Guidelines for an Internship in Cultural Resource Management
HA 491B 1.5 units
An internship in Cultural Resource Management provides you a unique opportunity to integrate theory with practice in a museum, art gallery or heritage organization. As a ‘capstone’ activity in your Program, it enables you to consider your learning in a practical context, to experience new working environments, and to build professional networks through a four-month placement in a museum, art gallery or heritage agency. The key characteristics of an internship are that it:
- Is planned to meet your specific learning objectives
- Is a minimum of four months in duration (or approximately 300 hours)
- Focuses on a defined project as well as related duties that support real work at the host agency
- Is supervised by a person in the host agency who has the qualifications—and time—to provide guidance and to address your learning needs; and
- Can be effectively monitored and evaluated by the CRMP program office.
Please note that there is no programmatic funding for internships; while the host agency may provide a stipend or external grant funding may be arranged, you should be aware that there is no guarantee of compensation as you enter the internship planning process.
Timeline of Responsibilities
Planning – You are encouraged to begin planning for an internship after the completion of your three core courses chosen from HA 486 A, HA486B, HA 487 A and HA487B, and at least three of the special topics courses.
Internship site selection – Unless a host agency has already been identified through prior contacts or as a result of your specific interest in a particular institution, the normal process is to work with CRMP staff to explore your learning objectives, interests, and circumstances as a basis for identifying internship opportunities.
You may approach the identification of a site in a number of ways. Think first about the kind of work you want to do and the kinds of things you want to learn, keeping in mind that the larger the host organization, the more specialized the internship tasks that you are likely to experience. Then talk with CRMP staff since they may be able to recommend certain organizations based on your interests and can advise you on your selection. Alternatively, you can locate a site on your own, and propose it to CRMP. Finally, you might turn your paid employment into an internship if you are able to arrange a secondment to another area, or put your normal duties aside to focus on something new. If you are tackling a project within the context of your existing position, you should frame this as a Directed Study.
Once a prospective site for an internship has been identified, you should call your contact person there for an appointment to discuss the details of the arrangement: internship project description; hours; supervision; learning goals, etc. The CRMP office can provide you with a document entitled “Information for Internship Host Agencies” that you should share with your contact at the possible site. After you make the initial approach to a host agency, you will work collaboratively with the host agency and CRMP staff to write a proposal which will define the nature of the internship and to confirm logistical arrangements. If you have concerns about making the first contact with a potential internship site, please discuss these with CRM staff so that a strategy to explore a potential placement can be worked out.
Writing the Proposal - Once an internship placement is confirmed, you are required, in cooperation with the host, to prepare the following information as a draft internship proposal (approximately two to four pages). The proposal provides an effective planning and evaluation framework for the internship and ensures that all parties have a common understanding of their roles, responsibilities, and expectations over the four-month internship period.
The proposal should be drafted prior to the start of the internship and provides the basis for registration in your internship. The draft proposal should include:
- Identification – Your name, student number, and the title of your proposal
- Host Agency Information – the name and address of the Host Agency, and the name, contact information, position information, and a brief description of the professional background of your proposed internship supervisor.
- Timeline – this sets out the pacing and benchmarks for the internship project and provides a framework for assessing progress and adjusting expectations. The timeline should include the start and end date for your internship, and estimated dates for your mid-term evaluation and submission of your mid-term progress report and final report. The final report and journal should be submitted to the CRMP office no later than one week after the completion of your internship.
- Internship Project Description – this describes the nature and scope of the project(s) in which you will be involved, including the specific outcomes that will result from your participation.
- Position Description – this provides a detailed description of your primary activities, the levels of responsibility and accountability involved, the reporting relationships with other staff, and the supervisory relationship(s) planned.
- Learning Objectives – these articulate the specific skills, knowledge, and attitudes that you expect to develop through the internship experience.
- Mentoring/Learning Strategies – this provides an indication of the ways you will be oriented to the organization, project and other staff and how you will develop the skills and knowledge articulated in the learning objectives. Normally, most of this takes place 'on-the-job', through individual and staff meetings, independent and directed study, and coaching by the supervisor or other staff.
- Evaluation Strategy – this sets out a framework for monitoring and assessing your progress. It normally involves regular face-to-face or telephone meetings with the supervisor as well as a mid-term evaluation with staff from the Cultural Resource Management Program to review the learning objectives, the project description, timeline, and projected outcomes to ensure that the internship is proceeding effectively. This section should describe the four evaluation components explained in further detail below.
