Certificate in the Study and Practice of Leadership
Glossary of Terms
Internship:
Any agreed-upon experience in a work setting that is driven by intentional learning goals and accompanied by sustained reflection. What distinguishes an internship from a job is that first and foremost it is a deliberate learning experience. Both the student and the agency are deliberately involved in creating a beneficial experience for the student and the agency. Oftentimes internships correspond closely with the profession or area of work that the student is majoring in and/or anticipating as their career.
Mentorship:
A relationship in which a more experienced person contributes directly to the growth and development of the student. In this case it is the relationship between a member of a business, non-profit or community based organization and an individual student. Like internships, mentorships are frequently selected on the basis of a student's desired future professional destination.
Practicum:
A field-based venue in which the student has formally proposed that they will work and study to the equivalence of an in-class course. The belief behind a practicum is that the experiential setting will provide substantial learning opportunities for the student to braid theory and practice together. Unlike an internship or mentorship, a practicum does not necessarily ensure that a student will have a designated on-site staff person actively involved in their supervision, leadership development and, more fundamentally, their regular learning experiences.
Volunteering:
Freely performing work and being of use to various organizations and groups whose needs exceed their resources. This may include reflective practices but they are not a pre-requisite.
Service Learning:
A method under which students learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully organized service experiences that meet actual community needs, and which are coordinated with a formal educational institution to address and support an academic curriculum.
Service Project:
An organized activity with a specific site location and actual tasks that allow for service learning to occur. One distinguishing feature of service project work is the formalized presence of structured reflection concerning the work, the people involved and the larger implications of said efforts. A second feature is it meeting the actual needs of the participating community organization or group.
Senior Capstone Course or Project:
Seniors in the respective programs will apply the principles and skills acquired in coursework, internships, service work and elsewhere into an integration of research and practical application of their leadership training and experience. The Capstone may be divided into a formal course as well as an experiential component such as a community service project but will be a synthesis of both the theory and practice of leadership. A separate and more detailed document on capstone projects is available.
For any of these terms to carry with them university credit, students must formally negotiate the performance criteria with their designated faculty.
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