Developing Internship Learning Objectives

Students pursue internships for many reasons: to build a résumé, gain job-specific experience, explore a career, fulfill a major requirement, or earn elective credit. All are valid motivations—but academic credit is awarded for learning, not simply for work experience. An academic internship connects classroom theory with real-world practice. It’s a chance to explore how what you’ve studied applies beyond campus, ask questions, and engage in inquiry-based learning. The value of your internship depends greatly on your own initiative – your curiosity, reflection, and willingness to learn.

An academic internship connects classroom theory with real-world practice. It’s a chance to explore how what you’ve studied applies beyond campus, ask questions, and engage in inquiry-based learning. The value of your internship depends greatly on your own initiative – your curiosity, reflection, and willingness to learn.

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR LEARNING

Unlike a traditional class where the instructor defines the syllabus, an internship asks you to be self-directed – to plan, act, and reflect on your own learning. You (with guidance from your faculty mentor and site supervisor) will essentially design your own course of study, guided by your learning objectives.

To make your internship meaningful, you must:

  • Clarify what you want to learn.
  • Take initiative to connect your work to academic concepts.
  • Communicate your objectives with your work and faculty supervisors.

PLANNING YOUR LEARNING

Your Internship Learning Agreement (ILA) provides the structure for your academic experience. It serves to:

  • Define roles and expectations for you, your site supervisor, and your faculty mentor.
  • Emphasize the academic purpose of your internship.
  • Provide a basis for evaluating your learning outcomes.

  1. Cognitive Development
    • Apply classroom knowledge to real-world settings
    • Acquire new knowledge and integrate learning across disciplines
    • Strengthen critical thinking and problem-solving skills
  2. General Skill Development
    • Build professional and communication skills
    • Work effectively with diverse teams and environments
    • Develop leadership, analytical, and interpersonal skills
  3. Personal Development
    • Increase self-awareness, confidence, and independence
    • Clarify career goals and ethical perspectives
    • Strengthen time management and decision-making skills

Internships that integrate objectives in these areas are more likely to be approved for academic credit.

WRITING YOUR LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The ILA helps you address three key questions:

  • What do I want to learn?
  • How will I learn it?
  • How will I demonstrate and reflect on my learning?

The ILA includes two components:

Your on-the-job duties, projects, and responsibilities (refer to your job description or consult your supervisor).

How you’ll connect your work experience to the theories and practices of your discipline. This section should include:

  • Learning Objectives – Specific, measurable, action-oriented goals (e.g., analyze, design, evaluate, apply).
  • Evaluation Methods – Ways to demonstrate learning (e.g., reflective journals, papers, presentations, supervisor evaluations).
  • Readings – Meant to complement your internship and support your learning objectives.

USE MEASURABLE VERBS

Bloom’s Taxonomy classifies learning into six levels, from basic knowledge recall to advanced critical thinking and creativity. Use the following actions verbs to help you write clear and effective learning objectives:

Remembering (Basic Knowledge): define, count, describe, draw, find, identify, label, list, match, name, quote, recall, recite, sequence, tell, write

Understanding (Comprehension): conclude, demonstrate, discuss, explain, generalize, identify, illustrate, interpret, paraphrase, predict, report, restate, review, summarize, tell

Applying (Practical Use): apply, change, choose, compute, dramatize, interview, prepare, produce, role-play, select, show, transfer, use

Analyzing (Critical Thinking): analyze, characterize, classify, compare, contrast, debate, deduce, diagram, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, examine, outline, relate, research, separate

Evaluating (Assessment): appraise, argue, assess, choose, conclude, critique, decide, evaluate, judge, justify, predict, prioritize, prove, rank, rate, select

Creating (Innovation): compose, construct, create, design, develop, integrate, invent, make, organize, perform, plan, produce, propose, rewrite

THINK SMART

SMART goals provide a clear framework for setting meaningful, achievable internship learning objectives. They help students focus on specific outcomes, measure their progress, and reflect on their professional growth throughout the experience. By using SMART goals, interns can connect classroom learning to real-world practice, stay accountable, and clearly demonstrate the skills and competencies they have developed by the end of the internship.

S – Specific

A goal should be clear and well-defined. It should describe exactly what you aim to accomplish, why it matters, and how you will achieve it. Specific goals remove ambiguity and give direction.

M – Measurable

A measurable goal includes clear criteria for tracking progress and success. It identifies tangible outcomes—such as numbers, milestones, or feedback—that show how achievement will be assessed.

A – Achievable

A goal should be realistic given your skills, time, and available resources. Achievable goals challenge you while remaining attainable within the scope of the internship.

R – Relevant

A relevant goal connects directly to your internship role, career interests, or academic program. It ensures that your work contributes meaningfully to both your personal growth and the organization’s objectives.

T – Timely

A timely goal includes a clear deadline or timeframe. Setting a target date helps maintain focus, encourages progress, and ensures you complete the goal within the internship period.

EXAMPLES OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Be able to explain at least 2 treatment methods for autism spectrum disorders in preschool children.
  • By week 10 of my internship, develop a working knowledge of the methods of cost accounting used by this firm.
  • By the end of the internship, understand the role of the public relations department at the art museum.

  • Apply professional writing skills by contributing to at least one grant proposal, incorporating supervisor feedback to improve clarity, tone, and persuasiveness.
  • Understand and apply coaching-based sales techniques by observing at least three client interactions, practicing these methods under supervision, and reflecting on outcomes to improve sales communication.
  • Build technical proficiency by learning and applying one new software platform relevant to the internship and demonstrating its use in a completed task or project.

  • Improve time management by creating weekly task schedules and meeting 90% of deadlines, reviewing progress biweekly with a supervisor.
  • Develop interpersonal skills by initiating professional conversations with at least five colleagues or team members and reflecting on communication growth in a journal.
  • Clarify career goals by conducting two informational interviews with professionals in the field and summarizing insights about potential career path.

THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLES ARE TASKS, NOT LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Work on PowerPoint presentations.
  • Post social media content on various social media channels.
  • Participate as a team member in day-to-day office tasks.
  • Attend client meetings.
  • Assist with preparation and delivery of marketing materials.

These belong in your job duties, not your learning objectives.

EVALUATION METHODS

Learning is documented and assessed through multiple formats such as:

  • Reflective or analytical papers
  • Learning journals
  • Samples of work or projects
  • Presentations or meetings with your faculty mentor
  • Site visits and supervisor evaluations

Both your self-evaluation and your supervisor’s final evaluation are required.

Please know that it’s perfectly normal for internship learning objectives to evolve over time. As interns gain experience and a deeper understanding of their roles, they often discover new interests, skills, and opportunities for growth that weren’t clear at the start. Adjusting objectives allows interns to stay aligned with the organization’s needs, take advantage of emerging projects, and ensure that their goals remain meaningful and relevant. Flexibility in learning objectives reflects real-world professional growth – where learning is ongoing and shaped by experience. Be sure to communicate any new learning objectives with your faculty mentor and site supervisor.

“One must learn by doing the thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try.” – Sophocles