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Examining the Impact of a Quasi-Virtual Internship on Undergraduate Career Preparedness and Team Dynamics

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Title: Examining the Impact of a Quasi-Virtual Internship on Undergraduate Career Preparedness and Team Dynamics
Language: English
Authors: Pamella Howell (ORCID 0000-0002-7499-3629), Arun Aryal, Charleata Battle (ORCID 0000-0003-0000-8224)
Source: Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching & Learning. 2026 19(1):159-177.
Availability: Emerald Publishing Limited. Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley, West Yorkshire, BD16 1WA, UK. Tel: +44-1274-777700; Fax: +44-1274-785201; e-mail: emerald@emeraldinsight.com; Web site: http://www.emerald.com/insight
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 19
Publication Date: 2026
Intended Audience: Teachers
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Internship Programs, Electronic Learning, Career Readiness, Career Development, Teamwork, Group Dynamics, Job Skills, Skill Development, Instructional Design, Curriculum Design, Technological Literacy, Critical Thinking, Time Management, Information Technology, Program Administration, Cooperation, Capstone Experiences, Course Evaluation
DOI: 10.1108/JRIT-04-2024-0092
ISSN: 1947-1017
Abstract: Purpose: Career preparedness is critical to successfully transitioning from college to a full-time work environment. Being prepared means students have the technical and non-technical skills to help an organization meet its strategic goals. In many instances, students lack the requisite career competencies and collaborative skills. This study proposes designing an instructor-led, career-driven quasi-virtual internship to address this issue and improve students' preparedness and teamwork. Design/methodology/approach: Our research integrates and expands the four-step processes outlined in instructional and course redesign theories, including analysis, design and development, implementation and evaluation. In the evaluation phase, a survey is used to collect data, and natural language processing is applied to identify the emerging themes. The sample included 104 undergraduate students enrolled in an information systems degree program, which resulted in a digital corpus of 40,744 words for analysis. Findings: Results indicate that the implementation of instructor-led quasi-virtual internships offered a comprehensive career experience comparable to an onsite or virtual company-sponsored internship in five notable areas: (1) application of technical knowledge, (2) critical thinking, (3) time management, (4) application of IT project management and (5) collaborative skills. Research limitations/implications: Our study only evaluated participants in our treatment group. Future research should examine the differences between students who complete sponsored versus instructor-led quasi-virtual internships. Researchers can add a control group of students who receive a theoretically based capstone course. Future research can simulate randomized controlled trials (RCT) (Chalmers et al., 1981) to measure the effectiveness of quasi-virtual internships. A benefit of this research is that an open-ended survey allows for collecting rich, multifaceted primary data. The second limitation is that the study included only single-item questions. Future authors can create and validate a survey instrument based on the themes and concepts emanating from our investigation. For example, they can operationalize team dynamics and career preparedness using a reflective model in which the underlying construct drives the indicators, requiring multiple items to examine each construct (Coltman et al., 2008). Third, the sample size in the study was relatively small. We can increase the sample size using a time-series dataset with multiple measurement periods. The fourth limitation is context; this study was conducted at a public university; other institutions may have varied teaching approaches, student demographics and resources. By expanding our study using a multi-site approach (Ballantyne et al., 2012), we can increase cross-sectional sample sizes and improve the generalizability of the study's results. Practical implications: This study provides several practical insights for educators by examining quasi-virtual internships. Academic institutions that want to offer internships but struggle to establish industry partners can implement the quasi-internship model as an alternative approach. The study highlights that students gain critical insight into their future careers during these internships by being familiar with industry concepts and tools. We also provide insights into engaging students in "meaningful collaboration." We suggest the instructor provide some time during the class sessions for group work to improve coordination and introduce industry-level tools that provide a more applied approach to IS education. Social implications: The National Survey of College Internships (NSCI) 2021 indicates that underrepresented and first-generation students were less likely to participate in internships. Our research may positively impact diverse communities since the quasi-virtual internship allows all students to participate once they are enrolled in a capstone class. Originality/value: To our knowledge, this study is the first to utilize latent semantic analysis to analyze students' feedback to improve course design, career preparedness and team dynamics.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1507930
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: Examining the Impact of a Quasi-Virtual Internship on Undergraduate Career Preparedness and Team Dynamics
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Pamella+Howell%22">Pamella Howell</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7499-3629">0000-0002-7499-3629</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Arun+Aryal%22">Arun Aryal</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Charleata+Battle%22">Charleata Battle</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0000-8224">0000-0003-0000-8224</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Journal+of+Research+in+Innovative+Teaching+%26+Learning%22"><i>Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching & Learning</i></searchLink>. 2026 19(1):159-177.
