This ‘SPOTLIGHT ON’ features The Open University (OU) in Scotland and its innovative "Virtual Internships for Underrepresented Students" project, which has been recognised for its commitment to inclusivity, winning a sparqs’ Student Engagement Award in the "Diverse Voices" category in October 2023.
This pioneering scheme, a collaboration between the Faculties of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Business and Law (FBL), alongside the Careers and Employability Service (CES), offers unique opportunities for flexible, paid work experiences. Importantly, these experiences are designed specifically for students from underrepresented groups.
Bridging the Gap and Valuing Diverse Perspectives
The project tackles the challenge of underrepresentation and the resulting graduate outcome gap. It targets students facing various barriers, such as disabilities, caring responsibilities, or lack of prior A-Levels. It also focuses on students from Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic backgrounds and those residing in low-income areas. By focusing on these groups, the OU aims to create a more inclusive learning environment and empower students to achieve their career aspirations.
A key strength of the project lies in its commitment to co-creation and partnership with students. The project incorporates interns with diverse backgrounds into projects that are important for teaching and learning at the OU. This brings valuable new perspectives to the forefront. As a distance learning institution, engaging students in this way can be challenging due to competing work and other commitments. The OU recognises this and avoids expecting underrepresented students to volunteer significant amounts of free time. The virtual internship model provides a solution by offering paid positions with a focus on supporting the development of essential graduate skills.
Flexibility, Support and Transferable Skills
The internships themselves are highly adaptable and flexible. These structured and supervised placements range from 140-280 hours, typically spread over a four-month period, usually part-time. This structure allows students to effectively balance their academic commitments with gaining valuable practical experience. Furthermore, all interns are employed through an agency and receive fair compensation at the UK's real living wage.
The internships aim to equip interns with crucial skills sought after in the workplace, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and teamwork. This experiential learning empowers graduates with the tools they need to thrive in their future careers.
Transformative Experiences for Students
The positive impact of the Virtual Internship Project is evident in the experiences of the interns themselves. Testimonials highlight a significant boost in confidence, improved communication skills, and a clearer sense of career direction. Students credit the program with not only enhancing their skills but also helping them secure future opportunities.
As STEM EDI Team intern, Norain Imtiaz, commented:
"My experience has been uplifting, improving my communication skills and helping me secure a position in a teacher training programme."
Impact on Teaching and Learning
The internship program also has a significant impact on teaching and learning at the OU. Working closely with student interns on projects related to teaching, learning, and scholarship has led to lasting improvements. This impact can be seen in two key areas:
Inclusion of Diverse Student Voices: The project brings valuable and often underrepresented perspectives to curriculum development. By involving interns from diverse backgrounds and experiences, the OU gains insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by a wider range of students. This allows faculty to develop more inclusive and relevant learning experiences. For instance, student interns within the STEM EDI team created and led staff development sessions for Associate Lecturers on Inclusive Induction.
Enhanced Curriculum Development: Student interns bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the table, fostering innovation in curriculum design. Working alongside faculty members, interns contribute to the development of new teaching methods, learning activities, and assessment strategies. Their lived experiences can inform the selection of course content, case studies, and teaching approaches that resonate with a broader student population. For example, student interns worked in partnership with a team of staff reimagining the OU's design qualification.
They describe their experience here:
“Our contributions to reviewing and designing new curriculum were key and felt welcomed from the early stages. We tried to participate in co-designing, collaboration, communication and decolonising from the opposite sides of the same academic coin (as students and staff).”
Ida Rodrigues and Cindy Darbandi (OU Design Curriculum Interns)
Andrew Potter, Deputy Associate Dean of the OU STEM faculty, highlighted the value of the project:
"It's been a privilege to work with our student interns, showing us just how incredibly talented our OU students are. This scheme shows us what we can achieve when students and staff from across the University work together for everybody's mutual benefit."
Further Exploration
For a deeper dive into the project's evaluation, you can refer to the following research paper: Reid, K., Butler, D. L., Comfort, C., & Potter, A. D. J. (2023). Virtual internships in open and distance learning contexts: Improving access, participation, and success for underrepresented students. Distance Education, 44(2).
Many thanks to everyone involved for sharing their experiences and insights!
