Business has been booming here at TIP-TOPics headquarters! Over the past few months we received a variety of questions, insights, and ideas from graduate students far and wide. We appreciate your interest and would like to say "keep those e-mails coming!" As we’ve mentioned before, student comments and inquiries are essential to the success of the TIP-TOPics column, since they provide the foundation for each new issue. As always, our contact information is listed at the end of the column.

Any ongoing dialogue addressing new and unique ideas on virtually any subject must eventually turn to the topic of technology. Training in I/O psychology is no exception. This issue’s In the Spotlight shines on the application of technology in I/O training. An informal survey of TIP-TOPics student representatives from around the world suggests that teaching technologies have only begun to find their way into I/O graduate programs. With this in mind, the objective of this segment is to offer up possibilities… and perhaps to stimulate some of you to champion the cause and find interesting and effective ways to incorporate technology into our I/O programs.

Over the past few months, a number of graduate students have asked us questions about when, where, and whether to do internships. In the You Know, I’ve Been Wondering… segment, Fritz Drasgow, Elaine Pulakos, and Michelle Donovan each share insights about internships from the perspective of an academic advisor, an internship director, and a graduate student intern, respectively. Following their input, we provide some original tools for evaluating internship expectations and experiences.

Finally, our last segment offers TIPs for Balancing Life and Graduate School. This issue’s "TIP" addresses networking opportunities for graduate students with families.

In this segment, we focus on two primary approaches for combining training and technology in our I/O programs: (a) using technology to train, and (b) training to use technology.¹ Technology can be used to accomplish a variety of I/O training-related activities. We chose the personal computer (PC) and the World Wide Web (WWW) as a starting point for our discussion of the application of technology to the classroom, due to the prevalence and availability of these types of technology.

PC and Web-based applications can be used to present and provide demonstrations of class material, to furnish opportunities to practice specific skills, and to assess student progress.

Other sources report the use of interactive multi-media in conveying concepts such as motivation, decision making, and learning. Computer tutorials/modules of this type might include lessons describing the topic, glossaries containing terms and related constructs, demonstrations or exercises, opportunities to apply the material, and pre- and post-tests, along with feedback.

Speaking of testing, a number of software packages are available which are designed to provide computerized test development, as well as delivery. These packages are also capable of scoring both objective as well as subjective responses.

Finally, computerized Assessment Centers (ACs) provide additional possibilities. Although computer-based ACs are typically developed for application in the workplace, this methodology might also be useful for assessment in the classroom. For example, a seminar on job analysis might combine a series of computer-based simulations into a computerized AC to assess the students’ ability to apply various job analysis methods to "real world" situations.

Furthermore, instructors around the world are beginning to construct web pages providing course syllabi, outlines, current and archival notes, homework assignments, and applied exercises. These sites can be helpful whether you’re actually taking the course or just looking for information on a topic.

Just a thought: if you remember, in the "Traveling in Cyberspace: Web-Based Instruction" piece in the last edition of TIP, Phil Craiger and Jason Weiss describe The Interactive Patient. The Interactive Patient provides web-based instruction for the field of medicine. Perhaps one day we’ll find a site entitled "The Interactive Organization." Think of the possibilities!

The ability to effectively utilize technology is becoming more and more important regardless of one’s occupation. Training I/O psychologists to use technology is important for two reasons: (a) being familiar with technology can help us perform our daily jobs, and (b) being aware of the general technology utilized in the workplace may facilitate our work as I/O psychologists.

Training students to use technology such as e-mail, video conferencing, and various I/O-specific software packages might further narrow the gap between academic training and applied work.² Consider the following example of how this technological training might be incorporated into the classroom. Standard graduate seminars on training often require students to develop a training program as a course project. Perhaps this seminar project could be enhanced by including applications such as skills and training management systems. Skills and training management systems help users identify the skills and proficiency level necessary for a specific job, the skills possessed by individual employees, skill gaps to offer suggestions for training and career development, and they offer department-level skills assessment for examining current and future staffing requirements. In the classroom, this technology might teach students about training issues, as well as provide them with an opportunity to make concrete the links between a variety of I/O topics such as training, selection, career development, and manpower planning, just for starters.

Training to use technology can also be used to provide future psychologists with the tools to take advantage of non-I/O technology. Such knowledge could certainly enhance the outcome of the work we do as I/O psychologists. For example, an I/O psychologist could take machinery offline and use it for training, selection, or performance evaluation-related purposes. Some of these purposes might include identifying training needs, conducting training, providing realistic job previews, identifying and assessing skills important for selection, and providing a more objective means for assessing performance.

