Category Archives: Education, Teaching and Research

Student Case Study: The University of Exeter

Free Photo Of People Doing Handshakes Stock Photo

Name of Student: Alice Sharp 

Degree Subject: Medicine (BMBS) 

Job Title: BMBS Student Intern 

Company Name: The University of Exeter 

Description of Organisation:  

The Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for biomedical and clinical research and teaching with a focus on understanding the mechanisms and treatment of human disease. 

Their research delivers direct benefit to patients, the NHS and the pharmaceutical industry, with the aim of understanding the underlying cellular, molecular and genomic basis of disease and applying this knowledge in innovative ways that lead to improved treatment and a better quality of life for patients. Scientists and clinicians in CBS work closely together to ensure that our research is directly targeted to clinical need. 

Type of Internship:   

Student Campus Partnership (SCP) | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter  

 What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship? 

Looking at a set of year 1 LSRC sessions and seeing if they included: equality, diversity and inclusion. Also, looking at and suggesting ways that the following can be included in those set of year 1 LSRCs. 

What was your biggest achievement on your internship? 

Contributing to changes in the medical school curriculum to make it more inclusive and to stimulate conversations around these subjects. 

Were there any challenges and how did you overcome these?  

I was given a lot of anatomy sessions, given the content of these sessions it was hard to think of ways to make them inclusive as the focus was on learning the structures in the body. 

Skills Learnt:  

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure 
  • Organisation 
  • Time and Work Load Management 
  • Strategic Planning 
  • Researching 
  • IT 

Attributes Developed: 

  • Perseverance 
  • Motivation 
  • Cultural Awareness 
  • Creative thinking 
  • Independence 
  • Confidence 

Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector? 

“During my internship as a 3rd year medical student, I had the invaluable opportunity to contribute to the improvement of the year 1 curriculum for medicine. It was an enriching experience that allowed me to apply my theoretical knowledge in a practical setting.

Throughout the internship, I closely examined the existing curriculum, identifying its strengths and areas that needed enhancement. Collaborating with senior faculty members, I actively participated in discussions and proposed innovative ideas to refine the course structure and content.

This internship provided me with a deeper understanding of medical education and allowed me to make a meaningful contribution to the development of future physicians. It reinforced my passion for teaching and inspired me to continue striving for excellence in medical education. “

Employer Case Study: The University of Exeter

  Free Man Teaching Woman in Front of Monitor Stock Photo

Name of Organisation: University of Exeter 

Description of Organisation:  

At the University of Exeter, they want to make the exceptional happen, and have a real and lasting impact on the world around them. They are already firmly at the forefront of universities worldwide and their ambition is to increase that position, particularly as a Global 100 institution. They challenge their talented students to achieve more than they ever thought possible and recruit the very best people from around the world to reach greater heights in research excellence, innovation and impact.   

Name of Employer: Craig McEwan 

Job Title:  Academic Developer 

Internship Scheme used:  

The Graduate Business Partnership Scheme (GBP) | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter 

Feedback: 

“Will was the first person that I line managed. He was a good colleague, and I enjoyed the experience.” 

“Will played an important role in supporting the management of this summer’s Students as Change Agents projects. He provided valuable support to the six Change Agent SCPs, their line manager and the three project leads.”

“Will also helped to take forward two important projects in the Academic Development & Skills team. He gathered and consolidated the views of the team and presented suggestions for a new set of standards for ‘writing for the web’ in our team. He also started an important project to map the level and type of academic skills support provided within academic departments across the university. All this work will be taken forward and built on by the team follow his departure.” 

 

Student Case Study: Digital Humanities UofE

Name of Student:  Isabel Moon

Degree Subject:  BA History

Job Title: Digital Humanities Intern

Company Name: University of Exeter

Type of Internship: Student Campus Partnerships (SCPs)  

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

Lab work, Front desk, Project work

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

The website I made for the Namibia For All disability in Namibia awareness project

Skills Learnt: 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Time and Workload Management
  • Problem Solving

Attributes Developed:

  • Commercial Awareness
  • Confidence
  • Professionalism

Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector?

I have greatly appreciated my internship experience this year. I have learnt more about the world of work within the humanities sector here than I have anywhere else. It has been a great opportunity to work on projects that interest me and to work with like-minded people. I’ve loved being able to work hands-on with historical items and working on meaningful projects. I have always been passionate about preserving history and spreading awareness of it and this internship has been a brilliant opportunity to do so and to gain the skills and experience I would need to do so again in the future. I am happy to have been offered a part time role within the team.

Student Case Study: RJ Working

Name of Student:  Katelyn Wells

Degree Subject:  BSc Business

Job Title: PR and Communications Support Worker

Company Name:  RJ Working

Type of Internship: Access to Internships (A2I) 

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

I have been responsible for the set-up and maintenance of a new, fit-for-purpose, website for the organisation. I have also taken a key role in the internal and external communications which aided in my role of organising two events, one being the 10th Birthday Party for the organisation, and the other working with a team to deliver an event for young people across Cornwall.                                                                                                                                       

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

I have loved my internship and have had the opportunity to learn and develop my skill set in many areas. Regarding hard skills, project management, communication and web design are just a few that I have enjoyed. Being able to work on and deliver an incredible event to young people regarding tackling discrimination has been brilliant.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Organisation
  • IT

Attributes Developed:

  • Creative thinking
  • Work Ethic
  • Professionalism

Your message to other students considering a similar job role, organisation or sector?

