points in one's academic career. Typically, students who have completed some coursework and developed skills attempt to use them in a professional setting.
At BlueRoute, we have planned to offer at least one remote internships with real or simulated experiences (RIROSE) as short private online courses (SPOC). This means that interns will interact remotely with real people and environments in tasks that are real or simulated for training purposes. Our internship modules focus on the professional and personal development of students, building on the academic knowledge expected at the postgraduate level. Each internship module takes place during one workweek, in different weeks. The internship modules are quite distinct, and a student can register for one or the two internships.
In every internship, we provide a thorough introduction to the organization and work environment that the student will experience during that week. The intern will meet professional mentors from the organization, as well as academic supervisors. Typically, the internship starts on a Monday morning and follows the working rhythm and communication routines of the organization at hand. The final work is delivered and is followed by de-briefing on Friday. Depending on the organization chosen, specific skills will be required or trained. The requirements and goals of each internship are described for each organization. The language of instruction is English.
An internship is a temporary work experience offered by companies or organizations that provides hands-on training to students or recent graduates in a particular field.
Internships are an excellent way to gain practical experience, explore different career paths, learn new skills in a real-world setting, and make connections in your industry of interest. Internships can be pursued at various points in one's academic career. Typically, students who have completed some coursework and developed skills attempt to use them in a professional setting.
At BlueRoute, we have planned to offer at least one remote internships with real or simulated experiences (RIROSE) as short private online courses (SPOC). This means that interns will interact remotely with real people and environments in tasks that are real or simulated for training purposes. Our internship modules focus on the professional and personal development of students, building on the academic knowledge expected at the postgraduate level. Each internship module takes place during one workweek, in different weeks. The internship modules are quite distinct, and a student can register for one or the two internships.
In every internship, we provide a thorough introduction to the organization and work environment that the student will experience during that week. The intern will meet professional mentors from the organization, as well as academic supervisors. Typically, the internship starts on a Monday morning and follows the working rhythm and communication routines of the organization at hand. The final work is delivered and is followed by de-briefing on Friday. Depending on the organization chosen, specific skills will be required or trained. The requirements and goals of each internship are described for each organization. The language of instruction is English.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Personal
At the end of the internship, the student will be able to:
Professional
At the end of the internship, the student will be able to:
Requirements
The internship program is designed for graduate students, typically with a background in science. However, there is a strong interdisciplinary element, and students with different backgrounds working in teams will be able to search for and find the relevant information and deliver it successfully.
Specific requirements may vary considerably among internships. Some may require basic knowledge of statistics, scheduling, and program design, while others may place more emphasis on topics like science communication, social media and website design. The internship is designed for people who demonstrate their interest to develop personal and professional skills in tasks related to natural science.
The students need to have access to a good internet connection to be able to participate in plenary sessions and present their works. However, these sessions are few and most of the work can be done offline or with short bandwidth. This will benefit students with lower or costly connectivity.
Intended Learning Outcomes
Personal
At the end of the internship, the student will be able to:
- Determine if working in a specific type of organization is an appropriate career goal.
- Reflect over own strengths and weaknesses related to own knowledge and skills in a professional context.
- Communicate own ideas with confidence and as appropriate to the context.
- Ensure wellbeing of others is prioritized in all interactions.
- Provide others with regular feedback in a constructive manner.
Professional
At the end of the internship, the student will be able to:
- Develop the technical potential to work in that organization by reading the relevant literature and integrate current thinking and best practice into own professional practice.
- Interact with colleagues, sponsors, customers or users of that organization according to their needs and the code of ethics.
- Seek professional groups and networks, within and outside of the sector, to develop professionally.
- Show creativity and innovation skills
- Demonstrate written communication skills.
Requirements
The internship program is designed for graduate students, typically with a background in science. However, there is a strong interdisciplinary element, and students with different backgrounds working in teams will be able to search for and find the relevant information and deliver it successfully.
Specific requirements may vary considerably among internships. Some may require basic knowledge of statistics, scheduling, and program design, while others may place more emphasis on topics like science communication, social media and website design. The internship is designed for people who demonstrate their interest to develop personal and professional skills in tasks related to natural science.
The students need to have access to a good internet connection to be able to participate in plenary sessions and present their works. However, these sessions are few and most of the work can be done offline or with short bandwidth. This will benefit students with lower or costly connectivity.
Teaching methods
The experience and learning are essentially hands-on. The learning outcomes can only be achieved through active student participation, punctuality, good time management, and engagement. Therefore, students are expected to be well-prepared before the internship begins by reading the recommended material, watching the video material, following the example and advice of the instructors, and engaging in activities. Teamwork is an essential part of these internships, and students are encouraged to work together effectively to achieve the goals of the internship.
Assessment
The teams of students will typically perform two tasks at each organization to gain an understanding of the range of activities. Each task will be described in a report or other medium, and all communications will be collected in a portfolio. This portfolio, as well as the individual student's engagement and activity, will be the subject of assessment.
