Partnerships for Talent Pipeline Directory

Virtual Internship Program & Research

Northeastern University is a leader in experiential learning and the Virtual Internship Program is an alternative model of experiential learning explicitly designed to address equity issues and expand access to experiential learning for non-traditional and underrepresented student populations. The Virtual Internship Program is currently being developed as a part of a National Science Foundation Research Grant. It provides institutional partners support and training as they implement a virtual internship into their undergraduate in-curricula or co-curricular programs. The Virtual Internship Program includes six and twelve-week individual and team-based program designs and a technology tool that structures the virtual internship for students, enables industry sponsors to provide invaluable feedback with ease, and provides an analytics dashboard that faculty and program coordinators use to track, manage, and quality assure the internship experiences. The Virtual Internship Program provides industry partners with the opportunity to contribute to the development of a diverse talent pipeline in New England. Industry partners provide real-world projects and professional mentoring of curriculum-aligned projects to students who would otherwise not have access to an industry-engaged experiential learning program. Moreover, participation in the Virtual Internship Program contributes to the research objectives that are focused on infusing STEM curricula serving non-traditional and underrepresented minority students with experiential learning that allows for career exploration, professional network building, and 21st-century skill development