Student Internships — Without Barriers
Internships can be a life-changing experience.
But they are challenging to manage — and controversial.
That's where virtual internships can be an amazing alternative — I'll show you how in the video below.
Here's a comparison of the challenges —
Conventional Internships
- Finding employers willing and able to offer meaningful experiences on the exact schedule that you need.
- The availability of qualified employers varies based on region — some locations may have none.
- Matching students to employers.
- Managing employers and having contingency plans when things don't work out.
- Time and effort to monitor and assess student internship activities.
- The unpredictability of unexpected events — weather, health, etc.
- Accommodating students who are unable to commute or have disabilities or other barriers to employment.
- Lack of managerial experience makes internships less effective and meaningful — too many entry-level or busy-work jobs.
- Increasing controversy surrounding low-paid or unpaid internships.
That's a lot to manage. Much respect for those educators who are able to do all of the above successfully!
Virtual Internships
- Virtual internships are an amazing alternative that solve all of the challenges above. They can be offered to students who are not able to do a conventional internship or to enhance or replace conventional internships.
- Even some people skills can be practiced in a virtual simulation. But when it's not enough, live activities can be added to supplement the experience.
In this video, I'll show you how virtual internships are done using educational games and simulations.
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I'm Mathew Georghiou and I write about how games are transforming education and learning. I also share my experience as an entrepreneur inventing products and designing educational resources used by millions around the world. More about me at Georghiou.com