Internship in Educational Administration (LHA3044H)
The administrative internship course is an advanced leadership experience, open to students enrolled in doctoral programs in the Educational Leadership & Policy program of the Department of Leadership, Higher & Adult Education, OISE. The course is intended primarily for students in the EdD program, but it is also available to PhD and MA students.
Course Overview
Course code: LHA3044H
Credit Value: 0.5 FCE
Instructor: Dr. Lyn Sharratt
Schedule: Every semester
Prerequisite: Instructor permission required.
Content Description
The internship has been a significant feature since the inception of the EdD program in 1973. There are benefits for both the Doctoral Intern and the host organization. Host supervisors find it stimulating to have someone outside looking at the operation, and they often find it valuable to have someone to consult who has no permanent stake in the organization. For the intern, the benefit is having a temporary but significant leadership role in a different organization which provides a unique and non-threatening reflection of the intern’s leadership skills. The Internship has often led to highly successful job interviews. For this reason, it is recommended that all other course work for the EdD program be completed before contemplating the internship. For part-time students, no other course will be taken along with the LHA3044H Internship course.
The nature of the work to be carried out is negotiated as a contract developed by the student and supervised by the department faculty member (known as the OISE Supervisor: Dr. Lyn Sharratt) and a senior administrator working (known as the On-Site Supervisor) in the internship setting. Placement and responsibilities relating to the internship are determined on an individual basis depending on the needs, interests, and aspirations of the student and on the availability of appropriate locations. Students find their own Internship placements that reflect their interests, outside their regular day positions. Placements are approved by the OISE Faculty Supervisor, Dr. Lyn Sharratt, and a Contract will be signed by the On-Site Supervisor, the Student and Dr. Sharratt. The OISE student must complete a Log. No renumeration will be received for this internship.
Check the examples of previous placement sites and reflections on the course.
Instructor Permission
Students who want to take this course should contact lyn.sharratt@utoronto.ca to discuss relevant, appropriate placement for the internship and then submit an add-drop form.
It should be noted that prospective students are responsible for:
- Finding their own placement site.
- Contacting the possible on-site supervisor.
- Developing the contract.
- Detailing the deliverables before the 120 hours of course work begins.
There are no on-site OISE course dates. There are two interviews: an entrance and an exit interview which can be arranged in-person or online with Dr. Sharratt.
Success Criteria
For successful course completion, the intern will:
- Complete all requirements in a timely way.
- Write 3 thoughtful, insightful, scholarly reflections on the experience, including lessons learned as a leader and a researcher.
- Achieve a strong review from On-Site Supervisor of the positive contributions and impact the intern has made in their placement.
- Apply lessons learned in their doctoral studies to the internship experience.
- Take a risk to learn in a new learning environment, other than in her/his ‘day-job’.
- be culturally responsive to sensitive issues of practice and policy in the placement.
- Teach the OISE Professor/Supervisor new knowledge and a different perspective on your thinking and experience through the internship.
- Add other Success Criteria and communicate them to Lyn.
Reporting Procedure
Interns are required to maintain a Log that outlines the hours and the tasks undertaken by the Intern. The log must be signed by the On-site Supervisor (from the placement) and student and filed with the Internship Supervisor (Dr. Sharratt) at the conclusion of the internship (during Exit Interview). The On-site supervisor will be asked by the OISE student to write a confidential, one-page summary of the Intern’s progress relative to the expectations, goals and deliverables of the Internship Contract. This will be emailed to Dr. Sharratt.
Each Intern is required to file interim reflections with the Internship Supervisor twice during the Internship experience at the completion of 50 and 100 hours. The format for the reports (approximately 5-7 pages in length excluding references) will be reviewed in advance of the Internship. This report should take the form of Retell, Relate and Reflect:
- In the Retell section, the candidate will outline an experience or series of experiences that prompted growth in the Internship setting.
- In the Relate portion of the paper, the Intern will connect related readings from their completed course work and research from the EdD program and other sources, to the Internship experience and draw conclusions.
- In the Reflect section of the paper, the Intern will discuss the learning that has occurred as a result of the integration of theory and practice in the leadership experience and consider next steps in both practice, thesis research and learning.
- Final integrative paper: students will provide a scholarly paper reflecting on their learning during the Internship with reference to their initial Leadership Learning Goals. This paper can be used as an artifact for the COMPS exam.
At the conclusion of the Internship, the Intern will bring all documents to discuss at an Exit Interview, in person or on-line, including the third Final Integrative paper (referenced above), with the Internship Supervisor - or this can be done as a Zoom call with the Intern submitting the final reflection as an email attachment. This documentation will contain the following:
- Time log maintained by the Intern and signed by the On-site Supervisor at the conclusion of the Internship.
- Two interim reflections in the format of Retell, Relate and Reflect submitted to the Internship Supervisor.
- A final report in the format of Retell, Relate and Reflect (that could be used as an artifact at the Comps exam).
- Evidence of completion of the intended expectations, outcomes, and deliverables of the Internship Contract.
- A statement from the On-Site Supervisor emailed to OISE Internship Supervisor (L. Sharratt) describing the work of the Intern.
If above is brought to the Exit Interview or online call, the Internship Supervisor, Dr. Lyn Sharratt, will assign a grade for the Internship course.
