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Here are the definitions agreed upon by the ACUOPS subcommittee on Internships as part of their 2001-2002 Task Force on Internships. The definition for internships has also been approved by the UNCG Curriculum Committee and is the official University definition.

Experiential Learning: Learning that takes place through direct experience/contact with a business, non-profit agency, in an on or off-campus setting usually outside of a classroom, laboratory, or other structured university learning environment. Experiential learning includes a wide range of opportunities, such as internships, practica, and service learning. It can also be described as a process through which the student reflects upon an applied experience and from that reflection gains new insights and learning.

Internship/Practicum: Any career-related, supervised learning experience of limited duration in which an individual takes on a responsible role in a setting outside the traditional university environment. The setting may be a non-profit organization, a government office, or a private/public, for-profit business. An internship may last for a month, several months, or a year; be paid or voluntary; be taken for academic credit or not; be full-time or part-time. (Ideally an internship should include a process of engagement, learning, and reflection.)

Internship/Practicum Course: A structured, supervised internship activity related to a student’s academic program that provides academic credit. An internship course has specific learning objectives, requires specific projects or assignments, includes supervision by both the employer and a faculty supervisor, and includes periodic and/or a final evaluation of the student and a grade determined by the faculty supervisor (with input from the on-site supervisor).

Practicum: A part-time supervised training/exposure opportunity. Placement is usually part of a specific course rather than part of a broader program of study (i.e., an accounting major) with an intention of illustrating practical application of a theory being studied in the course. Typically a practicum requires fewer hours than an internship. The term “practicum” is sometimes used synonymously with “internship”.

Co-op: A co-op experience integrates participation in a work environment related to the student’s major with alternating semesters of coursework. Co-ops are most often used in applied areas of study, i.e., engineering, sciences.

Service Learning: Service Learning is a pedagogy that integrates explicit academic learning objectives, preparation, and reflection with meaningful service in the community.