Overview

International Internship Experience is designed to provide post-graduate students with invaluable international work-experience utilising a real-world learning approach. The unit aims to enhance students’ understanding of the international landscape and allow them to apply their theoretical and conceptual knowledge. They will be encouraged to critically evaluate and assess their host organisation role within the market and positively contribute to its performance and outputs. Students are also expected to network with industry, government, alumni or NGOs (based on the nature of the host organisation) to gain understanding of the stakeholder management requirements in a different cultural setting. To maximise the learning experience, students will be encouraged to leverage their skills accumulated during their studies so far and – within a limited time-frame, to develop and practise effective communicative and coping strategies for cross-cultural interactions. The International Internship Experience is a workplace experience that extends for a meaningful period (15-25 days). Students are expected to participate in regular online learning activities as part of the unit of study.

Requisites

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Critically reflect on the need for an awareness of cross-cultural competence and workplace skills
  • Summarise the features of the international context and describe the processes, responsibilities and approaches within the company or organisation the students work with
  • Identify and apply appropriate disciplinary skills and knowledge in a real-world environment (such as time and project management, goal setting, stakeholder identification and management, team work)
  • Communicate effectively for a range of audiences (including differing workplaces, industries, and organisational and cultural contexts)
  • Reflect on and evaluate own internship experiences, related to the workplace, and regional and global industry trends that might lead to or affect future employment
  • Prepare reports both through presentation and written means, in the context of a workplace

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Placement
Placement
50.00 3 weeks 150
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Presentation ScreeningsIndividual 15% 1,2,4 
Professional Experience ReportIndividual 40% 1,2,3,4,5,6 
Reflective JournalIndividual 25% 1,2,3,5 
Weekly Online Discussion PostsIndividual 20% 1,2,3,6 

Content

  • cross-cultural competence development
  • reflection and self-assessment of professional skills
  • video presentation development
  • report and journal writing
  • industry placement (contribution of knowledge, skills and practices from students’ university studies into a professional context relevant to their disciplinary course of study)
  • real-life problem identification
  • solution development

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.