Information for Prospective Mentors

Learning Outcomes

• A credit-based internship is designed to provide a structured learning experience. During the course of the internship, students gain new insights, knowledge, experience, and skills that enable them to meet the specific task-oriented goals set forth in the internship proposal or job description created by the employer (the prospective mentor).
  
  A credit-based internship is not work replacement of regular staff but rather a progressive, cumulative experience in which the student demonstrates understanding or mastery of a defined and agreed-upon practical experience.
• Goals and objectives for the student's learning experience are created by the mentor and the student and are reviewed by the School. This work plan is the basis for the student's learning experience within your organization.

Mentorship

• The student requires an on-site mentor who has at least three years' experience in the field in which the student is working and doing the work the student will be required to do.
• The mentor should plan to spend at least one hour per week, with more hours during the student's first few weeks, reviewing the student's work and meeting with the student to provide advice and monitor progress toward the student's goals.
• Mentors must agree to the mentor guidelines (MS Word) set forth by the School.

Type of Work

• Work needs to be related to the student's program.
• Work needs to be at a level suitable to an entry-level professional in the field. Clerical work and processing are not considered suitable.
• Work should be practical-based and should provide student with contact and networking opportunities outside of SI (research for an SI faculty member, for example, would not be eligible for PEP internship credit).

Hours and Pay

• Students can work part time or full time.
• Pay is not required but is becoming more important in a competitive environment and is a critical factor in most students' acceptance of internships.
• Pay is negotiated between you and the student.

Examples of Successful Internships and DFEs

• Reference, cataloging, or collection work at a library
• Digitizing collections
• Special projects, such as survey development and deployment or policy research and formation
• Web site design in a design firm
• Technology teaching in a nonprofit setting
• And many more.

Mentor Responsibilities

• Sites that host SI student interns complete a proposal (job description) [see a sample proposal (MS Word)] describing the proposed work environment, proposed student projects and duties (job description), total number of hours and timeframe, and contribution this experience will make to the student's education. The proposal also identifies a professional who will serve as mentor to the School of Information student and states whether the position is paid or unpaid.
• The mentor reviews and agrees to the mentor guidelines set forth by the School.
• The mentor meets regularly with the SI student to offer guidance, counseling, and direction toward completion of assigned tasks.
• Mentors must have an interest in and time available for the regular management and guidance of students.
• Mentors must have three years' experience in the area of the student's learning experience.
• The mentor cannot be a relative of the student.
• At the end of the semester, the mentor completes an evaluation of the student's performance and sends it to the PEP Office at the School. The mentor should go over this evaluation with the student upon completion of the internship.