ACUHOI Competencies The Key to Sequential Graduate Internship

ACUHO-I Competencies: The Key to Sequential Graduate Internship Models Presented by: Rachel E. Aho, University of Utah

Learning Outcomes By attending this session, participants will be able to: • Explore the utilization of ACUHO-I Competencies as a structure from which to build graduate student intern experiences • Identify ways in which to customize and flex graduate student internship models to meet coursework requirements • Understand how competency-based graduate student internship models interface with recruitment and on-boarding processes #acuhoi | 2

Overview • Internships As We Know Them • Competency-Based Internship Models • Model Customization • Addressing Coursework Requirements • Integrating Into Recruitment & On-boarding • Lessons Learned: Assessing the Model • Questions #acuhoi | 3

Internships As We Know Them Reviewing the Landscape of Graduate Internships #acuhoi | 4

Internships As We Know Them • Vary widely from institution to institution: • Functional foci: Conference Services, Administrative/Operations, Residential Education, Departmental • Structure: Highly structured to completely intern-driven • Coursework: Tied to coursework or independently pursued • Time commitment: Minimal time to full-time • Historical track-record: Long history vs new within department #acuhoi | 5

The Literature Asks Us To… “seek to create conditions that will allow the intern to: • experience the full range of activities associated with the setting • acquire necessary knowledge and information about the area • gain insight into the formal and informal organizational functioning • develop skills through hands-on experience functioning in a “professional role” • gain direct experience interacting with the student clientele” (Winston & Creamer, 2002, p 77) #acuhoi | 6

Missed Opportunities? • Choose your own adventure = an adventure that starts halfway through the summer (or not at all) • “You don’t know what you don’t know!” • Staff transitions among site-supervisors = a year-to-year changing model over time • Highly structured internship time = no room for customization and the pursuit of individual interests • Lack of intentional link to housing’s body of knowledge = a missed opportunity to better prepare the future generation of housing professionals #acuhoi | 7

A Problem to Solve We desired a model that: -Was first-and-foremost rooted in the competencies and knowledge domains within our profession (ACUHO-I) -Allowed for a breadth and depth of experiences to be pursued throughout the summer -Created consistency and opportunities for customization from year to year with interns -Provided a clear picture of the intern experience to prospective interns, and reasonable expectations for housing staff as they supported our interns #acuhoi | 8

Competency. Based Internship Models Advancing Our Body of Knowledge #acuhoi | 9

Competency-Based Internship Models • The purpose of this document is to help us develop the future of the profession. To serve as a flexible, yet structured roadmap. • “The ACUHO-I Core Competencies are invaluable as they allow ACUHO-I to better identify the areas in which professional development opportunities and resources should focus. At the same time, it assists professionals in shaping their development and professional education plans. ” #acuhoi | 10

Creating a Competency-Based Model • Plan and organize a comprehensive experience from start to finish • Problem addressed: Consistency, Expectation-Setting • Utilize sequencing and curriculum-based knowledge to integrate all 12 knowledge domains • Problem addressed: Rooted in Profession, Breadth • Solicit projects/a list of on-going responsibilities from departmental members to allow for 2 -3 tangible, interestbased “deep” projects • Problem addressed: Depth, Customization #acuhoi | 11

Week-By-Week Foci Example Week 2: Crisis Management & Student Behavior Week Two: Crisis Management and Student Behavior 8 -Attend Res. Ed Meeting -Shadow On-Call Staff 9 -Attend CARE Meeting -Tour Emergency Supplies Areas -Shadow On-Call Staff 10 -Meet with Dean of Students -Shadow On-Call Staff 11 -Meet with Associate Director to Discuss Clery Reporting -Shadow On-Call Staff 12 -Meet with Assistant Director of Conduct to receive Advocate overview -Shadow On-Call Staff To Do Items This Week: ü Read/familiarize yourself with our departmental Emergency Procedures Manual ü Review the SAFE U website online and complete Active Shooter Training Video and Clery Video training ü Complete FEMA NIMS 100 Higher Education Online Training ü Complete FERPA training #acuhoi | 12

Individual Project Preferences Project Name Description Competency Connection Duty Phone Proposal Group Work with Res. Ed staff members to benchmark and develop a proposal for utilizing duty phones vs. radios for on-call response Crisis Management/Infor mation Technology Area Assessment Reports/RSS Review Compile area specific assessment reports utilizing the Evaluation/Planning Residential Student Satisfaction Survey Results U-Crew Training Work with Res. Ed staff to prepare training for Fall Move-In Crew Human Resources DA Training Develop and facilitate summer/fall training for Desk Human Resources Assistants Professional Development Planning Manual Restorative Justice Benchmarking Work with AD for Res. Ed to develop a comprehensive Resident Education professional development planning guide Services Explore PAC-12 institution practices utilizing restorative justice and compile report for Res. Ed Student Behavior Preference Ranking (1 -5) #acuhoi | 13

Flexibility, Integration, and Assessment Making The Model Work For You #acuhoi | 14

Addressing Coursework Requirements • Common Requirements: • Development of learning goals or outcomes • Meeting with faculty supervisor • Coursework readings and reflections • Informational interviews • Intern evaluations • Signed program agreement forms • Integrating Into Model: • Ask for requirements in advance • Forward internship guide; speak with faculty #acuhoi | 15

Recruitment Integration • Alter position description • Describe experiences using 12 knowledge domains • Educate during interview • Align interview questions • Integrate intern stories • “This internship has provided me with many transferable skills that I can apply not only to my assistantship at USF but also to my upcoming job search” –past intern #acuhoi | 16

On-Boarding Integration • Provide for an orientation period, train on the internship guide early, provide enough time to “settle-in” • Attend to socialization, transition, and wellbeing needs. Explore Rath & Harter’s (2010) text “Five Essential Elements of Wellbeing”: • • • Social Community Financial Physical Career #acuhoi | 17

Assessing the Model/Lessons Learned • Survey developed to address: • Department/Internship Experience • Intern Supervision • Lessons learned: • Intern relationships can impact overall model success • Projects should be limited based on time/interest • Full guide should be explained once on-campus “I was able to meet with people in every facet of Housing and Residential Education from the custodial staff to the Dean's office. The site provided me with a list of probably 30 projects and asked me to rank which ones I would be interested in working on. This resulted in me being assigned 6 solid projects that I was greatly interested in and were tailored to me personally. ” –past intern #acuhoi | 18

Benefits and Current Use ü Provides week-by-week competency foci ü Results in tangible “resume-ready” projects for interns to report on ü Allows for flexibility in scheduling based on staff availability ü Can be customized to address intern specific interests and coursework requirements ü Has resulted in satisfactory evaluations on behalf of interns ü Has been used by several campuses for 4+ years #acuhoi | 19

Questions? • Rachel E. Aho Associate Director, Administrative Services Housing & Residential Education University of Utah raho@housing. Utah. edu 801 -587 -0725 Resources: Cawthon, T. W. , & Schreiber, P. J. (2012). ACUHO-I Core Competencies: The Body of Knowledge for Campus Housing Professionals. Columbus, OH: ACUHO-I. Cooper, D. L. , Saunders, S. A. , Winston, R. B. , Creamer, D. G. , & Janosik, S. M. (2002). Learning through supervised practice in student affairs. New York, NY: Routledge. Kerr, K. G. , Tweedy, J. Edwards, K. E. , & Kimmel, D. (2017). Shifting to curricular approaches to learning beyond the classroom. About Campus, March/April, 22 -31. Rath, T. , & Harter, J. (2010). Wellbeing: The five essential elements. New York, NY: Gallup. #acuhoi | 20

Thank You.