1	Interdisciplinary problem-solving skills
2	High quality written and verbal communication skills
3	First hand working experience of an environmental government, industry or non-government            (community-based) organisation
4	Experience in independent research leading to production of a substantial research report

None

Reference and example materials provided on MyUni

MyUni is an important learning tool and means of communication and knowledge exchange in this course. It provides the students with course materials and announcements and other features to help manage their study.

Students also need to monitor their nominated student e-mail account regularly for any communication about the course. All course announcements will be both e-mailed and posted on MyUni.

To reach the MyUni website for the course go to https://myuni.adelaide.edu.au/webapps/login.   

You will need to enter your username and password to access the MyUni website. If you have difficulty, please contact the Help Desk on 8303 3335 of send an e-mail to myuni.help@adelaide.edu.au

The formal contact hours for this course include a 3 hour lecture/seminar session in nominated weeks and these are designed to directly prepare and support students in the negotiation and execution of their internship and associated research report.

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
 
Structured learning/contact time: 3 hours per week
Internship placement: 15 hours per week
Documentation and report preparation: 6 hours per week

The distribution of workload is likely to vary depending on placement requirements.

3 hour seminars each week.  Details provided at the start of semester

This course requires students to undertake a placement of approximately 2 days per week (commitment will vary for individual projects) as an intern at an external organisation. Before commencing your placement you need to complete an insurance form (details below, form on MyUni) and a project brief (an example is available on MyUni).

For the whole of their period as interns, students remain attached to the Adelaide University. This means that all administrative matters and questions relating to their enrolment and status should be directed to the University. Responsibility for the academic coordination of the Internships and the day to day running of the Internship Scheme rests with the Academic coordinator, and all inquiries specifically about it should be directed to Dr John Tibby (telephone 8313 5146).

All students participating in the Sscheme are expected to attend and participate in a series of seminars over the first few weeks of the semester. At the same time, students should arrange a meeting with their prospective host organisation to begin the process of preliminary planning of the research project. Once the exact terms of the research project have been agreed a ‘contract’ or project brief defining the task, outlining the methodology, and detailing the level of support available will be signed by the organisational supervisor, the student and the academic supervisor.

Students will work on their negotiated research task at their own time and pace, subject to the agreed schedule of meetings / supervisions with their organisational supervisor. There will also be a number of meetings with the academic coordinator through the second half of the semester to provide additional support and resolve any possible problems.

Towards the end of the academic semester, all students will present an oral summary of their findings and receive critical feedback from the academic supervisor. On the due date, all students will submit two bound copies of their research project and an electronic copy via turnitin. One copy will be retained by The University and the other returned to the student. A final mark (determined by the University) will be based on the report (80%)  and seminar presentation (total: 20%).

Students should note that at all times they remain responsible for their own work. By agreeing to participate in the scheme and provide supervision, organisations have undertaken to provide as much support as possible. While the exact level of support will, however, vary from case to case, no organisation is expected to undertake additional work to assist with the writing and production of the Report. Accordingly, it is the ultimate responsibility of the student to ensure that the aims of the project have been accurately defined, that the task is appropriate for the time available, that sufficient resources are likely to be available, and that the research report is completed by the due date.

Code of Practice
As students may spend some considerable time working with organisations, all must be aware of the importance of appropriate behaviour. All students must read this Code of Practice and agree to abide by the terms of the Code. Acceptance of this and of the importance of confidentiality will form part of the ‘contract’ between students and supervisors.

As part of their participation in the Scheme, all student interns must agree to abide by a defined code of practice. As well as recognising and acting in accordance with all the provisions set out below, all students should be aware that the host organisations have busy working environments and that students should act at all times with respect for the normal daily activities of the host organisation. As well as a general requirement for appropriate standards of behaviour, decorum, and dress, there are a number of specific protocols that must be observed:

Confidentiality
All students should be aware that any public sector organisation can be a politically sensitive environment and it is essential that students adhere to a code of absolute confidentiality and discretion. All information gained through access to the papers and other materials of host organisations should be regarded as confidential unless otherwise notified. The long-term success of the Program will depend on all students acting in accordance with this understanding.

Status
Internship students can expect to have the same privileges and rights of access as some of the paid research staff. At the same time, each student should accept the same disciplines and constraints to which salaried staff are committed. It is important that interns should not allow anyone to believe that they are members of staff.

Correspondence
While it may be appropriate for some correspondence in connection with your research project to come from the office of the host organisation, nothing should be sent under the letterhead of an organisation without prior permission.

Expenses
Any travel costs, or other incidental costs incurred by students as part of the research project will remain the responsibility of the student. Neither the Internship Programme nor the participating organisations have any funds to meet such expenditure. Any other arrangements must be directly negotiated and agreed between student and supervisor.

OH&S and Insurance
During their period of internship, students at all times remain enrolled members of the AdelaideUniversity and are expected to abide by the usual policies and by-laws of the University. As enrolled members of the University of Adelaide all students are covered by the University's insurance policy. Coverage by the University's policy means that there is no need for any organisation to take out additional WorkCover or insurance coverage while a student is placed with them.

Seminar presentation (20%)
Final Report: 80%

It is necessary to present/submit both assessment elements to pass the course

Output for your organisation
The final report is for University assessment purposes and not intended for your organisation. The organisation may require a completely different format such as an executive summary of key findings plus a bulleted list or for example a physical output such as the production of an interpretive sign. Provision of the negotiated output to the host organisation is a requirement for satisfactory completion of this course.

The organisational report would not need to contain the introduction to the organisation or your personal reflections on the internship. However, some of your supervisors may like to have some informal comments.

There are two elements of assessment for this course; a seminar and a final report.

1 SEMINAR PRESENTATION (20%)
Each student is required to give a seminar presentation (20% of course assessment) on their internship project. Individual seminars will vary but they should all be presented so that they convey information about the internship so that it is interesting and clear to the rest of the group. (NB industry supervisors are encouraged to attend the seminars)

This presentation will last 20 minutes with 15 minutes for the presentation itself and 5 minutes for questions. The seminar can include comment on your personal experience and critical evaluation, but remember that your supervisor and other supervisors may be in the audience.

The criteria used to evaluate your presentation are on MyUni

2 FINAL REPORT (80%)
The final report of 6,000  words comprises 80% of the total assessment. The word count includes in text references but not the reference list. Do not exceed the upper word limit.

Report content
Your final report will vary according to the particular internship but should contain the following:
· Introduction to the organisation including the structure, the aims/vision/role, place of your supervisor and your project within the institution
· Aims of your project
· Methodology for your project
· Findings of your project (this may include much of what is presented to the organisation)
· Describe the outputs that you provided to the organisation
· Provide personal comments and a critical evaluation on your internship experience (good or bad) and what you gained from the experience. This section should include some reflection on the seminar program.

The criteria used to evaluate your report are on MyUni

SEMINAR – The seminar will be presented in late October (schedule to be advised) and will be assessed by the course coordinator at the time of presentation.

FINAL REPORT - Please provide two printed copies of your report, one of which will be retained in the Discipline. Submit an additional copy via turnitin. The report is due by midday on Monday 4th November and should be handed in to the School of Social Sciences Office (Napier G18) with a signed cover sheet attached (available at office). Students whose internship schedule creates a problem with this deadline should see Dr John Tibby ahead of the due date to negotiate an alternative deadline.

A number of students have commented that this course has been the best experience of their university career.  A number of students have gained permanent employment from their host organisation.