Practicum Policies & Procedures

Course Title and Description

IS 599: Practicum (3 hrs.) Opportunity to translate theory into practice under guidance of qualified information professionals. Prerequisite: completion of required and pertinent advanced courses relevant to student's practicum design. Minimum 3.0 GPA. Written permission of advisor and approval of practicum coordinator. May be repeated with written permission. Maximum 6 hours. S/NC only. Fall, Spring, Summer.

Introduction and Rationale

The practicum is an elective curriculum option available to any student who wants field experience as a part of his or her specific program of study. It is available to those who:

1. Meet the necessary prerequisites (in course description, above),
2. Identify a career goal or information work area for which little or no formal course work exists, or
3. Need to gain experience to augment formal coursework. The practicum is an opportunity to expand one's knowledge and experience base and, in some cases, to expand one's portfolio of tangible work products (e.g., student-created websites, system documentation, training materials, computer programs, etc).

While normally a useful and stimulating experience, the practicum should not be considered a substitute for work experience.

Each practicum is an individualized case-by-case experience, requiring approval by the student's advisor, supervising information professional, and, possibly, his/her institution. For that reason, more time and effort is required to set up a practicum than merely signing up for an existing course. This is the reason why work to develop the practicum must begin early in the term preceding that in which the student wants to do the practicum. Typically, though not exclusively, students plan practicums for their final semester. See Practicum Calendar for deadlines.

As identified by the student and his/her advisor, the practicum may emphasize a particular aspect or functional service area (e.g., cataloging, serials, reference, maps/GIS, database design, web page development, manuscript or archival processing, records appraisal, materials preservation). There are many options, of which the preceding are but a sample.

In considering a practicum experience, students are urged to identify first their long term career interests and, secondly, a practicum which supports those needs and interests. Once he understands the student’s interest, the practicum coordinator attempts to identify a practicum site that will meet the student's needs. Practicums are often done outside the Knoxville area. Students are always welcome to suggest sites for a practicum. Students in the distance-education (DE) contingent of the program should seek sites and supervisors on their own.

The practicum provides directed and supervised experience within the framework of a particular type of information organization (e.g., library, archives, information center, records management unit, internet service provider, information analysis center). In rare circumstances, the practicum may include experience in more than one information organization if (1) this is available and (2) is needed to satisfy the requirements of the student's curricular needs. Not recommended is a practicum in which there are so many goals and objectives that the student winds up with little sense of focus or accomplishment.

Explanation of Participant Terminology and Relationships

Because practicum students, their advisors, their practicum supervisors, and the practicum coordinator do not meet together in a classroom format, the discussion provided below is necessarily specific and detailed.

In addition to the student, there are four persons with roles in the practicum experience; they are:

1. Advisor: the student's assigned advisor reviews and approves the proposed practicum as being relevant to the student's program and career interests. The advisor must also endorse the student's affective suitability as well as his/her cognitive ability for a given practicum experience. (The student should feel free to consult with others, including the practicum coordinator, about the concepts or benefits of a practicum, but the advisor submits his/her approval for the practicum objectives.)
2. Practicum Coordinator: Professor J. Michael Pemberton, (865) 919-5878; sispracticum@utk.edu) responsible for supervision of the practicum experience once the advisor and
   supervisor have approved the general concept and basic objectives for a given practicum. The coordinator attempts to balance interests of the student, the practicum supervisor in the host organization, and SIS.
3. Practicum Supervisor: this is the seasoned information professional in the field who provides the educational experience and supervision which are at the heart of the practicum experience.
   Practicum supervisors are unpaid and are motivated to host practicum experiences from a sense of professional commitment to help students achieve professional skills and status. For the purposes of the practicum, a “qualified information professional” is broadly defined and may include archivists, museum curators/registrars, record managers, webmasters, database administrators, information technologists, museum professionals, prospect researchers, information architects, usability engineers, etc. It is not necessary, then, that a supervisor have a library-science degree, only that the supervisor operate effectively at a professional level in his/her field.
4. The SIS Director has ultimate oversight over all activities. He/she may be consulted by the coordinator or by the student as described below and is the final arbiter of any issues needing appeal beyond the coordinator.

