The lived experience of a university-based virtual internship

Internships can vary widely depending on the needs of both the intern and the host organisation. On The Open University (OU)’s virtual internship scheme, all interns are current or recent OU students seeking meaningful work experience to support their career development. In this case, both parties had clear goals: the intern aimed to gain experience supporting research projects in preparation for a career in higher education, while the supervisors had several projects that would benefit from research assistant support.

Our aim in this blog is twofold: to encourage other eligible students and supervisors to apply for the OU internship scheme; and to promote the adoption of similar schemes across other institutions.

To guide our reflections, we have drawn on the benefits of virtual internships outlined by Reid et al. (2023), including: confidence, flexibility, nature of tasks, sense of belonging, communication and support, remote working, discipline alignment, and career aspirations. We focus particularly on two questions raised in that paper:

How authentic did the work experience feel, despite being ‘only’ virtual?
What skills were developed to support future virtual work, despite it being ‘only’ an internship?

Key benefits gained from the virtual internship experience

From the intern’s perspective:

The most significant benefit was learning how to collaborate on and contribute to research in a meaningful way. My internship experience highlighted how impactful co-production and reflective practice are on the learning experience. And, through supervision and reflective practice, I was able to define and pursue outcomes that were mutually beneficial. More personally, I gained confidence in exploring research questions and pursuing ideas.’

From the supervisors’ perspective:

‘Having an intern on the team gave us an extra pair of hands for our research activities. While supporting the intern required time, the benefits far outweighed the investment. We also valued the opportunity to learn from the intern’s experience as an OU student and found mentoring someone at an earlier career stage deeply rewarding.’

Question 1: Was it an authentic work experience?

From the intern’s perspective:

I conducted interviews with former apprentices, collaborated with my predecessor, joined reading groups, workshops and seminars, presented at meetings, and carried out desk research for a publication alongside senior academic and professional staff. This absolutely felt like an authentic work experience!’

From the Supervisors’ perspective:

‘The work was unquestionably real. Our intern managed a research project - ensuring ethical compliance, contacting interviewees, securing consent, and scheduling interviews. It was also great for us to have someone from outside the university conducting some of the interviews and analysing the transcripts with us: the outside-in perspective provided by our intern was invaluable – offering fresh eyes and insights.’

Question 2: Did it help develop skills in working virtually (despite it being ‘only’ an internship)?

Reid et al. (2023) argue that virtual internships should offer ‘meaningful experiences that help students develop relevant skills and behaviours necessary for effective remote working’ (p. 280).

From the supervisors’ perspective:

At the OU, we work almost entirely online, so virtual working skills are developed by default. In our post-pandemic society, hybrid and remote practices have become increasingly central to working life, and therefore the internship opportunity provides exposure to development of online working skills, relationships and good habits for collaborating via Teams and other online platforms.’

From the intern’s perspective:

‘My internship was conducted entirely online, which required a significant degree of autonomy and self-motivation. Fortunately, the OU has a well-established culture of remote working, and I had prior experience in distance-learning, so I had a good foundation on which to build. From my experience, building and nurturing relationships is paramount to meaningful virtual work. Being able to connect with colleagues via quick calls or chats on Teams really enhanced the supportive environment of the virtual internship.’

Experiential learning in action

As our reflections show, virtual internships can offer deeply authentic and rewarding experiences for both students and supervisors. Far from being ‘only’ virtual or ‘only’ an internship, this opportunity provided meaningful work, valuable skills, and a strong sense of connection - for all parties. Undertaking a virtual internship builds confidence for participants, whether for those starting out in work for the first time, embarking on a role change, or, as in this case, gaining further insights and depth in a chosen career. For supervisors, your intern not only provides vital insights on how current students relate to our materials, and a very welcome extra pair of hands, but an opportunity - as educators - to undertake rewarding 1-1 mentoring and career development. We hope our experience encourages others - students and staff alike - to explore the potential of virtual internships, both within the OU and beyond.

Alice Winters

Alice is a Research Assistant at The Open University Business School. Her research and practice focus on learner identity, work-based learning, and apprenticeships.

Sarah Bloomfield

Sarah is a Senior Lecturer in Work and Organisational Learning and the Director of Undergraduate Apprenticeship Qualifications at The Open University Business School. Her research and practice focus on how individual and collective managerial effectiveness can be improved in the workplace, recognising that each work situation is unique.

Fran Myers

Fran is a Lecturer in Management at The Open University Business School. Her research interests include a) public and organisational story making, organisational nostalgia and mythmaking, b) digital enclosure and its associated identity work and c) developing work-based learning stories and understanding policy outcomes on individuals at work.