Careers and internships

To cite this article: Gundes, S., Atakul, N. (2017) Internship Practices in Architectural Education: Student Perspectives, Megaron, 12(3), 355-364.

Abstract
The experience that students gain from internship programs is considered to be one of the most critical complements to higher education.
Using data gathered through surveys with over 100 students from architectural education institutions in Turkey and focus group
discussions with interns, key positive aspects, challenges, and shortcomings of architectural internships were identified. Results revealed
that while students feel that both hard and soft skills needed in the workplace could—to some extent—be improved through internship
programs, poor learning opportunities provided by employers, inability of architectural education to keep up with the rapidly evolving
technology, and the misuse of interns remain as key problem areas. Therefore, the results imply a need for greater collaboration between
university and industry and more empirical research into the effectiveness of different internship program structures.
Keywords: Architectural education; skills; students’ perceptions; survey; workplace learning.

Internships for college students are widely promoted as a “high-impact” practice, yet the academic literature is limited by terminological imprecision, lack of data on intern demographics, and insufficient attention to the impacts of program format on student academic and developmental outcomes. In this mixed-methods study we analyze survey (n=1,129) and focus group (n=57) data from students in three diverse U.S. colleges by using inductive thematic analysis, chi-square, and hierarchical linear modeling to document intern characteristics, access-related problems, program structure, and impacts on student outcomes. Results indicate that internship participation varied significantly by race, institution, enrollment status, and academic program, and that 64% of students who did not take an internship had desired to do so but could not due to scheduling conflicts with work, insufficient pay, and lack of placements in their disciplines. Students also reported high degrees of supervisor support, supervisor mentoring, and relationship between internships and academic programs—all program features that were significant predictors of students’ satisfaction with internships and perceived value for their career development. Based on these results, we propose a processual model for studying internships, and we discuss implications for career advisors, faculty, and postsecondary leaders. Specifically, we urge employers, colleges and universities to ensure equitable access to internships for all students, to screen employer hosts for mentoring quality and capacity, and to recognize internships can be simultaneously a positive transformative experience for students and a vehicle for reproducing inequality.

This collection explores ideas related to forging effective academia-industry relationships and partnerships so members of the field can begin a dialogue designed to foster communication and collaboration among academics and industry practitioners in technical communication. To address the various factors that can affect such interactions, the contributions in this collection represent a broad range of approaches that technical communicators can use to establish effective academy-industry partnerships and relationships in relation to an area of central interest to both: education. The 11 chapters thus present different perspectives on and ideas for achieving this goal. In so doing, the contributors discuss programmatic concerns, workplace contexts, outreach programs, and research and writing. The result is a text that examines different general contexts in which academia-industry relationships and partnerships can be established and maintained. It also provides readers with a reference for exploring such interactions.