
Daily Buzz: The Evolution of Internship Culture
It’s National Intern Day. Time breaks down how a position that started as trade training became the new entry-level job. Also: Why online course maintenance matters.
Back in 1992, only 17 percent of college students had an internship. Fast forward to today, and more than 62 percent of the Class of 2017 did at least one internship across their college career. So, why the jump? The short answer: Internships are the new entry-level job.
Internships have a storied history dating back to the 1700s, but they became more popular in the 1970s, when more people were graduating from college than ever before. The result was a tough job market, so companies offered internships to help graduates find work—which changed the job market forever.
Rather than starting as an employee, internships eventually became the first stepping stone to getting hired, because of the experience they offered. As Eleanor Townsley, a sociologist at Mount Holyoke College who studied the impact of college internships on postgraduate opportunities, told Time, “Participation in multiple internships in college helps students to secure employment or enter graduate school within six months of graduation.”
Maintaining the Course
The cost of maintaining an online course for several years can eventually outstrip the launch cost—but the investment might just pay off. (by @insidehighered) https://t.co/72UWzvIqoA #assnchat #elearning #onlinelearning
— TopClass LMS (@TopClassLMS) July 26, 2018
Sure, you may shudder when thinking about developing an online course. But in a new piece for Inside Higher Ed, writer Mark Lieberman makes the case that the hard part might actually be maintenance—which, simply put, has costs that add up.
“At the risk of a tortured analogy, maintaining online courses is like raising children: they need consistent care and attention, and plenty of grooming and upgrading as they mature,” he writes.
But that maintenance might still be worth it, he argues. His point? By spending the proper amount of time developing the course, you can both improve it over time and turn that maintenance into maturity. Lieberman’s piece breaks into the steps that universities use to keep their own courses up to date.
Other Links of Note
Artificial intelligence is becoming better at replacing human jobs. But Harvard Business Review says its strength is in complementing human capabilities, not making them obsolete.
Is leadership training a waste of time and money? Unless you’re engaging in disciplined reflection and follow-through, new lessons won’t stick, says Forbes.
The number-one meeting mistake you’re making: interrupting. If you want a more collaborative team, stop interrupting. Here’s how to do it, from Inc.
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