MANAGEMENT
401, BUSINESS INTERNSHIP FAQ
What
type of organization will enable me to complete this course?
MGT 401 requires students to have a “supervised”
position with an employer as an employee or as an intern.
For an internship, most organizations are acceptable as
long as they provide a “legal” product or service
for profit or not-for-profit. Crucial to this choice is
your ability to pursue an appropriate learning experience.
What
constitutes an appropriate Learning Experience?
There are two types of learning experiences: a project
or a series of learning activities. This learning experience
must require you to apply high levels of cognitive processes
in a business setting, such as applying what you have
learned in school and analyzing and evaluating the effectiveness
of these applications. Routine tasks, such as data entry
or clerical work, do not meet this high level of cognitive
processes and are not acceptable. Your supervisor’s
active involvement is crucial to you defining your learning
experience. Your supervisor must agree to support your
learning experience and later provide an evaluation of
your accomplishments. Managers are always concerned with
how to reduce costs, increase revenues, improve processes,
or improve the quality of their product or service. Learning
experiences that focus on these areas would most likely
be acceptable.
How can I find out if my ideas will meet course requirements?
When seeking guidance from the instructor regarding the
acceptability of your proposed learning experience, you
must be able to address in detail one of the two options
described below.
- Project:
you must accomplish something that “adds value”
to the organization and requires significant effort
above and beyond your “routine” tasks. Projects
involve providing a deliverable to the organization
as proof of completion. May be best for employed students.
- Learning
Activities: you must undertake a least five specific
learning objectives that are appropriate in content,
rigor, and level of difficulty suitable for upper division
credit. This should involve learning “significant”
business processes. It does not include learning routine
tasks. You must provide proof of your learning. May
be best for interns.
How
often does the class meet?
Most class objectives are achieved in the student’s
workplace and only a few class sessions are held during
the semester. These occur during the first five weeks
of the semester, with additional sessions held as needed.
Students must attend these early class sessions.
What
constitutes a passing grade?
A “C.”
Where
do I submit work?
Assignments are due to the instructor at the beginning
of the class session scheduled in the syllabus. You can
drop off assignments early at the instructor’s office
during scheduled office hours or put them in the MGT 401
box in the Management Department Office (SS 3356). This
office is open from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through
Friday.
When and how do I retrieve my written work after it
has been graded?
Written work may be picked up in the MGT 401 box in the
Management Department Office (SS 3356). This office is
open from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. Alternatively,
you may attach a self-addressed, postage-paid envelope
to your work and we will mail it to you.
Where
do I submit work if it is late?
Late work will not be graded and will receive a grade
of No Credit.
What
should I do if I need to obtain a grade of “INC”
(or “Incomplete”) in
this course?
Read the University Catalog to review policy. Key elements
include the fact that it is the student’s responsibility
to contact the instructor in ample time to arrange for
an “Incomplete.” No one is entitled to an “Incomplete”
without having met requisite conditions. When circumstances
beyond your control cause you to want an “Incomplete,”
you will need to secure your eligibility by:
1. Submitting and obtaining approval of your Learning
Experience Contract.
2. Obtaining an “Authorized Incomplete ‘I’
Agreement” form from the instructor or
Management Office, completing that form and submitting
it to the instructor no later than seven (7) days before
the date the instructor must submit final grades. Consult
the University Catalog (calendar) to determine that date
for the relevant Fall, Spring or Summer semester.
What
do you think are the most common causes of “No Credit”
grades?
1. Course Contract Grade
- Learning
Activities: No Credit grades on Learning Activity Contracts
typically derive from one or more of the following:
- Failure to describe the organization and the student’s
role in it
- Failure to develop learning objectives that clearly
indicate what you will learn
- Failure to develop learning objectives with sufficient
content, rigor, and level of difficulty appropriate
for the course
- Failure to specify when you will learn each objective
- Failure to specify what proof you will provide to
show that you have learned what you said you would
- Projects:
No Credit grades on Project Contracts typically derive
from one or more of the following:
- Failure to describe the organization and the student’s
role in it
- Failure to clearly define the scope of the project
- Failure to specify steps to complete the project
- Failure to specify how the project adds value to the
organization
- Failure to specify how satisfactory completion of
the project can be verified.
2. Some students do not retrieve graded work as promptly
as possible, thereby letting
valuable time pass before they can begin to correct any
problems the instructor has
recognized in their work.
3.
Students don’t realistically grasp the standards
of work required and procrastinate. They might underestimate
requirements because the course provides only “credit”
or “no credit”. In fact, that grading system
means you cannot pass with a grade equivalent to a “C-“.
This class approves Course Contracts that require approximately
135 hours of total effort, including time spent in the
organization, in class, and in preparing written work.
4.
Some students do not effectively engage their supervisors
as partners in designing and executing Course Contracts
as required by the course. Of these students, some believe
they can just do something more or less independent of
the system in which they work.
5.
Common errors on papers fall into three categories. First,
students fail to follow established format guidelines.
Second, students fail to establish a context for discussion,
especially as it applies to integrating other material
and topics into the paper. Third, students demonstrate
poor writing skills related to grammar, spelling, transitions,
and supporting their arguments with sound reasoning and
examples from their Learning Experience.
6.
Some students have not consulted appropriate sources to
derive ideas to integrate into their papers. Sources must
be based on research based material such as textbooks
or peer reviewed journal articles.
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