Tag Archives: Exeter UK

Student Case Study: University of Exeter

Biosciences, Degree subject, Graduate Business Partnership (GBP), Information Technology, Internship Schemes, Sector, , , , ,

Name of Student:  Ghalia Abel

Degree Subject: MPH Biological Sciences

Job Title: Digital Learning Developer

Company Name:  University of Exeter

Type of Internship:  Graduate Business Partnership (GBP)

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

Providing digital support to university staff for online and blended learning materials.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?  

As part of a team I produced a digital magazine showcasing the innovative teaching and learning used by The University of Exeter Business School academics to enhance the student digital Learning experience. This magazine highlighted the numerous methods and creativity of the UEBS academics when teaching.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

An academic was looking to produce a short conference video with the speaker as the main subject on the screen. My task was to find a software that allowed video editing flexibility. I began researching and found an open source software that could be used to achieve the academics vision. The academic was able to produce the video and submit it for the conference in a timely manner. The talk was accepted and received great feedback.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Focus on Goals and Outcomes
  • Organisation
  • IT
  • Strategic Planning
  • Decision Making

Attributes Developed:

  • Logical thinking
  • Creative thinking
  • Independence
  • Work Ethic
  • Professionalism

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

“The internship allowed me to learn many new digital skills and work as part of a welcoming and friendly team. The flexibility of the internship allowed me to manage my time and prioritise tasks while continuing to progress as an individual.”

Student Case Study: University of Exeter

Degree subject, Modern Languages, Sociology and Criminology, , , , , ,

Name of Student:  Olivia Foulkes

Degree Subject: BA Sociology and Modern Languages

Job Title: Family Support Worker Intern

Company Name:  University of Exeter

Type of Internship: Access to Internships (A2I)

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

My key duties as a family support worker was liaising to help run the prison visits, help support inmates with any family related issues and get in contact with their families.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?  

I started a project for the company looking at the impact of parental imprisonment on children, and what services there are and how liaising between services can be improved.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Organisation
  • Problem Solving
  • Communication
  • Decision Making

Attributes Developed:

  • Logical thinking
  • Confidence
  • Personal Awareness
  • Independence
  • Work Ethic

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

“My internship really helped me get a better sense of the sector I was working in. It has definitely helped with improving my social skills (especially after COVID) as it has been a long time I have had to use those skills. The internship has really improved my confidence and belief in myself. It has motivated me to take be confident in starting my career path as I now know I have the skills to do so.”

Student Case Study: University of Exeter

Degree subject, Environmental Work, Internship Schemes, Science, Sector, Student Campus Partnership (SCP), , , , ,

Name of Student:  Bryony Dennison

Degree Subject: MSCI Natural Sciences WIS

Job Title: SCP 5540 Environment & Climate Emergency Education Resources Intern

Company Name:  University of Exeter

Type of Internship:  Student Campus Partnerships (SCPs)  

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

Helping to create a compulsory climate literacy training course for staff and students at the university. This involved interviewing academics, researching content and discussing how to present this content.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?  

We produced the content for a 10 hour compulsory training course for the staff and students of the University of Exeter; this content is now being turned used to create a visually appealing module by an external company. It is hoped this module will lead to a greater understanding of the climate crisis, and therefore greater action among the university.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

I was especially pleased with the content I produced for the ‘science of climate change’ section of the course. This was a one hour module covering topics such as the greenhouse effect and the carbon budget. As we will have a wide range of participants, I had to make this content accessible and engaging for those with differing levels of pre-existing knowledge. This was challenging, as many find this topic dull. I included interactive diagrams with definitions of scientific terms to avoid repetition of information those with scientific backgrounds would already be familiar with. I also embedded optional videos and interviews for the same purpose. A variety of small quizzes were also added to make content more varied. Although we have not yet received formal feedback from our outputs, I feel I have achieved the project briefs here.

What did not go so well on your internship? How did you overcome any challenges?