Out of space, and we’re just getting started! Obviously, within the constraints of our column we can only begin to scratch the surface regarding the possibilities for incorporating technology into I/O training. However, we hope we’ve fulfilled the objective of the In the Spotlight segment by providing you with ideas for using technology to train I/O psychologists, as well as some ideas for training I/O psychologists to use technology.

…about internships. Sound familiar? Well, you’re not alone. Many students have questions about I/O internships, such as: What are the advantages and disadvantages? What types of internship opportunities are available in I/O? When is the best time to do an internship? and How long should an internship last? As you might expect, your TIP-TOPics investigators are on it! In the following pages, Fritz Drasgow, Elaine Pulakos, and Michelle Donovan shed some light on these critical internship inquiries. Each author writes from a unique perspective—Fritz as an academic advisor, Elaine as an internship director, and Michelle as a graduate student intern, thereby providing the TIP-TOPics audience with more than one side of the internship story. In addition to this up-close and personal perspective on internships, we offer a handy guide, based on information gathered from the authors above, as well as from our representatives around the world, for examining key issues during your internship search.

As a professor in the Department of Psychology and the Institute for Labor and Industrial Relations, interactions with graduate students play a central role. I teach graduate courses, direct independent study projects, serve as an advisor for thesis research, and collaborate on a variety of research projects. I also offer graduate students advice about their professional development, including the advantages and disadvantages of internships.

Many of our students begin graduate school immediately after completing their BA degree and consequently have never worked full-time in a professional capacity. By working closely with faculty members, they become familiar with the work activities of a university professor. However, the day-to-day tasks of a professional in the private sector or government are less clear. An internship can be a valuable experience for students who suspect that they may be interested in a job outside the university because it can show them what such jobs entail.

We recommend that students complete their masters thesis and pass qualifying exams before taking an internship. As a result, students in our doctoral program typically intern during their 4th year in graduate school. By the time a student has completed an MA thesis and passed quals, he or she can bring a rather impressive set of skills to an internship and add value to the host organization.

Many of our doctoral students have had very positive experiences as interns. They were given challenging and interesting assignments and learned a great deal. Interestingly, some students have decided that they really want to work in the private sector while other students have concluded that they greatly prefer life in academe.

Although internships have usually worked out well, several types of problems can arise. First, organizations can be poorly prepared for an intern; without a meaningful project, an intern can be reduced to a well-educated gopher. Thus, it is important for students to find out what they would be assigned before accepting an internship offer. Second, a student’s formal education is on hold during the internship; moreover, progress on research projects and publications is minimal. Therefore, students should realize that going on an internship is likely to affect their publication record unless they work doubly hard when they return to university life. When they return to the university, students should be somewhat leery of offers from their host organizations to provide data sites for dissertation research. Private sector organizations change rapidly and key contacts within the organization may change jobs, retire, or take a job with another company. Finally, some internship positions evolve into full-time jobs. While this can be very desirable in some ways, stories abound of students with two promotions, several children, and mortgages on their second house, but no dissertation.

As the Director of the Personnel Decisions Research Institutes Washington D.C. office, I oversee the selection and training of interns for the office. From my perspective, the greatest advantage of interns is that they allow an assessment of the person’s fit and capabilities to contribute to the type of I/O work done in the organization. Internships are simply the best selection device we have. Likewise, I believe the greatest advantage of internships from the intern’s perspective is that they provide the intern with an opportunity to see first-hand what is involved in working in an applied I/O setting. This is extremely useful in helping individuals make decisions regarding their career paths.

Applied settings are highly variable, however. There are research organizations, consulting firms, businesses that focus on custom development products, organizations that focus on product sales and service, organizations that primarily do corporate work, those that primarily service the government, and corporate HR groups. All of these types of organizations provide very different learning environments and experiences. Since an internship provides insight into working in only one applied environment and possibly entry into that organization for a future job, it is useful for individuals seeking internships to collect information about different types of applied organizations and carefully consider what type of setting and job are of most potential interest to them, rather than just take any internship for the sake of doing so. Also, in order to gain an accurate picture of the work and get sufficiently involved to make the experience meaningful, 6 to 9 months is the minimum time period I recommend for an internship experience, at least at PDRI.

One potential issue that both the employer and intern have to guard against is impeded progress on the student’s dissertation. It is very easy to become fully enamored with and committed to very interesting and challenging applied projects. This can lead to the "internship that never ends." While this situation can be a great advantage for employing organizations (they have good, energetic talent at inexpensive costs), it can be a very bad situation for the intern. Interns should be leery of organizations that "provide opportunities" for them to stay on but do not actively encourage and support completion of school.

