Amid the pandemic, internships are at stake this summer as employers struggle to figure out how to convert their traditional in-person internship model into a virtual one. Internships are essential, as they offer students hands-on experience to help them build skills while they get their foot in the door of potential employers. Today, Maria brings Nikki James back to the podcast to discuss how to design and facilitate effective virtual internships. Nikki has been researching virtual internships as a Senior Research Fellow at Practera and an Industry Fellow at the Center for the Future of Higher Education and Talent Strategy at Northeastern University. She is a learning scientist and an expert in designing and scaling experiential learning programs that offer students opportunities to build 21st Century skills. You can learn more about Nikki’s learning journey and work in episode 53. And if you want to find out how you can get involved in this research program that is funded by a National Science Foundation grant, you can contact Nikki directly. You can find her email address along with useful links about the virtual internship model in the show notes. Tune in to hear from an expert in online experiential learning programs about how to design scalable virtual internships to help students build skills and start their professional journey.
Production team:
Host : Maria Xenidou
Producer: Julie-Roxane Krikorian
Introduction Voice: David Bourne
Contact us:
impactlearningpodcast(at)gmail.com
Music credits:
Like Lee performed by The Mini Vandals
Transition sounds: Swamp Walks performed by Jingle Punks
Where to find more about Nikki James, Practera and Northeastern University:
Contact Nikki at ni.james(at)northeastern.edu
Mentioned in this episode:
Nikki James on Impact Learning Podcast - Episode 53
Center for the Future of Higher Education and Talent Strategy (CFHETS)
Resources on the Virtual Internship Model that Nikki is working on:
Listen to this episode and explore:
Nikki’s favorite internship experience (3:05)
The impact of the pandemic on internships this summer (5:04)
Nikki’s research project: building a virtual Internship model (8:01)
How Nikki and her team found institutions to collaborate with on this project (11:44)
How they help and support institutions and colleges during this project (13:33)
The Project Library: a resource connecting higher ed institutions to industry to better serve students' learning (16:10)
The virtual Internship model: researching and creating ways to measure progress in developing 21st-century skills (21:54)
The current state of the research on virtual Internships (30:59)
Maria’s experience working remotely on global teams and during internships (34:38)
How to expose interns to the company's culture in a remote setting (36:10)
Words of wisdom and guidance for institutions and industry partners looking to implement virtual Internships (39:56)
How to reach Nikki if you want to participate in this research project (43:21)