INTERNSHIP GUIDE BOOKAN INTRODUCTIONFOR COMPANY OFFERING INTERNSHIP

OCAD UNIVERSITY

BRING ANOCAD UNIVERSITYINTERNINTO YOURORGANIZATIONOCAD University is Canada’s largest Art and Design university, and has more depth and breadth in visual art and design programs than any school of its kind in the country. OCAD U students are courageous and innovative thinkers, organizers and makers. Discover what an OCAD U student can contribute to your organization!

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WHAT WILLAN OCAD USTUDENT DO FORYOU?An OCAD University student provides inspired input to your strategy, supports the role-out of projects or events, and assists with technical execution. An OCAD U student works as a publication assistant creating dynamic layouts, organizes an archive, researches key issues and writes persuasive content. An OCAD U student leverages transferrable skills to participate in marketing, outreach, education, and administration. An OCAD U student creates a beautiful, sustainable and better-functioning world. An OCAD U student imagines the impossible to be possible.

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REGISTRATION AND PREPARATIONIn a for-credit scenario, students select an internship placement based on a range on offer as part of a formal course. Courses are structured to be a hybrid comprised of classroom and experiential learning modali-ties, with an introductory portion designed to prepare students for being placed in the field.

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HOW ARE FOR-CREDIT INTERNSHIPS AT OCADUNIVERSITY STRUCTURED?Internships are part of the continuum of experiential learning opportunities offered at OCAD Uni-versity, by which upper-year students are actively immersed in professional work environments. Work is performed over a specified period of time under the guidance of a community partner and faculty member, who mentor and evaluate performance in relationship to core learning objectives.

INTERNSHIPDuring the work placement, students are required to perform the equiva-lent of of 120 hours of work. These hours will be scheduled around the needs of your organization and the student intern’s schedule.02

POST-INTERNSHIPFollowing completion of the work placement, students will return to the classroom to produce a final report and share their experience with other students enrolled in the course. The culmination of the course results in an event where students present their findings, reflections and feedback, which community partners are encouraged to attend for added context.

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INTRODUCTIONLearning outside of the classroom or studio can be an adjustment.. We recom-mend setting up an introductory meeting with your student intern to discuss work schedule, responsibilities and objectives. Setting the stage for the experi-ence and clearly laying out expectations can ease the transition for all parties.

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WHAT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF AN INTERNSHIP PARTNER?

ALIGN THE EXPERIENCE WITH THE LEARNING OBJECTIVESInternships carried out on a for-credit basis require a heightened awareness and responsibility of all constituents to ensure that the experience meets the learn-ing objectives and curricular goals . For this purpose, it is recommended that the community partner and the course instructor strive for a collaborative relation-ship with open communication to ensure that these needs are initially consulted and agreed upon, and then ultimately met.

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ASSESSMENTThe community partner is expected to participate in an assessment and feedback process at two points during the placement: mid-point and upon completion. Developed in collaboration with the faculty member leading the course, these assessments are used in conjunction with tangible student deliverables to assign a grade.

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APPOINT AN APPROPRIATE AND ACCESSIBLE SUPERVISORConnecting a student with a supervisor who is available to take the time to men-tor and develop a student, as well as one who will be able to communicate and provide valuable feedback, is an important part of the internship experience. A supervisor who is regularly available to a student, and who can develop a coopera-tive relationship with the faculty member, will ensure the success of the out-comes for all stakeholders.

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PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FEEDBACKAllowing time for all parties to reflect upon, and respond to, the outcomes of an internship is an important aspect of this unique teaching and learning op-portunity. This careful consideration can take the form of performance reviews, presentations, surveys or community sharing projects. Community partners are encouraged to participate in the Community Sharing event at the culmination of the course.

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WHATSUPPORTDO WE OFFERYOU?HOW TO GET INVOLVEWhether you’re interested in becoming a partner and welcoming students into your organization as interns, or you would like more information, connect with us OCAD University!

CONTACT USAngie GriffithProgram Coordinator, Experiential Learningagriffith@ocadu.ca416-977-6000 x 4020

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OCAD UNIVERSITY100 McCaul Street, Toronto, Ontario M5T 1W1WWW.OCADU.CA