All Delaware Valley University students gain real-world experience before graduation. Learn more about having a DelVal student complete an E360 experience with your team!
Delaware Valley University provides two different tracks for students to gain academic credit through field-related work experience: career exploration experience (CEE) and academic internship. In both CEE and internship experiences, the responsibility of the host organization is to provide the student with adequately supervised and discipline-related work experience.
CEE is an opportunity for students to gain an introduction to or exploration within their discipline-related field. They provide a chance for students to explore options within their industries.
Academic Internship is an opportunity for students to develop industry-specific knowledge and gain skills in preparation for post-graduation opportunities – they should be apprenticeship-type positions in which the students work with professionals in career tracks that they wish to pursue. Employers should expose interns to high-level management and place emphasis on mentorship and varied professional experiences. As a means of heightening the learning experience, students may be assigned a project and/or a responsibility requiring a level of decision-making that increases their understanding of course work learned. These experiences should include but not be limited to performing functions that have increasing responsibilities over time.
Advantages of Employer Participation
With a DelVal student, you can expect:
- Students who are seeking experience in a discipline-related field they have an interest in
- Assistance in projects of importance to your organization
- Students who have been guided in professional development through a first-year course focused on problem-based learning and critical thinking
- Students who have identified and are able to articulate their career plan and learning goals for each experience they pursue
- Students who will have staff and faculty supervision and are receiving course credit for their experiences
- An opportunity to work with a future candidate for employment
- A chance to make a difference in a student’s career trajectory
In both CEE and internship, a site supervisor will be an individual who assigns projects to the student, monitors work performance, lends guidance, and acts as the immediate contact person throughout the student’s employment with the company. The site supervisor will provide a final evaluation for the student. The site supervisor is the individual who will contact the Center for Student Professional Development to address any concerns before, during, and after the experience.
As a site supervisor, your responsibilities include:
- Providing whatever training the student needs to understand your organization's culture and methods of task completion; assigning any readings that you feel would assist the student in understanding your work.
- Assisting the student in identifying Learning Objectives as a component to their Activity Application Form (student application to count the experience for academic credit).
- Setting clear performance expectations for the student and providing regular supervision
- Notifying the Center for Student Professional Development, in a timely manner, if student performance issues arise.
- Verifying the student's log of hours at the end of the semester (via electronic form provided by the Center for Student Professional Development).
- Completing an evaluation of the student's performance at the end of the semester (via electronic form provided by the Center for Student Professional Development).
Site Location
A student’s work experience can be completed locally or away from the Doylestown area. The credit courses associated with these experiences are held online and students are able to participate wherever the work site is located.
Salary
Compensation is primarily at the discretion of the organization. If offering an unpaid position, please be sure that your position meets the U.S. Department of Labor’s Six Criteria regarding Internship Programs Under The Fair Labor Standards Act.
Academic Calendar
Experiences follow the same semester system in place for all students. Students may participate in a fall, spring or summer experiences.
All experiences must be completed for the duration of time agreed upon by the student, the employer and the Center for Student Professional Development. However, the experience may be terminated by either the site supervisor or student. Both the student and site supervisor should communicate issues to the Center for Student Professional Development.