You are reading this handbook because you are registered for the MT490: Internship course. By this time in your academic journey, you have taken and passed the majority of required core and elective courses in your degree plan. All that you have learned throughout your academic journey has prepared you to thrive in the professional business environment. Here, in this course, is where you will be required to demonstrate the professional competencies you have developed in a reality based work setting. This handbook has been designed by the faculty and administration of Kaplan University, in conjunction with business and industry partners, to help guide your experiential learning journey throughout this course.

What is your role as an experiential learner? Your role is to actualize what you know, what you think you know, and to realize what you still need to learn; which is entirely different from the traditional classroom experience where students are dictated what they should know, and how to learn it. The experiential learner uses current knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors and applies them in specific practical situations to solve problems and/or to capitalize on opportunities. Experiential learners use field research abilities to analyze and evaluate the organization from varying perspectives (like the course outcome topics). Experiential learners behave as leaders to positively effect change and add value to the organizational culture via contributions and collaborative efforts. Experiential learners practice professional competencies in real-time, becoming the 21st Century professionals employers need and desire. Experiential learners develop professional competencies that enable entrepreneurship! Experiential learners develop strong professional communication, problem solving, critical thinking, and research abilities. As a student intern, you will soon realize the value of this engaging teaching/learning paradigm called experiential learning.

THE PURPOSE OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

What is experiential learning?

Experiential learning theory is defined by Kolb (1984) as “the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. Knowledge results for the combination of grasping and transforming experience” (p. 41). A student intern engages in experiential learning by doing, which occurs through experience, observation, and taking action during discovery and exploration based activities that require knowledge of topics related to a reality based setting. Students that engage in experiential learning are able to apply important 21st century professional competencies desired by employers in the career marketplace. During the experiential learning process, business student interns are required to apply and hone professional knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors learned throughout their professional and academic career. You will find a thorough definition of experiential learning in the glossary.

Have you ever learned about a theory or concept in an academic course and wonder how it applies in the real world?

Throughout the traditional higher education learning process, students acquire knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors related to many new theories and concepts in the academic setting. When executing assignments, students are told what chapters to read in a book and what topics to write about. In experiential learning, students become interns working for an organization and the practical work experience is spontaneous and uncontrolled. In other words, it is a real world setting and faculty has no idea what the student intern will experience. Student interns will need to use recall and/or research abilities to identify theories and concepts learned throughout their degree plan in order to apply and/or evaluate how it applies in the real world business setting. It is not guaranteed that student interns will be able to apply all theories and concepts learned throughout the degree plan that is of interest, but the student intern will achieve the goal of experiential learning, which is to develop the ability to apply theory to practice and practice to theory in their professional careers for the purpose of continuous professional development.

Many students ask the question: Why is MT490: Internship a required course?

Of course there is great value in traditional teaching and learning methods in higher learning, but without actualization of the theories and concepts in connection with real world experiences gained through experiential learning, the learning process is incomplete. There is an anonymous old adage that states: “In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.” Through experiential learning, students demonstrate important professional competencies like critical thinking, decision making, research, analytics, emotional intelligence, teamwork, leadership, and much, much more. Through the application and actualization of such professional competencies, students build new understandings of the business world.

This reality of experiential learning is consistent with the infamous quote aptly offered by Confucius, an honorable Chinese philosopher:

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand!

This internship course is comprised of both an academic and practical learning experience. However, the majority of your grade is achieved on the academic side of the course. In this course, your goal is to culminate the course outcomes through experiential learning. Your internship is not just about on-the-job training. It is not just about fulfilling daily tasks. Your internship is about learning through experience. Be sure to spend 10 hours per week working on the practical side of your internship for your internship employer. You should work 8 hours per week on the academic side of your internship to culminate the course outcomes.

MT490: Internship Course Vision Statement

The Kaplan University Internship Program leads in establishing an academic culture of experiential learning that fosters continuous improvement opportunities for students in the practice of business. In the practice of business, student interns connect theory to practice and practice to theory to identify and solve real world problems and opportunities related to the specified Bachelor's level program outcomes.

Bachelor’s level program outcomes include:

MT490-1: Evaluate information management, planning, and control in business environments.

MT490-2: Analyze organizational processes and procedures in a variety of business settings.

MT490-3: Synthesize appropriate principles, concepts, and frameworks for making ethical decisions.