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  Data: Emerald Publishing Limited. Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley, West Yorkshire, BD16 1WA, UK. Tel: +44-1274-777700; Fax: +44-1274-785201; e-mail: emerald@emeraldinsight.com; Web site: http://www.emerald.com/insight
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  Data: 19
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  Data: Teachers
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Undergraduate+Students%22">Undergraduate Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Internship+Programs%22">Internship Programs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Electronic+Learning%22">Electronic Learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Career+Readiness%22">Career Readiness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Career+Development%22">Career Development</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teamwork%22">Teamwork</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Group+Dynamics%22">Group Dynamics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Job+Skills%22">Job Skills</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Skill+Development%22">Skill Development</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Instructional+Design%22">Instructional Design</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Curriculum+Design%22">Curriculum Design</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Technological+Literacy%22">Technological Literacy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Critical+Thinking%22">Critical Thinking</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Time+Management%22">Time Management</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Information+Technology%22">Information Technology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Administration%22">Program Administration</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cooperation%22">Cooperation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Capstone+Experiences%22">Capstone Experiences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Course+Evaluation%22">Course Evaluation</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1108/JRIT-04-2024-0092
– Name: ISSN
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  Data: 1947-1017
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Purpose: Career preparedness is critical to successfully transitioning from college to a full-time work environment. Being prepared means students have the technical and non-technical skills to help an organization meet its strategic goals. In many instances, students lack the requisite career competencies and collaborative skills. This study proposes designing an instructor-led, career-driven quasi-virtual internship to address this issue and improve students' preparedness and teamwork. Design/methodology/approach: Our research integrates and expands the four-step processes outlined in instructional and course redesign theories, including analysis, design and development, implementation and evaluation. In the evaluation phase, a survey is used to collect data, and natural language processing is applied to identify the emerging themes. The sample included 104 undergraduate students enrolled in an information systems degree program, which resulted in a digital corpus of 40,744 words for analysis. Findings: Results indicate that the implementation of instructor-led quasi-virtual internships offered a comprehensive career experience comparable to an onsite or virtual company-sponsored internship in five notable areas: (1) application of technical knowledge, (2) critical thinking, (3) time management, (4) application of IT project management and (5) collaborative skills. Research limitations/implications: Our study only evaluated participants in our treatment group. Future research should examine the differences between students who complete sponsored versus instructor-led quasi-virtual internships. Researchers can add a control group of students who receive a theoretically based capstone course. Future research can simulate randomized controlled trials (RCT) (Chalmers et al., 1981) to measure the effectiveness of quasi-virtual internships. A benefit of this research is that an open-ended survey allows for collecting rich, multifaceted primary data. The second limitation is that the study included only single-item questions. Future authors can create and validate a survey instrument based on the themes and concepts emanating from our investigation. For example, they can operationalize team dynamics and career preparedness using a reflective model in which the underlying construct drives the indicators, requiring multiple items to examine each construct (Coltman et al., 2008). Third, the sample size in the study was relatively small. We can increase the sample size using a time-series dataset with multiple measurement periods. The fourth limitation is context; this study was conducted at a public university; other institutions may have varied teaching approaches, student demographics and resources. By expanding our study using a multi-site approach (Ballantyne et al., 2012), we can increase cross-sectional sample sizes and improve the generalizability of the study's results. Practical implications: This study provides several practical insights for educators by examining quasi-virtual internships. Academic institutions that want to offer internships but struggle to establish industry partners can implement the quasi-internship model as an alternative approach. The study highlights that students gain critical insight into their future careers during these internships by being familiar with industry concepts and tools. We also provide insights into engaging students in "meaningful collaboration." We suggest the instructor provide some time during the class sessions for group work to improve coordination and introduce industry-level tools that provide a more applied approach to IS education. Social implications: The National Survey of College Internships (NSCI) 2021 indicates that underrepresented and first-generation students were less likely to participate in internships. Our research may positively impact diverse communities since the quasi-virtual internship allows all students to participate once they are enrolled in a capstone class. Originality/value: To our knowledge, this study is the first to utilize latent semantic analysis to analyze students' feedback to improve course design, career preparedness and team dynamics.
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        Value: 10.1108/JRIT-04-2024-0092
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      – Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Undergraduate Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Internship Programs
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      – SubjectFull: Electronic Learning
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      – SubjectFull: Career Readiness
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