What I have enjoyed the most is the development of team communications, working in a small charity that are all so passionate about social and cultural change has been an incredible experience that I will carry with me throughout my career. I have been supported in challenging my capabilities both professionally and personally. My confidence in a professional environment has grown substantially. Overall my experience with the internship has been invaluable.

Employer Quote: 

“She has been critical to the launch and development of our website, our twitter developing use of Twitter and our events management. In July Katelyn was central for 2 events – co-ordinating our Tenth Birthday Party celebration, hosted at Trebah Garden, and a Together For Justice event for young people in which she played a leading role. Katelyn has also been central to our Climate Action Group, helping to co-ordinate, noting meetings.” – Deborah Mitchell CEO

Employer Case Study: 

https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/internships/employer-case-study-rj-working-cio/

Employer Case Study: University of Exeter – History

Name of Organisation: University of Exeter – History

Name of Employer: Ryan Hanley

Job Title: Lecturer in Modern British History

Internship Scheme used: Graduate Business Partnership (GBP) , Access to Internships (A2I) 

Feedback:

“Our GBPs produced a database of race relations reports published in the UK. This will form the basis of a new research thread, including a planned PhD studentship and public-facing database. Discussions are underway with the National Archives to realise the next stage of the project.

Both interns were more successful in identifying and cataloguing the report than we anticipated – the database now has over 600 entries, with many more leads still to come. This represents an impressive feat of research in itself, and it will lay the foundation for a major new academic project.

The students were invaluable members of the team: motivated, committed, and able to work independently towards the objectives. They even helped to define the parameters of the research project we were working on. The internships team were likewise fantastic.

While I could not offer my interns a job at the end of the project, I am more than happy to provide them with references and encouraged them both to consider pursuing research as a career. I’m very happy to note that one of them is moving into a Policy Advisor role at the end of the summer – I like to think this project gave her some useful experience to discuss in the interview!”

Employer Case Study:  University of Exeter Business School

Name of Organisation: University of Exeter Business School

Name of Employer: David Monciardini

Job Title: Senior Lecturer

Internship Scheme used:  Access to Internships (A2I) 

Feedback:

“Our intern took an active role in our event on local food policy contributing in a very mature way to the debate about food insecurity.

Some of his tasks were:

– Research on Sustainable Food Places network.
– Comparison of Sustainable Food Places policies with Milan Urban Food Policy Pact ones.
– Presentation of the results of the desk research.
– Data mining and investigation of local food policy partnerships in Cornwall.
– Organisation of a policy research event as part of the Cornwall Food Policy Pact

The student is really quick to learn and he has a bright character that will allow him to work well with everyone in his future career. A great person to work with. I had a very positive experience and I hope he also benefited from this internship.”

 

Employer Case Study: Opportunity China

Name of Organisation: Opportunity China

Name of Employer: Stephanie Day

Job Title: Operations Manager

Internship Scheme used: Access to Internships (A2I) 

Feedback:

“Our intern is becoming more familiar with Chinese social media management, and uses her Mandarin skills to build rapport with customers. She has got involved, quickly became part of the team, and took all that’s been passed to her!

Really positive experience, thank you. Work experience is so important for students to obtain, and our intern has been a delight!”

Employer Case Study: University of Exeter

Name of Organisation: University of Exeter

Name of Employer: Remy Chait

Job Title: Lecturer

Internship Scheme used: Access to Internships (A2I) 

Feedback:

“Our intern was set the task of researching and testing a new assay for the laboratory to measure mutation rate in bacteria. She accumulate literature resources on the assay and performed initial testing to compare it to literature benchmarks. Included in these tests were assays in conditions specific to the lab focus of antibiotic resistance. She summarized her findings well at the end of the internship.

Having supervised the student on her 3rd year Bioscience project, this internship was a good opportunity to give her a slightly different direction and the chance to develop a higher level of independence in the lab working on a small-scale project. The project was new to her and she had complete control of it, which I believe was useful in her exploration of guiding her own work.”

Employer Case Study: University of Exeter, CMH

Name of Organisation: University of Exeter, CMH

Name of Employer: Rachel Hayes

Job Title: Senior Research Fellow

Internship Scheme used:  Access to Internships (A2I) 

Feedback:

“Our intern had excellent attention to detail, always turned up to schools early and was happy to stay longer to anonymise data with me, and she had a great presence with the children. She also took onboard feedback I gave her on the first day which showed great team working. On top of her excellent work during school visits, she was extremely fast and efficient at data entry!

It was really great to have the student as part of our team and I would highly recommend this scheme.”

Employer Case Study: University of Exeter Lab Work

Name of Organisation: University of Exeter

Name of Employer: Robert Ellis

Job Title: Senior Lecturer

Internship Scheme used: Student Campus Partnership (SCP) | Employer Engagement & Student Employment | University of Exeter

Feedback:

“The intern specifically worked on developing a theoretical model for sex change in hermaphroditic aquatic species. This is highly novel and is contributing to a larger area of work our lab group are developing. This helped the intern familiarise themselves with the project, and set the foundation to develop a possible PhD project proposal together over the coming 12 months.

Their successful integration to the team and contribution to the wider goals of the team. The delivery of a comprehensive protocol to assess the content in the lab

This was a really positive experience, and also provided a highly beneficial development experience for a PhD student within our lab who was able to mentor the intern during their placement.

The internship scheme has been very straightforward and I would certainly use it again.”