Is a Virtual Internship an Alternative Workplace Learning Space to Address Equity for Underserved Students?

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Seventeen
  In Roundtable Session: Workplace Learning: Digitalization and Assessment (Table 12)

Abstract

Many employers have switched their internship programs to a virtual mode without understanding how this transition will play out for college students underrepresented in the traditional workplace learning ecosystem. While the new format appears to be persisting in the post-pandemic era, there very little research has assessed its democratic potential over the conventional in-person internship. The present paper has attempted to fill this gap by examining virtual interns’ learning experiences from their access to outcomes, relative to their in-person counterparts. This study finds a virtual internship may facilitate the social mobilization of students of color, whereas it may also reinforce existing inequalities for rural students and those working full-time. Results have important implications for college-to-workforce for college students.

Author

• Changhee Lee, Vanderbilt University
  Presenting Author