Internships

for Credit:
A Unique and Eec8ve Model for
Mentoring High-Risk Students
Lance Hignite, Ph.D.
Richard Yao, Ph.D.
Robin Cresiski, Ph.D.
Nevada State College

What were covering

Why did we pursue a unique model for
internships on our campus?
What were the cri8cal components and
theories that shaped our model?
What do the internships look like academically?
What were the outcomes?
Q&A
Resources for you

Life is Beau8ful

Shred your
uninformed goals.

Explore.
Change Majors.
Travel.
Find your passion.

Who are NSC students?

Non-traditional
Low income
Historically Underrepresented
First Generation

More students across US look like NSC students

Hispanic

Takeaways:
1) our students are/will be your students
2) we are fulfilling our mission of access

Or are we?

Do internships help our students or

perpetuate social inequi8es?
Internships increase chance of hire & post-
gradua8on star8ng salary
But who has access?

Stress
Family
Obliga8ons
Lack of
transporta8on

Debt
Jobs
Kids

While longitudinal studies have shown internships

are posi8vely perceived by the students that
complete them (Cook, Parker & Pe]john, 2004),
ques8ons remain about the ability of diverse
students, par8cularly low income students, to
access internship opportuni8es and to what extent
the internships add real value to the student
experience, employment, and/or employment
sa8sfac8on post-gradua8on (Callanan & Benzing,
2004).

Not only are there extra obstacles

for these students, but students have limited
opportuni8es to gain skills to help them succeed
when on-the-job obstacles/situa8ons arise.

NSC students
have tools, but
they may not
look like
tradi8onal tools

Non-tradi8onal = has a unique perspec8ve

Low income = is crea8vely resourceful
Historically Underrepresented = has tenacity
First Genera8on = is brave & willing to pave the way

Non-tradi8onal Students Need

a Non-tradi8onal Mentorship Model
NSCs internship for credit pilot

Internship Program
Goal: facilitate and promote the academic,
professional, and personal development of our
students.
Tradi8onal mentoring models typically address
future goals and success (Leslie, Lingard &
Whyte, 2005; Hesketh & Laidlaw, 2003)
The dening characteris8c of our model is our
focus on the process of student development in
rela8on to Banduras (1997) self-ecacy model.

Student Development
New learning is stressful!
It is dicult to prepare for the predictable
disrup8ons in ones sense of self that come
with the territory of real growth, change, and
development.
The college experience is extremely
challenging even under the best of
circumstances.

Student Development
Academic demands + work responsibili8es +
family commitments + nancial stressors +
new learning ! can lead to emo8onal
instability and maladap8ve coping strategies.
We want to assist students in developing the
required skills to be successful in college and
beyond.
Raising ones threshold or capacity to
eec8vely cope with challenging situa8ons.

Self-Ecacy Model
It is helpful to frame this process from a
theore8cal context.
Students: Provides a context to process
their experiences in a more meaningful
way.
Faculty: Provides structure to guide
interac8ons with students throughout the
internship experience.

Self-Ecacy
Peoples judgments of their capabili8es to
organize and execute courses of ac8on
required to apain designated types of
performances (Bandura, 1986, p. 391).
Plays an inuen8al role in many classes of
human behavior (coping with stress,
educa8onal apainment, career development,
health-related behavior, and addic8on).

Self-Ecacy
Inuenced by four primary sources of
informa8on or types of learning experiences
(Bandura, 1997):
Personal performance accomplishments.
Vicarious learning.
Social persuasion.
Physiological and aec8ve states.

Self-Ecacy: Personal Performance

Accomplishments
Personal performance accomplishments:
The most inuen8al source of self-ecacy (Lent,
Brown, & Hackep 2002)
Faculty members work closely with eld
supervisors on developing learning plan
objec8ves.
Some objec8ves are very apainable and can be
accomplished early in the internship experience.

Self-Ecacy: Vicarious Learning and

Social Persuasion
Vicarious Learning and Social Persuasion:
Internships also include exposure to
successful mentors and students (vicarious
learning)
Classroom support,
feedback, group supervision
with other students (social
persuasion)

Self-Ecacy: Physiological and

Aec8ve States
Emo8onal arousal that stems from apemp8ng a
demanding task.
Anxiety ! powerful cue regarding the possibility for
success or failure and the amount of eort required to
achieve mastery.
Adap8ve vs. debilita8ng anxiety.
Maintaining high academic and professional standards!
Vital to the process of academic and personal growth.