We needed to communicate with multiple academics who had expressed interest in being interviewed for or reviewing the project, many of whom did not respond to our emails at all or in a timely manner. This meant we had to be proactive in following up these academics and contacting alternative interviewees – this turned out to be positive, as we ended up receiving a more diverse range of participants. Similarly, at the end of the internship, we had not received feedback for all sections of the course. We had managed our time carefully to account for this delay and implemented several days to review the content of the other interns.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Organisation
  • Leadership
  • Strategic Planning
  • Decision Making

Attributes Developed:

  • Logical thinking
  • Creative thinking
  • Independence
  • Work Ethic
  • Professionalism

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

“I was involved in producing the content for a climate literacy training course for the staff and students of the University of Exeter. This involved interviewing academics and writing content for a variety of topics including the science and effects of climate change. As a result of this opportunity, I have developed my video editing, project management and science communication skills, as well as becoming more confident. If I were to repeat the project, I would be more proactive in communicating with academics.”

Student Case Study: University of Exeter

Administration, Business and Management, Degree subject, Graduate Business Partnership (GBP), Internship Schemes, Modern Languages, Sector, , , , ,

Name of Student:  Miranda Sandy

Degree Subject: German and Spanish/now MSC Marketing (9 months)

Job Title: GBP 5436 Education and Student Support Assistant

Company Name:  University of Exeter

Type of Internship:  Graduate Business Partnership (GBP)

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

– Working in the Quality and Standards Team for the College of Social Sciences and International Studies and the Business School.

– Liaising with academic staff members to process changes to modules and the addition/withdrawal of modules.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?  

Ensuring that module information was correctly input into iPaMS and therefore correct on the university website – My line manager often asked me to undertake investigative work. This involved searching through emails, our tracking spreadsheet and various SharePoint sites to ascertain the progress of a module’s approval. – My line manager asked me to create spreadsheets for him, often related to the above and to undertake audits (i.e. Arabic modules). One day when he was not at work he left me with instructions to create a spreadsheet using documents with Accelerate survey responses. This involved inputting figures from a large number of survey results to calculate percentage satisfaction. I worked hard to finish the spreadsheet that day, and my boss was pleased to be able to use it in a presentation the next day.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

We quite often received requests from departments with missing or incomplete paperwork, which I would often return to them asking for the correct information. On one occasion, an Accreditation Officer had submitted several requests on old template versions of the coversheet, thus some of the information we required was missing. Rather than returning everything to him and asking him to redo it, I decided to copy all the details we did have onto the correct coversheets and highlight the information we still required. This approach meant that I was able to provide a good service to the staff member while obtaining the information we required to process his request.

What did not go so well on your internship? How did you overcome any challenges?

The main challenge I faced concerned my poor WiFi at home. On a couple of occasions this meant that spreadsheets I was working on jointly with another member of staff became corrupt and an earlier version had to be restored. I overcame this by contacting my internet service provider and purchasing new WiFi extenders which helped the problem, I improved my use of Windows; closing Excel when I wasn’t using it and shutting down my laptop every night. This meant that such issues occurred far less frequently.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Problem Solving
  • Teamwork and Collaboration
  • IT

Attributes Developed:

  • Confidence
  • Initiative

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

“I am very grateful to the Quality and Standards Team for giving me my first graduate-level role. Although I never met my colleagues in person and my role was for only 3 months, I was very much made to feel part of the team. I would have liked to have stayed longer, but the experience has given me confidence going forward and applying to other graduate-level roles due to the recent and relevant examples I will be able to talk about in applications and interviews.”

Student Case Study: University of Exeter

Degree subject, Geography, Information Technology, Internship Schemes, Sector, Student Campus Partnership (SCP), , , , ,

Name of Student:  Jude Ratnayake

Degree Subject: BA Geography

Job Title: SCP 5698 Global Systems Institute

Company Name:  University of Exeter

Type of Internship: Student Campus Partnerships (SCPs)  

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

Developing an academic master database that characterised and processed a variety of key academic publications (written by members of the Global Systems Institute) according to their relevance with the Sustainable Development Goals. Reviewing academic publications and identifying key words that would be useful for readers. Reviewing academic publications and identifying specific geographical locations they related to.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?  

