Design and Development of a Learning Design Virtual Internship Program

Abstract

Incorporation of practical experience in learning design and technology education has long been accepted as an important step in the developmental process of future learning designers. The proliferation of adult online education has increased the number of graduate students who are in need of a practical internship placement but have limited options due to work and family obligations. An international virtual internship program provides opportunity for non-traditional students to participate in a practical experience regardless of their physical location and other obstacles.Keywords: graduate program, learning design, internship, development, virtual environment IntroductionStudents in learning design and technology related disciplines not only learn theory, but also learn through real-world experiential learning. The digital learning landscape is a global one, characterized by pockets of innovative activity in unexpected places. These two factors indicate that (a) an internship component is essential if learning design programs are to be successful in providing students with up-to-date and relevant digital learning knowledge and skills, and (b) in order to provide our students with exposure to a global environment, we should endeavour to provide internship opportunities that are not limited by location. A possible approach to meeting these two needs is to create international virtual internship programs. This paper explores the design and subsequent implementation of an international virtual internship program for novice learning designers. We begin with a discussion of the need for internships as a bridge between theory and practice, followed by a review of the literature relating to the emerging concept of virtual internships.The paper continues with a description of the design and development of the Bath Spa University Virtual Internship Program (VIP). We conclude with lessons learned and suggestions for future iterations of the internship program. Bridging Theory and PracticeLearning Design (LD) is a complex, ill-structured, problem solving activity that involves decisionmaking procedures (Jonassen, 1997;Simon, 1977). The learning design process is dependent upon the decisions that learning designers make (Kozma, 1994;Rowland, 1993). Decisions made by learning Design and Development of a Learning Design Virtual Internship ProgramRuggiero and Boehm 106designers vary significantly between novices and experts. Furthermore, research has indicated that expertise in other domains does not equal good decision-making in learning design (Clark & Mayer, 2011;Crismond, 2001;Rowland, 1992). Novices (in this case graduate students), may have an appropriate knowledge base, but often lack the teaching and design experience necessary for efficient and effective problem solving (Ertmer et al., 2008;Ertmer, York & Gedik, 2009). Perez & Emery (1995) purport that a designer must have ten years of consistent hands-on experience in order to obtain the necessary expertise. One way to ensure that novice learning designers ...

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“…The experience also provides an awareness of ongoing research and current methods. Internships bridge theory and practice and are a useful way to supplement and enrich an individual’s educational experience ( Ruggiero & Boehm, 2016 ). The e-internship model extends this opportunity to a broader group of students.…”

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“…Experiential learning is an approach that helps students relate classroom theory to the world of work (Ruggiero & Boehm, 2016). This method is considered to be, "the process of creating and transforming experience into knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, emotions, beliefs and senses" (Jarvis, 1987, p. 16).…”

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