Successful completion of an internship (ADE 624) is required for the master of science in Adult Education (an internship is not required for either certificate program). The internship workload is comparable to a three-credit graduate course. An internship may be completed at home, close to home, on campus, etc.
Traditional courses consist of 45 hours of classroom activity and two to three hours of out-of-class activity (reading assignments, writing papers, etc.) for each hour of classroom activity. That totals roughly 150-200 hours of coursework. Therefore, students completing the internship are expected to devote at least 150 hours to their on-site internship activities.
For example, an intern may spend 15 hours per week for 10 weeks in an office such as the Career Development Center observing experienced counselors, counseling clients, reflecting on the activities under the supervision of the senior counsel, and so forth.
On the other hand, a student may spend 80 hours in the library or even at home reading, planning, and practicing to teach a group of learners. The teaching may be for three hours a night for eight weeks with the remainder of the time interacting with a master teacher. In addition, students will participate in online seminar activities and assignments with their online colleagues and instructor.
Students in ADE 624 should be prepared to propose a learning contract with clearly stated learning objectives relating to the professional practice of adult education. As part of the contract they should locate a supervisor and internship site, keep a log of their hours, develop an instrument for self-assessment, develop an instrument for their supervisors to use assessing their performance on the internship, and complete a final project. Be sure to have approval from Patsy Medina (medinap@buffalostate.edu) before you begin the on-site activities.
It is preferable to complete the on-site activities in the semester in which you enroll in the course and engage in the seminars. If you think that you need to complete some of the on-site activities before the beginning of the semester in which you enroll in ADE 624 contact Patsy Medina at medinap@buffalostate.edu or (716) 878-3662 for approval.
The following list consists of examples of the kinds of internship activities in which you may engage:
- Writing and/or conducting a training program
- Counseling adult learners
- Conducting a conference
- Teaching a community college course
- Administering a community education program
- Evaluating an adult learning program
Do not overlook the possibility of completing the internship under the supervision of a member of the adult education faculty. Further, there is no reason to take an unpaid internship as long as the work you are doing is not part of your normal work activities. Consult with Patsy Medina if you plan to complete your internship where you are employed.
The faculty wants to work with you to make your internship a valuable experience. Please contact Patsy Medina at medinap@buffalostate.edu or (716) 878-3662 with further questions.
