UIS ProgramPhotos of Students and Faculty

Information for Employers

Thank you for considering participation in the Applied Study Term (AST) program at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS). The AST is a program at UIS in which undergraduate juniors and seniors participate in an internship, with a concurrent class, to earn academic credit required for graduation. Student interns are drawn from: accounting, biology, business administration, chemistry, communication, computer science, criminal justice, economics, English, history, legal studies, liberal studies, management, management information systems, math, philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology/anthropology and visual arts.

If the following information does not answer the questions you have about the AST please do not hesitate to contact us. We are eager to help you develop an internship placement.

217-206-6640
ast@uis.edu

FAQ

What kind of work can the intern do?

  • AST interns must be engaged in college level learning while on their internship. Interns must be gaining professional experience.
  • In July of 2011 The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) issued a position statement on U.S. internships. The statement defines and an internship as “a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.” That statement goes on to say that students “pursue internships because they want to gain professional experience that links their academic coursework to the disciplines they want to pursue for their careers. To gain this experience, students want to engage in projects and tasks that contribute to the professional work of the organization. This means that the employer does benefit from the work of the intern while, at the same time, it provides a meaningful experience that allows for the application of academic knowledge.”

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What are the criteria for an experience to be defined as an internship?

  • To be considered a legitimate internship by the NACE definition, all the following criteria must be met:
    • The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
    • The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
    • The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
    • There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework. [The AST class fulfills this requirement.]
    • There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience. [The UIS Supervisor fulfills this requirement.]
    • There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor. [Provided by the Field Supervisor at the placement.]
    • There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.

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What can I hope to gain from hosting an intern?

  • An internship program is a valuable recruiting tool for employers.
    • Take on interns now and you will have a competitive advantage in recruiting the best workers – you will already be known to the employees you want most.
    • Your new workers will already be trained for your workplace and be loyal to your company, lowering training time, recruiting costs and turnover rates.
    • You will build a reputation that will pay off with students, college and the community.
    • Your company will enjoy the immediate benefit from the input of talented, enthusiastic, innovative people.

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How long does an AST internship last? How many hours will the student work?

  • Most internships last one semester. The AST is offered fall, spring and winter terms. All ASTs must be, at least, 8 weeks long. Sixteen weeks is average for fall and spring semesters, 12 weeks is average for summer semesters.
  • Students must work 50 clock hours for each credit hour they seek to earn and most students need either 3 or 6 credit hours. This means that most students will be working about 10 or 20 hours a week, minimum, at their internship. Students often reach an agreement with their employers to work more than the minimum number of hours required by the AST program.

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What does an AST internship require of the employer?

  • Someone at the placement must be assigned to serve as the student’s Field Supervisor. This is usually the person who will have the most direct supervisor of the student during the internship.
  • It is especially important that the student intern and the Field Supervisor discuss the duties, assignments, or projects involved in the learning experience and that they regularly discuss expectations, progress, and other aspects of performance.
  • Students differ in experience and skills; many can profit from a more experienced person's insights about competence, attitudes and relationships. A field supervisor who is willing to act as a mentor and take a personal interest in the student’s education and career can be of invaluable assistance to the student.
  • We ask the Field Supervisor to sign off on the student’s AST Project Outline Form once the student has been given an internship. This form sets out what the student hopes to learn on the internship, the dates the internship will begin and end, how many hours are to be worked and the job description.
  • We also ask the Field Supervisor to assist the student in identifying learning objectives that can be successfully accomplished at the placement.
  • Halfway through the semester the Field Supervisor will meet with the student and his or her UIS Supervisor, a UIS professor, at a site visit. Site visits can be held at the placement, or as a three-way telephone conference call. At the site visit the three parties discuss the student’s learning objectives and the progress the student is making toward reaching them.
  • The Field Supervisor completes a brief Final Evaluation and discusses it with the student before submitting it directly to the AST Office.

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What does an AST internship require of the students?

  • Students must be junior or seniors, with a 9 -12 semester hours in their major.
  • Students are expected to responsibly perform the duties assigned by the Field Supervisor and abide by the normal rules for personnel in their placement.
  • Students are expected to participate in the AST class held during the semester.
  • A significant assignment in the class is to create a learning contract that includes learning objectives, the activities/experiences that will be done to achieve the objectives, and the methods for evaluating achievement.
  • A second very important assignment is to keep a reflective journal in order to clarify the process of learning. Strict attention must be paid to confidentiality issues in the journal.
  • Other assignments, include a learning history, a midterm and final self-assessment of the learning experiences.
  • Students are responsible for scheduling the site visit and participating in it with the Field Supervisor and the UIS Supervisor.
  • Students must work the required number of clock hours based on credit hours.

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How do I find an intern?

  • The AST program maintains a web site where we post job descriptions for employers looking for interns. You may use an online form to submit a job description or modify a model job description in Word and return it to us as an email attachment. Students looking for AST internships consult the web site for these job descriptions.
  • When we receive a new job description we also post hard copies of the description on our bulletin boards and notify the faculty that a new opportunity exists for their students.
  • Employers seeking a spring semester intern, who will begin work mid-January, would ideally have a job description posted no later than the end of August. Those seeking fall and summer interns, who begin work the end of August and mid-May respectively, would ideally have a job description posted in January or February.
  • Please contact us for help getting a job description drafted.
  • The AST program does not place students in internships. The students will contact you directly as any other potential employee might.
  • Another way to recruit AST interns is through the job fairs offered by the UIS Career Development Center. The Career Development Center conducts two job fairs a year, one the week after school begins in August called Foot in the Door. This is good timing to recruit a spring or summer intern. The second job fair is the Springfield Collegiate Career Fair, held in conjunction with other area colleges. This fair is held the third Thursday in February and would be the time to recruit fall and summer interns. Both of these fairs are free to the employer.
  • The Career Development Center also maintains job postings on the web site Career Connect. Posting your job description on Career Connect as well as the AST web site will expand your applicant pool to students who do not need to earn academic credit for their internship. The pool could then include freshmen, sophomores and graduate students. A credit bearing AST does have the advantages of the added incentive to the student for success and the additional support and supervision offered in conjunction with the concurrent class.

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What about paying the intern?

  • UIS has a strong preference for its AST interns to be paid, but some unpaid positions are posted on the AST web site.
    • When an unpaid internship is offered it is crucial that the seven criteria set out by NACE for a legitimate internship experience be met. LINK
  • Midwest ACE (Midwest Association of College and Employers) hosted a seminar on December 21, 2011 and covered the issue of compensation. The presenters advised:
    • The exact salary and benefits you pay student interns are determined by you and the student.
    • Average wage can vary by school, major and student status.
    • If you do select to host unpaid interns, it is important to be providing a substantial educational experience and follow the Department of Labor’s Fair Labor Standards Act. LINK
  • Offering a paid internship greatly increases your applicant pool.
  • Most paid internships are based on an hourly wage. $12 to $16 an hour is competitive for higher paid majors, minimum wage is competitive for others.
  • Other payment options include a weekly/monthly stipend to cover expenses such as parking, lunch, driving or a predetermined payment based on a project completed to satisfaction.
  • One formula employers may follow would be to determine what you would pay if you were hiring a permanent employee to complete the work and pay the student a percentage of that wage, normally 70%- 80% of the normal wage.

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December 2011

Program Special Notice