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Internships, sometimes referred to as experiential learning, are opportunities that facilitate an advanced level of learning through hands-on engagement for students in their career fields (Wang et al., 2014). As of late, due to a growing number of remote and hybrid job openings as well as circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic, remote and virtual learning is far more common than ever before. The COVID-19 pandemic sent students, staff, and faculty home, but what did this mean for internships? More often than not, these internships turned virtual given the stay-at-home orders and inability to return to normal work.
Advancements in technology have made virtual working environments much more possible and realistic (Ruggiero & Boehm, 2016). However, while designed virtual work is a reality in the professional world, how does impromptu virtual work translate into a student’s learning experience? Virtual internships offer the same benefits as traditional internships with the added benefit of eliminating unnecessary travel and further improving the technical skills of all parties involved (Ruggiero & Boehm, 2016). Regardless of the platform for the internship, students are still able to reap the same benefits as an in-person experience, such as teamwork and collaboration, academic knowledge application, and skill development at their internship site (D’Angelo et al., 2011). However, unique to the current situation, the COVID-19 pandemic required rapidly shifting the internship experience to an online format.
Designed experiences with online structures in place helped students be successful in online internship settings (D’Angelo et al., 2011). However, the pandemic was rapid and unexpected and the nationwide lockdown resulted in employers who spontaneously had to figure out how to shift their entire company online. While maintaining the fidelity of the internship experience and goals for the student was administrators' top priority, employers had competing priorities during this time. This led to a need to ensure internship students were able to achieve their goals despite the COVID-19 pandemic influences. In this study, we examine the experiences of Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 internship students during this unique time to gain insight into how the COVID-19 pandemic changes impacted their internship experiences.