The final report will typically be around 2000 words and will be delivered along with an oral presentation. The presentation can be supported by PowerPoint or delivered through other media at the end of the internship.
We use a pass/fail marking system, where a pass indicates that the student has demonstrated a sufficient level of understanding and familiarity with the job tasks and has actively contributed to the internship.
The specific details of each internship, as well as the forms of assessment and desired outcomes, are described by each organization.
Workload
Preparation and participation in the internship, including presentation of the portfolio, will require approximately 40 h of work, or about 1.5 ECTS.
The experience and learning are essentially hands-on. The learning outcomes can only be achieved through active student participation, punctuality, good time management, and engagement. Therefore, students are expected to be well-prepared before the internship begins by reading the recommended material, watching the video material, following the example and advice of the instructors, and engaging in activities. Teamwork is an essential part of these internships, and students are encouraged to work together effectively to achieve the goals of the internship.
Assessment
The teams of students will typically perform two tasks at each organization to gain an understanding of the range of activities. Each task will be described in a report or other medium, and all communications will be collected in a portfolio. This portfolio, as well as the individual student's engagement and activity, will be the subject of assessment.
The final report will typically be around 2000 words and will be delivered along with an oral presentation. The presentation can be supported by PowerPoint or delivered through other media at the end of the internship.
We use a pass/fail marking system, where a pass indicates that the student has demonstrated a sufficient level of understanding and familiarity with the job tasks and has actively contributed to the internship.
The specific details of each internship, as well as the forms of assessment and desired outcomes, are described by each organization.
Workload
Preparation and participation in the internship, including presentation of the portfolio, will require approximately 40 h of work, or about 1.5 ECTS.
Schedule
The website for the module and information package will be made available two weeks prior to the start of the program. Students must register one week before the start of the program. During registration, students will be automatically assigned to a team of two.
Module 1: week 39: 25-29 September 2023 - Science Centre of Lagos, Portugal (CCVL)
The working hours will follow the normal working hours of the organizations in Portugal, which are typically from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (UTC+1). However, the different organizations may assign students to special tasks that take place outside of normal working hours or days.
Structure of the internship and learner support
The website for the module and information package will be available two weeks prior to the start date. Students will be automatically assigned to teams of two upon registration, which is obligatory. Mentors will provide synchronous interaction at the beginning (orientation), middle (progress discussion), and end (presentation and debriefing) of the module. Additional questions can be directed to assigned mentors via email.
The typical schedule for a remote internship is as follows:
Preparatory period (two weeks): organizations and required readings available online.
Monday: Plenary meeting with instructors and assignments (synchronous); teamwork
Tuesday: Teamwork
Wednesday: Plenary session (synchronous) and meetings with teams; teamwork
Thursday: Teamwork
Friday: Teamwork, presentations, and debriefing (synchronous)
Instructors will be available for discussions via email during normal working hours, and the teams of students will organize their own work schedule. A detailed calendar will be provided for each internship.
Registration
We recommend that the students read the description of the modules and organizations before they decide on an internship(s) that fits their motivations.
To attend one internship, students must register in that specific module two weeks prior to the start date. They will then receive a Teams-link for participation in all synchronous sessions of that module. These sessions may be taped.
To register, contact [email protected] or [email protected] giving your details and reasons for attending the internship module.
The website for the module and information package will be made available two weeks prior to the start of the program. Students must register one week before the start of the program. During registration, students will be automatically assigned to a team of two.
Module 1: week 39: 25-29 September 2023 - Science Centre of Lagos, Portugal (CCVL)
The working hours will follow the normal working hours of the organizations in Portugal, which are typically from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (UTC+1). However, the different organizations may assign students to special tasks that take place outside of normal working hours or days.
Structure of the internship and learner support
The website for the module and information package will be available two weeks prior to the start date. Students will be automatically assigned to teams of two upon registration, which is obligatory. Mentors will provide synchronous interaction at the beginning (orientation), middle (progress discussion), and end (presentation and debriefing) of the module. Additional questions can be directed to assigned mentors via email.
The typical schedule for a remote internship is as follows:
Preparatory period (two weeks): organizations and required readings available online.
Monday: Plenary meeting with instructors and assignments (synchronous); teamwork
Tuesday: Teamwork
Wednesday: Plenary session (synchronous) and meetings with teams; teamwork
Thursday: Teamwork
Friday: Teamwork, presentations, and debriefing (synchronous)
Instructors will be available for discussions via email during normal working hours, and the teams of students will organize their own work schedule. A detailed calendar will be provided for each internship.
Registration
We recommend that the students read the description of the modules and organizations before they decide on an internship(s) that fits their motivations.
To attend one internship, students must register in that specific module two weeks prior to the start date. They will then receive a Teams-link for participation in all synchronous sessions of that module. These sessions may be taped.
To register, contact [email protected] or [email protected] giving your details and reasons for attending the internship module.