Finding and completing an internship has been a priority of mine since I first entered graduate school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For me, the ideal time for an internship was after the completion of my master’s thesis and my qualifying exam. Therefore, as soon as these projects were finished, I began to search for internship opportunities. I am now nearing the end of a 7-month internship with Personnel Decisions Research Institutes (PDRI) in Washington, D.C. and feel that I have a unique perspective on I/O internships to share with TIP readers.

Beyond helping an intern make decisions about his/her career, the skills and knowledge gained on an internship can be applied to any career path in I/O psychology. For example, if an intern later pursues an academic job, he/she will have applied experiences to share with students. In an applied I/O career, the intern can build upon skills developed in the internship, such as how to work with clients to plan and execute applied projects. Other internship experiences—such as communicating with clients and I/O colleagues, preparing reports and presentations, delivering presentations, and planning and conducting large-scale research projects—can be applied to virtually any career. In addition to the professional development and confidence gained in an internship, perhaps the most practical advantage is its potential to enhance the graduate student’s competitiveness on the job market.

I have a few recommendations for the graduate student selecting an internship. When interviewing, realize that a graduate student in his/her 3rd or 4th year has much to offer an organization. Many students in the 3rd and 4th years of graduate school have developed valuable skills in conducting research studies, delivering presentations, and writing technical reports. More than that, we can offer organizations a well-educated employee eager to learn and work hard. I also recommend interviewing with a variety of organizations offering internships; regardless of where you decide to intern, you will gain practice interviewing and valuable contacts with I/O professionals. When evaluating internship opportunities, consider the types of projects you will be assigned, the level of responsibility you will be given, and whether you will have the opportunity to learn from a mentor. Finally, I recommend accepting an internship in an organization where you might consider pursuing a long-term career. Keep in mind that the hard work you invest in your internship is a great opportunity to show the organization your potential as an employee.

A disadvantage of an internship is that the time and effort invested could likewise be applied to progress in graduate school (e.g., publications and a dissertation). This time period may be significant considering that most organizations prefer 6- to 12-month commitments from their interns. However, nearing the completion of a 7-month internship, I realize that I needed at least 6 months at PDRI to learn about the organization, actively participate in projects, and effectively demonstrate my skills. The right internship is time well spent.

We want to end the You Know, I’ve Been Wondering… segment by providing a few tools to get you thinking about some of the key issues in internship selection. Based on the excellent insights and advice extended above by Fritz, Elaine, and Michelle, we offer an informal checklist that may provide a useful organizational framework for students who are considering I/O internships.

In addition, we gathered dozens of examples of positive and negative internship "incidents" from I/O interns and former I/O interns.³ Rather than focusing on poor and exceptional individual employees, as critical incidents usually do, these examples described poor and exceptional internship opportunities. In general, these critical incidents provided information about three important dimensions upon which internships tend to vary: the communication of job expectations, job content, and supervisory guidance/support. With all of those critical incidents lying around, who could resist the temptation to put together a few Behavior Summary Scales (BSS)? Certainly not us! Therefore, we conclude this segment by providing three scales upon which you can evaluate the quality of your internship experiences.

This checklist is designed to help you think about your readiness and priorities before you embark on the search for an internship.

____ Do I have the necessary skills (our three authors suggest by the time you finish a thesis and comprehensive or qualifying exams you should have the appropriate skills)?

____ Have I identified my areas of interest (e.g., would I prefer experience in training, selection, etc.)?

____ Do I have a preference for setting (e.g., research organization, consulting firm, sales and service organization, government, corporate HR)?

____ Have I assessed and accepted the cost involved in terms of slowing progress in my formal education (e.g., dissertation, coursework)?

____ Gain additional skills

____ Practice and experience performing existing skills

____ Develop contacts/networks

____ Potential career opportunity with the organization

____ Enhancement of the rsum or vita

____ Other

This rating scale is designed to help you think about the quality of your current and previous internship experience(s). Such an evaluation can provide useful information for your peers, and it may help to guide your own future job searches.

This dimension includes communicating information to potential and current interns about the work schedule, length of employment, job tasks, performance requirements, and responsibilities expected of them.

This dimension includes the appropriateness of the work activities assigned to the intern and the opportunities for learning provided on the job.

This dimension includes the personal and professional support provided by a supervisor or mentor at the organization offering the internship.

It seems that graduate students with young families often become disassociated from other students in their programs. This separation has important academic, professional, and social implications for these students as well as their peers. Today’s TIP: if you have peers who are responsible for families, consider their circumstances the next time you plan a graduate school-related gathering. This might mean alternating happy hour with a more family-oriented activity (i.e., something that could involve children). Chances are, this type of planning will make it easier for the more "non-traditional" graduate students to attend student gatherings, thereby allowing them the opportunity to socialize and share academic and professional insights with their peers.