COMMS 307 : Communication Internship

Arts

2025 Semester One (1253) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Provides experiential learning opportunities in media, public relations, advertising, and corporate communication industries.

Course Overview

COMMS 307 Internship is a limited entry course designed for stage 3 COMMS students to gain academic credit by undertaking a supervised 80-hour project in a workplace or community-based setting that:
  • Aligns with future career interests;
  • Provides direct experience of life ‘on the job’ in a Communications/Media related industry;
  • Practices and hones skills developed in other University subject courses;
  • Enables development of new skills and professional connections that will enhance employability and work readiness.
Internship placements will be organised by the course convenor in consultation with the student.   Project specifics and time-frames will be negotiated between the student, the work-place supervisor and the course convenor.

COMMS 307 is taught in conjunction with CAREER 300.

Students accepted into this course will be expected to:
  • Assist with identification of suitable internship opportunities outside of any existing part-time work (pre-course)
  • Prepare a targeted CV for a specific project (pre-course)
  • Attend an interview with the partnering organisation (pre course)
  • Set goals for their internship and create a plan for achieving those goals (assessed)
  • Reflect weekly on their learning experience during the internship (assessed)
  • Report back to the cohort/course convenor in the form of a poster presentation summarising their internship project, key achievements and personal/professional learning outcomes (assessed)
  • Prepare a final CV incorporating skills developed during the internship.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: Approval of Academic Head or nominee Restriction: ARTSGEN 301, CAREER 300

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Identify, research and apply for roles in areas that align with career interests (Capability 3, 6, 7 and 8)
  2. Confidently research and apply for roles in areas that align with career interests (Capability 3, 6, 7 and 8)
  3. Understand the recruitment process and have the confidence to complete a competency/behavioural based interview for roles in area of interest (Capability 3, 6 and 8)
  4. Reflect on own learning, values-fit and skill development in the workplace for professional development planning and goal setting (Capability 3, 4 and 8)
  5. Present confidently to a group and respond to questions about specific project activities, outcomes and organisation values (Capability 3, 6 and 7)
  6. Build and leverage off professional relationships and networks for job-seeking and career development (Capability 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8)
  7. Understand organisational values and ethical, social, sustainability, environmental and economic responsibilities (Capability 1, 2 and 8)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Targeted CV for project - pre-course ungraded Individual Coursework
Internship goal setting & project plan 10% Individual Coursework
Mini-mock interview mid-course 15% Individual Coursework
80-hour internship & updated CV 30% Individual Coursework
Poster Presentation 20% Individual Coursework
Professional Poster 10% Individual Coursework
Final CV 15% Individual Coursework

Next Offered

Semester one 2025

Teaching & Learning Methods

1. 3 x 2 hour in-person workshops at start of course.  These are hands on sessions covering goal setting, CV crafting and interview skills all designed to help students with preparation for their graduate career.

2. 2 x 2 hour presentation sessions at end of course. Student will present poster summaries of their internship and receive feedback from convenor and peers toward crafting a final poster version.  Choice of either in-class or virtual.

Workload Expectations

The 150 hours of work for the course will be broken down as follows;

14 hours classroom contact- 7 x 2 hour workshops

50 hours assignment/assessment preparation

80 hours work within organisation either on weekly basis or as a block depending on timetable and organisation. 

8 hours discussion with convenor including set-up of project

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including on campus tutorials to complete components of the course.

There are no formal lectures for this course only workshops for the first three weeks of the semester which students are expected to attend in person.

The course also includes live online sessions including group discussions/assessment/presentations.

There is no final test or exam but attendance on campus may be required for the final project presentation.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable delivery for the weeks when students are required on campus.

The internship placements may be either in person, remote delivery or a mix of the two depending on the requirements of the partnering organisation. This will be negotiated with the partnering organisation before the start of the 80-hour internship period. 

This course is not available for delivery to students studying remotely outside NZ. 

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

The number of writing assignments has been reduced to accommodate the amount of online content required of interns during their industry placement period eg. publication outputs for students interning in a news media, magazine agency, or the production of audio visual content for digital platforms.  

Former interns have agreed to allow examples of their assessments to be available on Canvas as exemplars for the incoming interns. 

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 06/11/2024 08:35 a.m.