Credit Hours Options

Typically, a practicum experience is three hours of academic credit (150 clock hours), which translates to an average of 10 hours per week of on-site practicum activity (e.g., instruction, work, consultation, supervision, review, evaluation) for one 15 week semester during the regular academic year (i.e., fall and spring semesters). This is equivalent to a quarter-time job. As noted above, however, scheduling is somewhat flexible.

During the summer term, only 10 weeks long, the 150-hour requirement also applies, though with the practicum supervisor's consent and availability, the practicum may begin during the break between spring and summer terms.

The flexibility of the practicum affords the student a range of possible options. Under circumstances agreed to by the student's advisor and the practicum coordinator, a student may engage in:

1. One additional 3-credit-hour practicum experience (i.e., a total of two separate three-hour practicums in two separate semesters), or
2. Two 3-hour practicums (six credit-hours) in different areas/sites during a single semester, or
3. One 6-hour practicum in one semester–in special circumstances.

The time format for the practicum also affords some flexibility. As needed and agreed to by the supervisor, a practicum can begin before the beginning of that term in which the student wishes to receive credit for the practicum. Also, with the supervisor’s concurrence, the student could fulfill the practicum’s clock-hour requirements for a three-hour practicum by working 8 hours per day for 18.75 work days.

IS 591 vs. IS 599

Occasionally, there is some confusion about IS 591 and IS 599. The focus of IS 599 is on learning from and working directly with a skilled, experienced information professional; the focus of IS 591, Independent Project or Research, may be on a project or applying preexisting skills on a project with little supervision and/or instruction. The practicum experience requires a teacher and learner; 591 does not.

School Library Information Specialist Licensure

Students in the School Library Information Specialist Licensure should consult that concentration's advisor(s) and the documentation for that concentration as to practicum requirements. If done under the 599 course number, the practicum must meet the expectations of both the concentration specifically and the Policies/Procedures of IS 599 generally.

Practicum Requirements

The following requirements apply:

1. All required courses relevant to the practicum will have been completed.
2. The student must not be on Academic Probation during the semester prior to the beginning of the practicum.
3. Because students cannot do practicum work identical to that for which they are paid, a student does not normally do a practicum in an information organization where he/she is employed. With consent of the practicum coordinator, however, a student may undertake a practicum in a department/unit within the organization other than the one in which he/she normally works. But this should be done only (1) when there is real need—not merely for convenience--and (2) does not violate federal or state wage and hour guidelines.
4. A student may not take a practicum for more than three credit hours of IS 599 if employed more than 20 hours per week.
5. It is very important that the nature and quality of the practicum experience as desired by the student and SIS (for the student) be understood in general terms by both the student and the practicum supervisor. The practicum should approximate a range of professional-level activity within the student's ability. For that reason, practicums of a "project" type are frequently discouraged as too often they are clerical-level activity which provides little by way of genuine learning. Thus, they may not be appropriate to a Masters-level practicum experience.
   Exceptions are made, however, in the case of project-driven environments (e.g., systems departments, library development campaigns, planning a library move, etc) or where the project is meaningful feature of the practicum.

While every reasonable effort will be made to facilitate provision of a practicum experience for a student meeting all qualifications and following all necessary procedures, availability of a practicum cannot be guaranteed.

Expectations

It is important that each practicum be a success for the student and for the host/supervisor and for SIS. To that end, there are three major expectations of the practicum student:

1. The student will have the learning, speaking, writing and social skills appropriate to a particular practicum environment.
2. Demeanor and work habits during the practicum experience are consistently appropriate to the policies/rules/culture of the host institution. The student is an ambassador of the School to the professional community and should represent SIS in a positive manner.
3. The student submits an un-graded typed report of 4-7 pages describing and evaluating the nature, progress, and value of the practicum (see no. 4, below) in terms of meeting the original educational objectives endorsed prior to undertaking the practicum (see the "Practicum Procedures," below). This report provides the student's view and assessment of the perceived value of the practicum experience as it relates to his/her practicum objectives, total program of study, and future professional goals. In addition to the student’s insight about the experience, the report is compared to the practicum supervisor’s confidential evaluation and provides important feedback to SIS relative to future practicum experiences at a given site. Students should keep weekly activity logs, diaries, or similar documentation with comments to track progress toward completion of the number of clock hours for the practicum and to help prepare this report. See Practicum Calendar for construction of due date for practicum report.

