Category Archives: Student Campus Partnership (SCP)

Student Case Study: University of Exeter

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

Name of Student:  Emma de Saram

Degree Subject:  BA History

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

Company Name:  University of Exeter Climate and Emergency Team

Type of Internship:  Student Campus Partnership (SCP)

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

I interviewed 68 academics, staff and students on the University of Exeter’s engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals and used these interviews to create 19 Vodcasts based on the SDG’s for the University to promote.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?  

We provided 19 Vodcasts for the University, as well as a report summarising our findings of the University’s progress on each of the Sustainable Development Goals to be presented at the Education Executive meeting, and covering quantitate data, with our recommendations of what can be done next to achieve them and integrate the SDG’s into all aspects of University life.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

My biggest achievement was learning how to create an informative dynamic video for promotional purposes. I managed to interview a broad range of lecturers and staff at the university, and transform this into a video through learning how to use software like iMovie, and working with the guidance of the design team. The result of adapting to this software and way of online working was the creation of the videos.

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?

“This internship has been without doubt one of the most rewarding experiences I have had. I was able to channel both my climate activism, creativity and organisational skills into creating 19 Vodcasts with the Climate and Emergency Team and my colleague, who is now one of my good friends! I learnt a huge amount from interviewing leading academics, and finding out about student projects. Although the internship was hard work, it all paid off, especially in the last week where we really saw our output come to life in the form of our first produced video.”

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

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

Name of Student:  Ayooluwatomi Adesina

Degree Subject: MA Creative Writing

Job Title: SCP 5342 Research Intern

Company Name:  University of Exeter

Type of Internship: Student Campus Partnerships (SCPs)  

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

I was part of a team that analysed and coded extracted data under several categories. I weekly analysed data from the viral #BringBackOurGirls campaign as we looked at the impact of the post-humanitarian advocacy. As a Nigerian, I also offered insight into the political landscape in the region of our research.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?  

Output = A series of interpreted and coded data (viral tweets) on the #BringBackOurGirls campaign from 2014 to 2017.

Outcomes = To be determined by later stage analysis, which was yet to be carried out when concluding this internship.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

I had initially joined the research team to translate and analyse data (tweets) in local Nigerian languages. However, a need for more coders on the unit arose, and I decided to pick up a new skill. I learnt how to code and took on this new role in assisting the team, which increased our work output rate.

Skills Learnt: 

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

Attributes Developed:

  • Motivation
  • Creative thinking
  • Independence
  • Work Ethic
  • Professionalism

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

“I was attracted to this internship because of the opportunity to be part of a team investigating society’s response to humanitarian issues. This project focused on international and domestic #BringBackOurGirls campaigns. I am pleased by the progress I have made on this project – from analysing and coding tweets to being a part of several brainstorming sessions that shaped different aspects of the project. Aside from improving my collaborative research skills, I had the privilege of working with inspiring lecturers like Dr Stacey Hynd and Dr Elena Gadjanova. They made the experience surreal. Finally, I am grateful for other research interns on the project.”

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

Administration, Advertising, Marketing and PR, Degree subject, History, Internship Schemes, Sector, Student Campus Partnership (SCP), , , , ,

Name of Student:  Stephen Finlayson

Degree Subject: BA History with Study Abroad

Job Title: SCP 5309 Challenges Online Rep

Company Name:  University of Exeter

Type of Internship: Student Campus Partnerships (SCPs)  

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

Helping with the administration and organisation of the Challenges Online programme.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?  

Produced an effective social media campaign, promotional videos, and spreadsheets to help organise students in different groups. Also help to administer the programme in June.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

Biggest achievement was the social media campaign and promotional materials that I produced.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Ability to Work Under Pressure
  • Organisation
  • Negotiation
  • Problem Solving
  • Leadership

Attributes Developed:

  • Logical thinking
  • Confidence
  • Independence
  • Work Ethic
  • Professionalism

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

“My internship with Challenges Online provided me with a rewarding experience of working with other students to support independent group projects. The experience taught me the values of teamwork and problem-solving.”

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: The Children’s Health and Exercise Research Centre

Degree subject, Education, Teaching and Research, Internship Schemes, Science, Sector, Sport and Health Sciences, Student Campus Partnership (SCP), , , , ,

Name of Student:  Izzy Bradshaw

Degree Subject: BSc Sport and Exercise Medical Sciences

Job Title: Research Intern

Company Name:  The Children’s Health and Exercise Research Centre

Description of Company: The Children’s Health and Exercise Research Centre initiates research in paediatric exercise science to enhance our understanding of exercise, physical activity and sport that determines health and well-being. We are interested in optimising exercise, physical activity, and sport across a range of different paediatric groups, including healthy school aged children, children with chronic diseases and talented young athletes.

Type of Internship: Student Campus Partnerships (SCPs)  

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

Developing testing protocol for the England Athletics Youth Talent Programme athlete profiling days. Developing infographics to be given to athletes on the YTP.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?  

Outputs= a presentation enclosing all testings to be used on the profiling days.

Outcomes= a battery of tests has been produced ad confirmed.

Skills Learnt: 

  • Problem Solving
  • Teamwork and Collaboration
  • Persuasion
  • Researching
  • Time and Work Load Management

Attributes Developed:

  • Logical thinking
  • Confidence
  • Initiative
  • Independence

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

“Throughout June, I was fortunate enough to complete at 4-week internship at the Children’s Health and Exercise Research Centre (CHERC), in partnership with England Athletics. Over the 4 weeks, I worked alongside another intern developing testing protocols for the England Athletics Youth Talent Programme (YTP) athlete profiling days. The battery of tests developed will be used to aid the athlete selection process. I am grateful to have worked on such an exciting project and I am wishing the best of luck to all young athletes applying to he YTP. The 4-week internship also involved the production of infographics that will be given to athletes enrolling on the YTP. The infographics covered social media use, time management and communication within the YTP. I thoroughly enjoyed my 4 weeks working with the CHERC group and England Athletics and I am looking forward to assisting on the athlete profiling days in September!”

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.”

Student Case Study: University of Exeter

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

Name of Student:  Amelia Southern

Degree Subject: LLB Law

Job Title: Animal Behaviour Intern

Company Name: University of Exeter

Type of Internship: Student Campus Partnerships (SCPs) 

What were your key duties and responsibilities during your internship?

To assist with masters’ students’ research.

What outputs and outcomes did you deliver for your employer?  

Helped collect data and analysed videos for the publication of a master’s student’s project.

What was your biggest achievement on your internship?

There was a situation where the video analysis software was not showing consistent measurements. To overcome this, I tried to find alternative video analysis software. As a result, we found a better software that we used for the duration of the project.

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

To begin some of the equipment we were using did not stay in place so we found alternative ways to fix the equipment so that it would not move.

Skills Learnt: 

  • IT
  • Teamwork and Collaboration
  • Problem Solving

Attributes Developed:

  • Confidence
  • Perseverance
  • Motivation
  • Creative thinking
  • Independence

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

“I thoroughly enjoyed my internship and felt that I learnt a lot from the experience. From day one I was assisting with data collection and helping with data analysis. I enjoyed participating in the project throughout and found it exciting so see all the developments taking place. I really enjoyed being part of the research team and learning new skills such as video analysis.”