APM 2XX Student Internship Policy

APM 2XX
Page 1 of 2
December 2020
APM 2XX Student Internship Policy

I. Internship Planning

A. Department Responsibilities:

  1. Identifies an individual responsible for oversight of the internship;
  2. Establishes academic policies for awarding academic credit.

B. University Internship Coordinator Responsibility:

  1. Determines how to provide accommodations for students with special needs as defined by and in accordance with recommendations from the Office of Services to Students with Disabilities;
  2. Ensures existence of an emergency response plan at the agency;
  3. Manages risks associated with internships by following the recommended procedures and processes outlined in The Resource Guide: Managing Risk in Service-learning (Appendix A) and by utilizing the forms, tools and templates provided in the appendices of this policy;
  4. Ensures compliance with the university procedures below;
  5. Agreement of the learning site to meet campus expectations, including an Experiential Learning Agreement (Appendix B) between the learning site and Fresno State that addresses both the learning site’s and the campus’s role in the experiential learning activity, as well as the student’s responsibilities.

II. Placement Assessment

Prior to placing students, a Learning Site Risk Assessment shall be initiated by either the program, the University Internship Coordinator or proposed internship site. A written assessment summary of the learning site shall be completed and retained by the office of the University Internship Coordinator and be available for review. That summary shall respond, at minimum, to the following considerations:

  1. The potential for the learning site to provide an educationally appropriate experience;
  2. Identification of the potential risks of the learning site (may include: legal, physical, environmental, technological);
  3. Determination of availability of appropriate student supervision at the learning site;
  4. Evaluation of the potential for student academic experience and its relationship to the student’s academic study;
  5. Selection criteria and basic skills required for the student.

III. Internship Site Visits

Faculty managing internships must ensure a Learning Site Risk assessment (Appendix C) has been previously conducted and an Experiential Learning Agreement (Appendix B) is in place between the university and the site. Learning Site Assessments should be conducted prior to initial student placement and at least annually thereafter, as long as students continue to be placed at that site. Governmental or education sites can be assessed less frequently. A site visit may be bypassed if the sponsoring unit (school/college or department) can demonstrate and document sufficient knowledge of the learning site.

APM 2XX
Page 2 of 2
December 2020

IV. Placement and Orientation

Before the student begins the internship experience, managing campus offices or faculty ensure that the following steps are completed:

  1. Student orientation that includes conduct expectations, identified potential hazards and steps to minimize risks, and campus emergency contacts. This may be provided by the agency if there is a proper agreement in place;
  2. Student Emergency Contact form should be completed.
  3. If the internship placement is not required as part of the student’s academic program, the student must complete the liability waiver form (see Executive Order 1051). “Student’s academic program” is defined within this policy as “the individualized combination of courses for credit students take to earn their degrees, including GE, major, minor, as well as electives” or as “individualized course of study.”
  4. Internship Learning Plan Agreement (Appendix E) is signed by the student or the student’s legal guardian or parent if the student is under 18 years of age, learning site representatives, and faculty member;
  5. Documentation of the above items shall be retained by the office of the University Internship Coordinator.

V. Annual Review

The Internship Subcommittee will conduct an annual educational quality and safety review of the internships. This review will take into account information gathered from on-site supervisors, faculty, university staff, and student experience. Such a review can be more frequent if there is a known problem with the cooperator or the university is aware of an issue that warrants more frequent review.

VI. Document Retention

Internship programs are expected to retain documents related to each internship consistent with system wide and campus document retention guidelines (See Executive Order 1031).

Recommended by
the Academic Senate Approved by the President
Created September 14, 2020 December 9, 2020

Download the PDF

This PDF is provided as a print-only reference document and may not be fully accessible to users of assistive technology. For more information, please visit Title II Rule on Digital Accessibility page.