I produced an extensive master database comprised of 458 individual publications from 73 Global Systems Institute (GSI) academics covering a range of different disciplinary fields. The database can be used for the GSI Website to highlight the relevance of the University of Exeter’s research (GSI) to the global Sustainable Development Goals. The database can also be used for the GSI Website to highlight how the University of Exeter’s research (GSI) engages with a diverse range of geographical locations on an international/global scale. The database can also be used for the GSI Website to allow readers to better navigate and identify academic publications that are of interest to them using the keywords tool.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

My biggest achievement was the successful completion of the internship’s final end-product: GSI Master Database. Throughout the month-long internship period, I consistently worked full-time on developing this database (a total of three versions) ensuring I used my critical analysis and research skills to collate various academic publications via a digital database that provided useful information regarding the specific SDGs, specific geographical locations and specific keywords the publications related to. As a result, an extensive master database can be used for the development/advancement of the GSI website. Additionally, the internship gave me a stronger grasp and understanding of the globally significant SDGs.

What did not go so well on your internship? How did you overcome any challenges?

I did not find any specific challenges whilst working on this internship. This was because I remained in regular contact with my line manager who helped clarify any issues could have been encountered, for example, what to do when limited information was available for a particular publication/academic.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Organisation
  • Focus on Goals and Outcomes
  • Leadership
  • Strategic Planning

Attributes Developed:

  • Logical thinking
  • Perseverance
  • Personal Awareness
  • Independence
  • Work Ethic

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

“This internship experience was extremely rewarding for me. I was able to expand my knowledge and engagement with the global SDGs and I was able to develop my digital communication and research skills (critical analysis) whilst creating this master database for the GSI. I demonstrated my self-sufficiency in a remote working environment whilst also maintaining effective communication skills with my line manager that led to the successful delivery of the master database which can inform the GSI’s future website development.”

 

Student Case Study: University of Exeter

Degree subject, Education, Teaching and Research, Internship Schemes, Psychology, Sector, Student Campus Partnership (SCP), , , , ,

Name of Student:  Anda Solea

Degree Subject: MSC Social & Organisational Psychology

Job Title: SCP Research Intern in Social Psychology

Company Name:  University of Exeter

Type of Internship: Student Campus Partnerships (SCPs)  

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

Write articles, create surveys, recruit participants, analyse data, report data, write the methods section, write open science framework documents, have weekly meetings and give my feedback on previous work

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?

Outputs=collected & analysed data, wrote reports and journal article sections, wrote and designed articles, created and edited surveys.

Ouctomes= did 2 studies(double the amount we expected), created documents for publication in a journal, I will be a co-author of the paper, advanced knowledge on the topic  

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

While working as a psychology research intern I has to design a study from start to finish. I worked weekly, in collaboration and alone. I learnt how to use new software and improved my research skills. As a result we managed to create, run and publish two studies and my supervisor was very happy with my work.

What did not go so well on your internship? How did you overcome any challenges?

I didn’t know how to run certain statistical tests. I asked my co-worker for advice and then researched the tests on the internet and in the end I learnt how to do them and overcame the challenge.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Problem Solving
  • Communication
  • IT
  • Degree Specific

Attributes Developed:

  • Logical thinking
  • Creative thinking
  • Independence
  • Work Ethic
  • Professionalism

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

“I have achieved a lot during this internship. I have bettered my research skills and learnt a lot about what goes behind “real” research. This was particularly helpful for me as I am starting my PhD in October and I plan to stay in academia and work in research and thus this intership has been a hard start for my career.”

 

Student Case Study: University of Exeter

Degree subject, Education, Teaching and Research, English, History, Internship Schemes, Sector, Student Campus Partnership (SCP), , , ,

Name of Student:  Priyankha Khindri

Degree Subject:  BA English and History

Job Title: SCP5538 Research Intern

Company Name:  University of Exeter

Type of Internship: Student Campus Partnerships (SCPs)  

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

We hosted the morning meeting a couple of times each over the course of the internship and gave presentations to our group on areas of our research that we found most interesting We had a choice as to what topics we would research and were then responsible for compiling the research and creating a powerpoint of our findings We created and scripted a presentation which we gave to the Exeter City Council.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?  

