Initial Learning Objective Report – STHM3185 – Internship I

As part of the STHM 3185 – Internship I experience, you will be required to develop Learning Objectives throughout the course of the semester to continue developing yourself professionally.  Each month, you will be required to develop two (2) new learning objectives for the following month to complete.  Each Learning Objective will be based around one of the eight (8) career competencies Download eight (8) career competenciesemployers are seeking in graduates.  For definitions on each career competency, refer to the Career Competency Definitions document listed in the Syllabus section of Canvas.

For the two (2) required learning objectives, one learning objective must be established within the STHM Designed Competency for the month.  The other learning objective may be within competencies of your choosing.  

Purpose of Learning Objectives:

Learning Objectives are statements that clearly define what you intend on learning over the course of the next month of your internship experience.  It is also important to remember the internship course is for academic credit, which learning objectives will be used to evaluate final grading and not just the hours completed at the internship site.  The learning objectives will be used to ensure you are building a foundational skill base that will be beneficial as you move forward in your early career.  The learning objectives should help the student, Site Supervisor, and University Supervisor evaluate the learning progress at the conclusion of each month.  Learning objectives should not try to cover all aspects of the internship, but rather focus on select areas you will be exposed to throughout the internship.  Each Learning Objective should involve new learning, expanded growth, or improvement on the job.  

Learning Objective Guidelines:

Follow the guidelines below when writing your Learning Objectives.  You will be required to rewrite the Learning Objectives at a lower point score if they do not follow the guidelines or meet requirements.  

Learning Objectives are a collaborative effort between the student and Site Supervisor.  Your Site Supervisor must agree on the objectives and tasks necessary to accomplish them.

Each Learning Objective must be specific, measurable, and limited to a single definite result.  A measurable Learning Objective is a statement that clearly and precisely describes what it is that you intend to accomplish by performing a task(s).  Think about the Start of Semester Career Competency Assessment you recently completed.  What areas did you rate yourself lower in?  These would be ideal items to focus on establishing Learning Objectives. 

When developing Learning Objectives:

• Avoid broad and general objectives; make them specific and as measurable as possible
• The objectives should be realistic considering the time constraint (one month to complete).  How would you accomplish the objective (be specific)?
• What knowledge (be specific) do I want to acquire during the internship?
• What new skills do I want to master?

The following are examples of tasks or goals; they are not learning objectives:

• I want to work on PowerPoint presentations.
• I want to answer questions about various programs offered.
• I want to undertake projects that enable me to gain further experience in sales.
• I want to participate as a team member in day to day office tasks.
• I want to attend meetings.

Examples of strong learning objectives:

• I will network and establish professional contacts in the marketing industry by attending PR events and attending client meetings, with a goal of establishing ten relevant contacts.
• I will become proficient in Microsoft Excel by creating financial spreadsheets to be used to conduct company financial analyses. My spreadsheets and written analysis will be evaluated by my site supervisor
• I will develop stronger people skills and learn how to establish a strong customer relationship by attending client meetings and listening to telephone conversations. I also will conduct three practice client presentations to department staff, and assist with at least one actual client presentation. My supervisor will evaluate my skills in these presentations.

Quality of work:

You will be evaluated on how much effort and depth of tough you put into your assignments, on your professionalism in written communication, and on your work ethic and the quality of your assignments. Effective time management will be critical to your success in this course. To be successful in this course, keep in mind the following items:

• Focus on your writing. College quality work is grammatically correct and free of typographical errors. Points will be deducted for mechanical and structural errors such as capitalization, punctuation, spelling, misuse of words, formatting, paragraph structure, fragments and run on sentences, etc. Communication skills are the #1 skill employers seek, and strong written skills can make or break whether you get an interview, job offer, or promotion. 
• Please be sure to thoroughly proofread your work; failure to do so will impact your grade on assignments. 

Learning Objective #1 – Must focus on Oral / Written Communication Career Competency and be a minimum of 300 words

• Must focus on the Oral / Written Communication Career Competency
• Focusing on this career competency, what specifically do you want to accomplish?  Be detailed and specific.  
• Why is this learning objective important to your career development?  Why did you select this over another objective?  Be detailed and specific.  
• What are the exact steps you will need to take to ensure successful completion of this objective?  Be detailed and specific.

Learning Objective #2 – Must be a minimum of 300 words

• Which Career Competency will this Learning Objective focus on?  Why did you select this competency?
• Focusing on this career competency, what specifically do you want to accomplish?  Be detailed and specific.  
• Why is this learning objective important to your career development?  Why did you select this over another objective?  Be detailed and specific.  
• What are the exact steps you will need to take to ensure successful completion of this objective?  Be detailed and specific.