Practicum Procedures

The practicum is an elective, and so a request for a practicum is student initiated. The following procedures are observed:

• After reviewing the Policies and Procedures guidelines related to the practicum, the student should discuss with the advisor in general terms the interest in and need for the proposed practicum experience. This should be done early in the term before that of the anticipated practicum. See Practicum Calendar for application–and other deadlines.  A list of practicum objectives should be developed in conjunction with the student's advisor. See Examples of Practicum Objectives. When the advisor is satisfied with the list, the student's advisor should submit the Advisor Objectives Approval Form to the practicum coordinator.
• After the advisor’s approval, the student can contact and interview the potential or proposed practicum supervisor and continue to develop the practicum objectives. Students are welcome to suggest possible hosts for the practicum. For students at sites other than Knoxville, additional help in identifying sites and making the placement is both needed and expected. The practicum supervisor should submit the Practicum Supervisor Objectives Approval Form to the Practicum Coordinator. If the student does not have a potential practicum supervisor, this step may be completed at a later date.
• The student is welcome at any time to discuss the practicum experience or procedures or objectives with the coordinator. At this stage, the student should apply for the practicum (see Practicum Application.) The approved list of practicum objectives should be included in the Practicum Application.
• After the advisor's submitted approval of the student's practicum objectives for a practicum, the student should promptly initiate review of the proposed practicum experience and completed application with the practicum coordinator. The coordinator will discuss options for placement--unless one is already identified. When a practicum supervisor has been selected, the list of practicum objectives must be discussed with and approved by the practicum supervisor. The practicum supervisor should submit the Practicum Supervisor Objectives Approval Form to the Practicum Coordinator.
• The student arranges with the supervisor the exact starting date and schedules the practicum hours during the coming semester—subject to change as needed. The student and supervisor negotiate the schedule based on the student's classes, supervisor's schedule, etc. If mutually agreeable to both student and supervisor, however, the practicum can, as noted above, begin during a break prior to the beginning of the practicum semester.
• The student report--discussed above--will be turned in to the practicum coordinator (See Practicum Calendar for due date). Copies of other relevant documentation, such as correspondence, deliverables (e.g., manuals developed, marketing materials designed, software documentation, URL's, etc), will be appreciated. Keeping a chronological log of times worked and activities performed will make development of this report much easier. Precise content of each student’s report is likely to vary widely but will likely address issues such as those below. This report is confidential as are the supervisor’s two evaluations of the student.
• Note the original purpose in seeking a practicum – and the extent to which the completed practicum met/did not meet that purpose or need.
• Discuss the extent to which the actual activities of the practicum met the original objectives developed by the student and approved by the student’s advisor and the supervisor. Supervisors should retain a copy of the objectives agreed upon.
• Provide a characterization of the level, or amount, and the quality of the support given the student by the practicum supervisor (and any as assigned staff) to the student’s needs and activities.
• Provide a listing of the tasks, processes, and activities undertaken during the practicum and the extent to which each was helpful in meeting needs or addressing objectives. Was what was learned of value? Will it be portable or applicable in other settings?
• Assessment of the effectiveness of communication, instruction, supervision, feedback, and evaluation given the student by the supervisor.
• Provide a sense of overall satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the experience, noting if this experience is one that you would recommend or not recommend to other students.
• The student will anonymously evaluate the role of the SIS Practicum Coordinator by using the Student Evaluation of SIS Practicum Coordinator form and submit that evaluation to the SIS Program Resource Specialist, Geraldine Littlejohn, by the date indicated on the Practicum Calendar.
• Each practicum student will have a brief discussion of his/her experience with the practicum coordinator at mid-point of experience. (See Practicum Calendar). This can be done in a meeting with the coordinator, by phone, or through e-mail.
• By university regulation, only the practicum coordinator may assign and submit grades. The coordinator, however, weighs heavily the supervisor's recommendation. Supervisors will be asked at both mid-term and at term's end (See Practicum Calendar) to provide brief evaluations using a form supplied by the practicum coordinator (see Mid-Point Practicum Evaluation and Final Practicum Evaluation), but the supervisor may choose in some instances to make an oral evaluation in addition to or in lieu of the written evaluation.
• Should the student - or supervisor - have any questions about how to proceed prior to or during the practicum, please contact the practicum coordinator.