February 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 34

RESEARCH UPDATE continued from page 32

Specializing in SilkTekTM
waterslides and the highly
popular AquaPlayTM multi-level
interactive water play structures.

recreation, commercial recreation, and
public recreation. Public parks and recreation internship supervisors felt that
students should be able to develop and
lead programs, expect to work more
than 40 hours per week, be willing to do
anything asked, and know how to develop a program budget. They also felt that
the agency should provide orientation
and training, professional development
opportunities, and provide opportunities to plan programs, and prepare a
program and a corresponding budget.
Overall the agencies want quality interns and prefer to be familiar with the
level of preparation the student has or
know the faculty members at that particular university. Like the students, the agencies are also looking for that good " fit " .

University Perspective:

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32 Parks & Recreation

February 2010

Although the internship is the last step in
the academic career of the undergraduate and is external to the classroom, the
university is still heavily invested in this
culminating experience. Adequate rigor needs to be infused into the internship and that elements of the internship
should ensure that classroom theory is
implemented within the professional
practice. Assignments such as an internship journal, research paper, a semester long project, and an evaluation of
their own performance, the agency, and
the curriculum should be required. Internships should be competency based
where students acquire knowledge,
skills, and abilities both in the classroom
and in the field in order to best prepare
them for an entry level position.
The Woodlands, Texas, Parks and
Recreation merges the academic and
practical sides of education together in
their internship program. This agency
uses Council on Accreditation Standards
and a competency assessment to determine what experiences the intern needs.
In addition, during the interview process
the student is asked questions that test
their academic preparation such as the
benefits movement, Maslow's Hierarchy
of Needs and how recreation plays a part
in this, and program formats.
A lthough the perspectives of the
three major players in an internship experience differ, it is not difficult to bring

www.NRPA .ORG

the three together to make for a positive
experience for all involved. Each party wants the student to have a challenging experience, find an agency that is a
good " fit " , and apply classroom knowledge to the field.

Research to Practice:
■■ Develop a relationship between the
agency and the intern
-Create a job description so all internship expectations are outlined
-Create a project plan detailing
the projects and tasks to be completed during the internship
-Consider the feasibility of paying
the intern through a stipend or hourly wage. While the agency feels it is
a learning experience, the student
sees it as work done for the agency
-Both parties should meet weekly to touch base on progress toward completing projects and
issues during the internship
-P rovide opportunities for the intern
to network in the profession. This
can lead to finding that first position
-T reat the student as a part of the
staff and not as " the intern " . Many
have felt being called " the intern " was demeaning while the
supervisor found it humorous.
-P rovide a solid orientation for the
student. Start with an internship
manual the student can read prior to starting with the agency.
■■ Develop

a relationship between the
agency and the university
-Discuss expectations of the internship from both the agency and university perspective
-Talk throughout the internship about progress and development of the student
-Agency supervisors should
see themselves as extensions
of the university and be prepared to teach and mentor students (Steinbach, 2004)
-University faculty should get to
know practitioners in the field to
make personal connections so that
agencies are more willing to accept their students as interns.

■■ Develop

a relationship between the
Continued on page 34

February 2010 - Parks & Recreation

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