The two main outputs of our work were a template for an ARCGIS Storymap website and an interpretation board to be placed in Exeter A major outcome was looking at what our next steps would be in terms of the continued development of a website and interpretation board e.g. what other teams/people would be necessary and how would the relevant funding be secured

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

The biggest achievement for me personally was learning to work in a team. At university the work you do is your own and through the majority of your academic work the tasks are independent. However in this environment you shared your ideas and had them built upon by a myriad of other people and someone else had the power to improve and work on your outputs or ideas. The changes to my work and ideas were initially incredibly disheartening however by the end of it – as a result of group conversations and individual reflection – I came to understand that in a team no one person can have ownership of an idea or output. This resulted in me enjoying collaborative work and feeling prepared to join the workforce where team work is crucial.

What did not go so well on your internship? How did you overcome any challenges?

As a result of how incredible our manager Nicola was and how wonderful the team were there was nothing that did not go well. One of the challenges was travelling to the Downes estate in Crediton where we were subject to some cultural insensitivity but Nicola had ensured there was a plan in place to address any unhappiness.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Organisation
  • Leadership
  • Strategic Planning
  • Researching

Attributes Developed:

  • Logical thinking
  • Creative thinking
  • Independence
  • Work Ethic
  • Professionalism

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

“The experience was unique and unlike any other internship I know of other people having undertaken. It was eye opening and transformative as our team ranged from 18 year old students to people in the Devon community who were 60 years old. The diversity of the team made for a working experience like no other. It was also incredibly rigorous as a lot of the research we were undertaking had not been done before which made it tough but exciting work.”

Student Case Study: University of Exeter – Covid 19 Project

Biosciences, Charity and Development Work, Degree subject, Education, Teaching and Research, Environmental Work, Internship Schemes, Sector, Student Campus Partnership (SCP), , , , ,

Name of Student:  Kathryn Bullough

Degree Subject: MSci Zoology

Job Title: Research assistant (COVID-19 plastic bottle pollution)

Company Name: University of Exeter

Type of Internship: Student Campus Partnerships (SCPs)  

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

Carrying out a literature review and data analysis of both public poll data and plastic bottle count data to determine how plastic bottle pollution has changed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?  

Created a publishable report detailing all my findings, along with a blog and presentation to access wider audiences. Discovered that plastic bottle pollution has decreased during the pandemic, however this is likely to be short-lived as life returns to normal.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

As part of my time working with the #Oneless team, I was tasked with producing a report detailing how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted plastic bottle pollution. Using a multi-methods approach, I carried out a literature review, analysis of public poll data, and analysis of plastic bottle count data, coming to the conclusion that bottle pollution has decreased, however this is likely to be short-lived as life returns to normal. As a result, I ended up producing a publishable report that will be used by the #Oneless team to determine their strategy coming out of the pandemic, as well as being submitted to a journal later this year.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Organisation
  • Leadership
  • Strategic Planning
  • Decision Making

Attributes Developed:

  • Logical thinking
  • Creative thinking
  • Independence
  • Work Ethic
  • Professionalism

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

“My internship experience was a lot more challenging, but also a lot more rewarding than I expected. I was really pushed to reach my full potential, and as a result produced a genuinely useful and original report that will be used to guide future policies related to conservation.”

The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum – Student Case Study 

Access to Internships (A2I), Art History and Visual Culture, Charity and Development Work, Classics and Ancient History, Internship Schemes, , ,

 

What were your key responsibilities during your internship?  

My key duties included gathering research and data to assist the curator with his plans to bid for funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund (NLHF) as part of his aim to expand and redevelop the museum. I analysed and presented this data using a range of software, including Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. This also informed my participation in several staff meetings where I was able to gain insight and contribute my own ideas based on my findings. Specifically, I looked at academics and researchers who had used the museum’s collections to inform their publications/projects since 2017 in order to update the BDC’s database, demonstrating the value of the museum as a resource.  

As well as this, I looked at various other university museums such as, film museums within and outside of Europe to see how they function to engage the community and meet the NLHF’s broader requirements of creative projects, and to see how their strategies could influence the BDC’s future aims. Other key duties included preparing and presenting a talk to a U3A group (roughly 20 visitors) on pre-cinema in the museum’s lower gallery, which was received with much enthusiasm, and assisting the curator with a display for Campus Cinema’s 70th anniversary party, which was also hosted in the museum’s lower gallery. 

