Internship I MPA specialization Communication

Doel vak

The internship is a compulsory part of the Master’s programme. The aims
of the internship are:
• Learn to independently apply and expand your practical science
communication skills in one particular area of the field (writing,
multi-media, facilitation, policy and strategy development, content
design, etc.).
• Critical self-assessment and reflection on acquired science
communication competencies in the field.
• Conduct scientific research independently: assess scientific
information, design a research project, apply scientific methods,
collect data, report and discuss findings.
• Present and discuss about internship and research outcomes.
• Learn to cooperate with researchers and practitioners of various
disciplines.
• Gain an impression of a potential future field of career.

Inhoud vak

When you are enrolled in the VU Science Communication specialization or
the UvA Major Science Communication you need to conduct one internship
(30 ECTS, 5 months). MPA students that choose the Science Communication
specialization also need to do at least one internship (30 ECTS,
5months) in the Science Communication field. The internship has two
possible formats: the Research Internship and the Reflective
Practice Internship. The complete and up-to-date information about
the internship can be found in the SC internship guideline on
Canvas (science communication community).

Aanvullende informatie onderwijsvormen

Work placement, under supervision of VU-staff.

Toetsvorm

Within six weeks after the start of the internship a Go/No Go evaluation
is made by the VU supervisor. The aim of this interim evaluation is to
decide whether the project and the student both have enough potential to
continue (Go) or not (No Go). This evaluation is based on:
• Written material by the student, including a final research proposal
and either the Introduction or Methods section of the article or both.
• Attitude of the student and execution of the project during the
initial stage.

The final assessment of the internship is undertaken by the VU-
supervisor and the second assessor.
In the final assessment, the VU supervisor assesses four different
aspects of the internship:
• the attitude of the student
• the execution of the reflective pratice placement
• the final report/article
• the oral presentation
The second assessor provides an assessment of the final report only.

Assessment: Report (55% ), Oral presentation (15%), Execution (30%) and
Attitude
(Pass/fail).
Only if marks for each item given by the VU-supervisor and the second
assessor are 6 or higher and the attitude is a ‘pass’, the internship is
regarded as sufficient. The final grade is calculated from the marks
given by both assessors and, together with other administrative details,
is summarized in the final assessment form, done by the master's
coordinator.