Please note that while the draft proposal is completed as part of the registration process, you should revisit and finalize it within the first two weeks of the placement, in consultation with your host agency and CRM staff. While your draft proposal may require little revision, the review ‘on-the-job’ allows you to confirm details and ensure that your role and goals are accurately reflected.
Completing the Registration Process
In accordance with University policy, registrations for Internships should take place no later than the first month of the Fall, Spring or Summer term in which your internship begins. In addition to submitting your draft proposal, you must complete a Pro Forma Registration Form, available at https://registrar.uvic.ca/undergrad/records/forms/pdf/proforma.pdf. Program staff can help you prepare this form, which you are required to sign. The original form with your signature must be returned to the program office before you can be registered in the Internship. Because the Pro Forma must also be signed by the Chair of History in Art and the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, it can take up to two weeks after we receive your proposal and Pro Forma to complete your registration.
Note that 3.0 units of fees are assessed upon registration. In the 2010 Winter Session, this totals $953.22 for a 3.0 unit course. If you reside in Victoria, you are also expected to pay UVSS, Athletics and Transit fees. Fees are payable to the University of Victoria in accordance with the UVic fee payment guidelines. The fees are normally due by the end of the month in which you are registered.
Evaluating Your Internship
You will be asked to complete the following items in order to be evaluated on your internship:
- Journal – we ask you to keep a diary or journal as a means of recording both the activities in which you are involved and your personal reflections on the aspects of your experience. You should begin your journal as soon as you begin your internship and you should write in it regularly. Please submit your journal to CRMP staff periodically (bi-monthly if kept electronically), so we are up-to-date on your progress and any issues that may arise. The complete and final journal may also be required at the end of your placement, particularly if it is handwritten. If it is a handwritten journal, it will be returned to you after it is reviewed with your final report.
The journaling process is intended to encourage you to reflect on what you are learning, the degree to which it is consistent with your expectations, the pleasures and frustrations of working within a museum or heritage setting, and the ways in which this experience may impact your long-term career plans. It is a personal document that should be as useful to you as it is to us in recognizing how the internship experience strengthens your professional capacity. We don’t prescribe a format, so please approach this task in a way that is of value to you.
- Mid-term evaluation – this is a face-to-face or tele-meeting with you, your supervisor and CRMP staff to review your learning objectives, your role, the timeline and projected outcomes to ensure that the internship is proceeding effectively. You will be responsible for scheduling this meeting between all parties at some point near the middle of your internship experience. Please note that if there are substantial changes in your learning outcomes or in the nature of your work, you should advise CRM staff – change is not necessarily problematic, but it should be discussed and you should reflect on why your original plans might need revision.
- Final report – the final report (approximately four to six pages in length, excluding the journal) should reflect on the degree to which you have achieved your learning objectives and internship goals. It should be submitted to CRMP staff, together with your journal, no later than one week after the completion of your internship. Among other things, the report should reflect on the following questions:
- How consistent was your experience with your expectations of working in this host agency?
- What new knowledge and/or skills did you learn through this experience? How did you utilize your past experiences and knowledge to help you through this experience?
- How did you find your experience working with your supervisor?
- Would you recommend this organization as an internship site in the future? Why or why not?
- How did this experience in the workplace enhance what you learned in your coursework?
- How has this experience impacted your career goals? Do you think it will help you in the future?
- How could the experience have been improved (if at all)?
- Feel free to elaborate on and explore other issues as they arise and try to connect your placement with your coursework when relevant.
- Supervisor’s evaluation – your supervisor will be asked to complete a brief evaluation form that reflects on the results of your internship and your performance. CRMP staff will provide this form to your supervisor at the mid-term evaluation meeting, but you should ensure that your supervisor has completed the form at the end of your internship experience and submitted it to CRMP staff.
A final grade of INP (in progress), COM (complete), N (incomplete) or F (fail) is awarded on the basis of the above criteria.
For more information, please contact:
Cultural Resource Management Program Coordinator
Cultural Resource Management Program
Division of Continuing Studies
University of Victoria
PO Box 1700 STN CSC
Victoria BC
V8W 2Y2
Canada
P 250 721-6119
F 250 721-8774
crmcoord@uvic.ca