 

What was your biggest achievement on your internship? 

My biggest achievement during the internship was using my initiative to map the curator’s annual museum reports 2015-2019 to the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Strategic Funding Framework key requirements of heritage projects (2019-2024). After producing a range of documents for the curator, I decided to tie up this research by presenting the data in a way which directly linked the museum’s existing/past initiatives to the NLHF’s in a way which was visually clear and focused, and which the curator could refer to when writing up his proposal for the funding bid. As commented on by the curator himself, this piece of work demonstrated my analytical skills and ability to use my initiative, under the guidance of the curator, to contribute my own unique strengths and ideas without simply waiting for the next task to be assigned. The documents produced will inform (in part) the curator’s next steps in the museum’s redevelopment. 

 

Summary of your internship experience. 

I honestly could not fault this experience whatsoever. I was lucky enough to have already been volunteering at the Bill Dougla Cinema Musuem on campus since September, and since I am passionate about working within Arts, Culture and Heritage, and having already built up a relationship with the curator, Phil Wickham, I knew that it was the ideal place for me to undertake a four-week internship. Before the internship started, Phil asked me what specific skills I wanted to develop while offering me the opportunity to assist him with the gathering of research and data to support his plans to bid for funds to expand the museum. Having undertaken the relevant module Creative Industries: Their Past, Our Future, as part of my English BA course, I was able to combine my academic studies with real-world practical experience, proving the value of the internship in this way. Further, Phil allowed me to use my initiative and offer my own suggestions in relation to the museum’s redevelopment project, which allowed me to feel like a real part of the team, while allowing me to demonstrate my ability to think creatively and intuitively rather than simply wait for instructions. I am eternally grateful for the encouragement that I received throughout the four weeks, with Phil allowing me to contribute to a variety of staff discussions with my research, as well as pushing me out of my comfort zone by asking me to deliver a short talk to a group of museum visitors in my second week. Though I was petrified, I managed to deliver the talk with a confidence that I did not believe that I had, and Phil is to thank for encouraging me to do something which he knew that I generally struggle with while being supportive throughout.  

 

Would you recommend doing an internship, and why? 

This internship confirmed to me that I have chosen a career path that I am well-suited to. I was excited to go into work every morning, and really did feel like a valued part of the team. Having vowed to never study again following the completion of my dissertation days before the internship started, the experience has made me so passionate to continue working toward an ambitious future career within the creative industries, and I feel so lucky to be able to say that I received an offer from the University of Exeter to undertake an MA in September in Creativity: Innovation and Business Strategy. I am so thankful for this invaluable experience, and would recommend it to anyone. Thank you to the University of Exeter and Phil Wickham for an unforgettable experience. 

Articulacy Ltd – Employer Case Study

Access to Internships (A2I), Degree subject, Education, Education, Teaching and Research, Employer Feedback, Internship Schemes, , ,

Name of Organisation:  Articulacy Ltd

Description of Organisation:  We as an organisation bring our values to school at a very young age, when our opinions are being formed. We take this into our relationships from school and into the workplace. We put on award-winning workshops that involve high energy and fun and carry a very high approval rating due to our focus on individual needs.

Name of Employer:  Leanne Fennell

Job Title: Business Manager

Internship Scheme used:  A2I  

Employer subsidies (A2I) – Employment Services – University of Exeter 

Feedback: 

We recruited our intern as a Marketing Officer. She reviewed our online website and designed a new fresh one and she attended some days in a Digital Leadership programme and made excellent contributions to the group.

Our intern also created some fantastic leaflets that will advertise our new inset training and other programmes. These will lead to income generation once they are successfully bringing in the work through schools. As well as, introducing us to software that we will be able to use on an ongoing basis to create our own leaflets which will save us hundreds in the future. Her work and ideas were outstanding.

Working with the University of Exeter on the Access to Internships scheme has been such a delight. We have worked with a psychology student who brought her fresh ideas and vibrant personality to a very small team and made a huge difference to us in what she was able to achieve in a short space of time. We now have clear ideas on how to improve our website, we have exciting leaflets and new designs that we are thrilled about using.

We thank you so much for giving this opportunity to work with an inspirational young lady who is extremely employable and will go far.