Self-Ecacy: Physiological and

Aec8ve States
Cogni8vely reframe percep8ons of anxiety,
stress, and uncertainty about ones abili8es
related to the internship experience.
These aec8ve states are a pre-requisite for authen8c
growth.
Cogni8ve dissonance is a catalyst for change.

Students: more recep8ve to the challenges and

construc8ve feedback presented to them by their
faculty members and eld supervisors.

Self-Ecacy: Physiological and

Aec8ve States
Stress Management: Psychoeduca8onal
Materials
Cogni8ve Behavioral Concepts
Educa8ng students on ways to more adap8vely
cope with lifes stressors

Asser8veness Training:
Teach students to take ini8a8ve to meet their
needs at their internship site.

Academic/Scholarly Component
Class meets regularly with assigned faculty.
Assignments focusing on theory, research, and
best prac8ces in rela8on to internship
experience.
Clear learning objec8ves.
Heavy faculty oversight and collabora8on
between student and eld supervisor.
Beper experience for both student and
organiza8on.

How does the academic component

look?

Career Development Ques8ons asked

in assignments
What job experiences do you have? What skills do you have
that can be applied in a work se]ng?

Do you really wish to work in criminal jus8ce or a related
eld? Why?

What ethical issues have you been confronted thus far in
your internship experience? How did you handle them?
Would you act dierently if you were to be confronted with
them again?
Obtain an organiza8onal chart of your agency. Mark where
your oce or eld supervisor appears in the chart.

Career Development Assignments

Review the personnel handbook or standard opera8ng procedures of
your agency. What are the formal rules for interns?

What are the steps a candidate must take in order to be hired at your
intern site? What training must he or she go through auer being hired?
How is an employee promoted? What job classica8ons exist at your
agency or immediate work unit?

How do federal, state, or local poli8cs aect the opera8on of your
agency? Why was your agency or organiza8on created? If applicable,
what is the legal basis of your agency? Present a brief history of your
agency. How does your agency interact with other agencies in the
criminal jus8ce system?

Explain are outcomes measured at your internship placement?

Reec8on/Personal Growth Ques8ons

asked in assignments
How do you feel about authority gures?

How do you react to construc8ve feedback, both posi8ve and
nega8ve? How well can you give feedback to others?
What strengths and weaknesses have you discovered in yourself
during your internship? Give several examples to illustrate your
points.
How do you think your new knowledge, increased understanding
of the criminal jus8ce system, the new skills you have acquired,
and the personal growth you have experienced will aect your
future in terms of academic achievements and career goals?

Reec8on/Personal Growth Ques8ons

asked in assignments
Do you want to con8nue to work in this area of criminal jus8ce? Do you want to
work in any facet of criminal jus8ce? Why or why not?

What have you done thus far in terms of being ac8ve in clubs or professional
associa8ons for networking purposes?

Think about your Facebook or other social media pages. Now is the 8me to
update them, so that you are represented as a mature, responsible adult who is
about to embark on the rst step to professional employment. Discuss this
process.

Based on your internship expecta8ons, list specic goals in these areas:
a. Knowledge acquisi8on.
b. Performance assessment.
c. Personal growth.
d. Professional development.

Outcomes of our Pilot

Rate the level of sa8sfac8on with the course:
4.86 (out of 5.0) for the psychology, criminal
jus8ce, and history internship classes.
Rate the amount of eort required for success in
the internship course in comparison to other
classes they have taken at Nevada State College:
4.87 (out of 5.0) or much higher.

Outcomes of our Pilot

Hignite was consistent and pushed me towards a successful
future. This was the hardest semester I have had so far
because of the high demands this internship
required. (Criminal Jus8ce student)
Dr. Yao expects a lot from us but at the same 8me mo8vates
one to perform well I denitely feel well prepared for my
next learning experience. (Psychology student)
I was able to obtain full-8me employment in the CRJ eld
that Ive worked so hard to be a part of, and he encouraged
me to nish my degree. (Criminal Jus8ce student)

Ques8ons?

Resources
Internship for credit policy, liability forms, etc.
can be found at:
www.nscmentors.weebly.com