ISU’s TComm Internship Course

The technical communication (TComm) major is an English degree with a direct focus on writing done in the workplace—that is, reports, instructions, and memos that communicate critical information to a team of coworkers. With such a focus on the workplace, it’s no wonder that the TComm major heavily encourages its students to seek out internships and even has a course designed to help students reflect on their internship experience.

In the Internship in Business, Technical, and Professional Comunication (ENGL 4870), coordinator Gloria Betcher helps TComm students think about their work during their internship by having them track their time, tasks, and goals alongside the business or department that has granted them the internship.

Betcher has students write a plan of work with their employing business or department that outlines what work will be completed within a rough time frame. She then acts as a liaison between the university and the employer to guarantee that students’ academic and professional needs are met during their internship.

The plan of work is just one of the assignments that students complete in the course. They track their tasks and time not only to create a record of their work but also to help them understand what parts of the job they prefer. If time flies while doing some tasks but drags while doing other ones, the students begin to understand their strengths and preferences within the workplace. “I think one of the things that students enjoy the most is being able to discover things about themselves,” Betcher said.

In the middle of the internship, students complete a progress report in which they write about their work so far and the challenges that came with it. At the end of the internship, students are required to reflect again by producing a final report that discusses what they have achieved, what the work environment was like, and how they felt the internship went. This progress report is presented alongside a portfolio of the work they have completed while interning. All of these assignments make students think about the skills they have developed while working in the internship and how they can transfer those skills to future positions.

Obtaining an internship and taking a class alongside it used to be required for the TComm major. In fact, the course was originally designed to be a capstone class, but now it’s optional. As it exists now, the course is great not only for TComm students but also for any English major who wants professional experience before they graduate. As Betcher puts it, “it is a useful way for students to actually apply the skill set that they are developing in the classroom and allows them to see whether they are suited to working in that environment.”

However, the course is designed to give students more than just on-the-job experience. It gives students the opportunity to contemplate how they feel about their job duties. All of the assignments are designed to have students think about their work and consider that experience when they leave campus and begin their professional careers.