St. Louis, Missouri
June 18, 2000
June 18, 2000
June 21, 2000
2153-5965
7
5.400.1 - 5.400.7
10.18260/1-2--8502
https://peer.asee.org/8502
626
Session 2648
INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS IN ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY: SOME PERSONAL THOUGHTS Albert Lozano-Nieto Penn State University at Wilkes-Barre P.O. Box PSU Lehman, PA 18627
Phone: (570) 675-9245 FAX: (570): 675-7713 email: AXL17@psu.edu
ABSTRACT.- An internship in industry is an excellent way for students enrolled in our institutions of higher education to achieve experience in the workplace before graduation. Students are exposed to “real-world” practices, extending what they have learned in our classrooms and laboratories. They are aware that their professional success in their first years in industry depends on how confident they feel about their technical abilities as well as their actual knowledge. Internships in industry serve both cases, expanding their knowledge and giving them the confidence that they need to be successful. However, while everybody agrees that an internship experience in industry is a key component in undergraduate education in engineering and engineering technology, it certainly requires more planning and preparation than traditional classes. Some faculty may feel overwhelmed by the logistics involved in preparing an internship which may stop them from developing this learning experience at their institutions.
This paper describes the author’s experiences with managing an internship in Engineering Technology, in particular in Biomedical Engineering Technology. Although some of the aspects discussed in this paper may be specific to this particular program, the author believes that the core of the paper is easily translated to other academic programs.
INTRODUCTION
In today's competitive market, in particular in Engineering and Engineering Technology, actual industry experience is greatly appreciated not only by future employers, but also by the students.
Lozano-Nieto, A. (2000, June), Internship Programs In Engineering Technology: Some Personal Thoughts Paper presented at 2000 Annual Conference, St. Louis, Missouri. 10.18260/1-2--8502
ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2000 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015