Internships and Prior Learning Program

Contact Information

Email: ipl@uis.edu
Phone: (217)206-6640
Location: BRK 482

Internships and Prior Learning (IPL) programs emphasize applied learning, practical experience, professional development, and the value of self-directed learning. IPL supports four academic areas of study related to engaged learning: Internships (national and international), Projects (professional and research), Community-Engaged Learning (previously recognized as service-learning), and receiving Credit for Prior Professional Learning, (CPL). All OEL courses - IPL or Study Away require a submitted application through EngageU and OEL department approval before registration permission is granted.

Internships provide engaged professional learning experiences by enabling students to apply academic theory, expand their industry knowledge, identify additional learning needs, explore careers, gain hands-on professional experience, and develop a better understanding of public, social, and cultural issues. Internships emphasize self-directed learning in an academically sponsored experience, while facilitating extremely useful opportunities for students to explore, identify, and develop:

Career interests
Learning needs. (i.e. Do I want to go to grad school?)
Employability experience
Professional skills
Networking opportunities with professionals in the field.
Increased awareness of community, global, and public affairs.

Internships can be in the United States or abroad and can be affiliated with any number of career areas (examples: business, management, administration; government and public administration, education and training; health sciences; human services; application of humanities, information technology, among others)

An internship experience while enrolled in the co-requisite IPL 300 course fulfills portions of the Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) requirement. To earn credit, students must be degree-seeking undergraduate students enrolled at UIS while completing the internship.

All OEL courses - IPL or Study Away require a submitted application through EngageU and OEL department approval before registration permission is granted.

Projects

Projects are a form of high-impact, engaged learning experiences that can provide similar opportunities and benefits as internships. Projects incorporate developing an end product that demonstrates work and reflection of the learning obtained throughout the semester. Project work requires independent motivation, excellent organizational skills, and attention to self-imposed but pre-set deadlines. The Project should relate to one’s academic major and requires approval by both the student’s academic department and the Office of Engaged Learning.

Examples of a Project include:

Research project with a faculty member at UIS or another institution
Writing project (fiction or nonfiction)
An entrepreneurial endeavor, such as starting a business
Audit of a nonprofit organization’s computer system
Creation of new software or a new app
Foreign language learning
Study Away experience (in accordance with guidelines)

To earn credit, students must be degree-seeking undergraduate students enrolled in IPL 301. The IPL 301: ECCE Project Engaged Learning fulfills portions of the Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE).

All OEL courses - IPL or Study Away require a submitted application through EngageU and OEL department approval before registration permission is granted.

Prior Learning Assessment

Prior Learning Assessment allows qualified students to earn academic credit for college-level learning acquired outside the traditional classroom. This is particularly valuable to those with an extensive background affiliated with a profession, military experience, community-engaged service and volunteer work, relevant travel, or independent research. To have prior learning assessed for the awarding of academic credit at UIS, students must develop a learning portfolio. This learning portfolio is compiled to demonstrate the concrete learning experience and clearly articulate the college-level skills and competencies the student learned. The portfolio allows students to:

Reflect on relevant experiences
Communicate how experiences were learned (learning objectives)
Articulate the professional skills and competencies that were gained (learning outcomes)
Discuss the meaning of the experience(s) on both personal and global levels
Describe ways in which the student has, or will, apply and/or use that knowledge in the future.

Students eligible to enroll in IPL 305 (for undergraduates) or IPL 501 (for graduates) must be admitted to UIS, have selected an academic major, completed 48 semester hours of credit, and met with an advisor to determine if prior learning credit is an option and aligns with their degree requirements. Portfolios are the only prior learning assessment method eligible for the Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) credit. Credit hours earned will be posted at the end of the applicable semester to official UIS academic transcripts with the designation of CPL (Credit for Prior Learning).

All OEL courses - IPL or Study Away require a submitted application through EngageU and OEL department approval before registration permission is granted.

Community Engaged Learning

Community-engaged learning courses explore the connections between academic theory and the practical needs of the community while expanding overall knowledge of community-based problems and providing a service to others. Students are required to complete volunteer service hours to enhance further self-reflection, self-discovery, and the acquisition of new skills and knowledge. Not only do community engaged courses enrich a student’s learning experience, but these courses can fulfill portions of the Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE).

All OEL courses - IPL or Study Away require a submitted application through EngageU and OEL department approval before registration permission is granted.

Requirements

Internships and Prior Learning Program
IPL 300	ECCE: Internship Applied Learning	2-12
IPL 301	ECCE: Project Applied Learning	2-12
IPL 305	ECCE: Undergraduate Prior Learning Portfolio Development	3-6
or IPL 501	Graduate Prior Learning Portfolio Development
IPL 499	Tutorial	1-12
Service Learning
IPL 202	ECCE: Service-Learning Immersion	3
IPL 362	ECCE: Social Change and Leadership	3