MT490-4: Assess the roles that structure, management, and leadership play in organizational performance.

MT490-5: Evaluate how economics, government, and law affect value creation in the global context.

MT490-6: Evaluate career skills in the field of business and management

MT490: Internship Course Mission Statement

The mission of the Kaplan University Internship Program is to guide student interns in the actualization of business and management theories and concepts learned throughout the Bachelor's degree plan, in connection with practical experiences within a reality based business setting.

FINAL PROJECT OVERVIEW

A business case is used by organizational stakeholders to present problems or opportunities to organizational leadership in order to attain approval and/or funding to implement activities, initiatives , and projects aimed at solving the problems or capitalizing on the opportunities. Use of a business case is standard practice in business and industry. A business case will present viable primary and secondary data that is further developed into business intelligence. The business intelligence is presented in a strategic context and is effectively and concisely summarized into conclusions, solutions, and recommendations in the form of an implementation plan. Organizational leadership uses this business intelligence to justify and decide on approaches to solving the problem or capitalizing on the opportunity, carefully taking the action plan into consideration. The business case will clearly explain the scope of the strategy and implementation plan by setting expectations, recommending a measurement and monitoring plan to ensure effective and efficient management of the activities, initiatives, and projects.

Learning how to develop a business case is an essential ability for the 21st Century business professional. The business case developed throughout this course is based on your internship organization and will result in final written and oral deliverables that are culminated in Unit 10 of the course.

Final Project Timeline

Unit 1: Review professional writing guidelines and confirm ability to meet written

communication expectations.

Unit 2: Review Business Case Vignette instructions. Develop Business Case Vignette.

Unit 3: Discovery period. Explore practical work environment to identify problems and

opportunities.

Unit 4: Define the business case dilemma to identify root cause to problems and

opportunities.

Unit 5: Develop Management Research Questions based on business dilemma.

Unit 6: Develop Literature Review for course outcomes 1, 2, and 3 connecting practice to

theory to inductively build a background to substantiate the Management Research Questions.

Unit 7: Develop Literature Review for course outcomes 4, 5, and 6 connecting practice to

theory to inductively build a background to substantiate the Management Research Questions.

Unit 8: Design a strategy and action plan to solve problems and to capitalize on opportunities for Course

Outcomes 1, 2, and 3.

Unit 9: Design a strategy and action plan to solve problems and to capitalize on opportunities for Course

Outcomes 4, 5, and 6.

Unit 10: Finalize the business case vignette. Write the experiential learning testimony. Develop the

Executive Summary. Submit final written business case. Develop and conduct oral presentation

of Business Case.

Written Business Case Assignment

Your final written deliverable in this course is a Business Case that presents solutions to problems and opportunities identified within your internship organization. Your focus will be on identifying and evaluating problems and opportunities related to each of the topics within the course outcomes. In the end, you will develop strategic and tactical plans with recommendations on implementing your solutions to the problems and recommendations for capitalizing on the opportunities.

Scope of Work: Your business case is a professional document designed to persuade decision makers to take evidence based action to solve problems or to capitalize on opportunities. The following criteria explain the scope of work in your execution of this final assignment:

· Write a 20-page business case over the course of 10 weeks (not including title page, table of contents, reference pages, or appendices).

· Revise the components of your business case using instructor feedback to improve quality in your writing.

· Apply the appropriate persuasive, descriptive, and expository writing style techniques to formulate your business case as indicated in the outline below.

· Build your business case using a professional documentation format

· Apply proper APA (6th edition) style referencing using intext citations and correct reference structure.

· A minimum of 20 research resources must be used in your business case. Integrate a minimum of 12 Peer-Reviewed Journal Article References into the business case. Use of professional and governmental websites is permitted above and beyond the required 12 Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles.

· Thoroughly complete the business case using the following outline and framework:

Title Page: Professional design required. This is not an APA style formatted paper. It is a

professional document and desktop publishing skills are required to develop an attractive business report title page and document format. Click here for an example title page format. *** Note: Although APA style formatting is not required, it is pertinent to apply APA style referencing to avoid plagiarism.

Testimony: In Unit 10, you will write a testimony about your experiential learning

journey. Whether it was full of positive or negative learning experiences, it is essential for you to share your thoughts on experiential learning and the internship course. Use of depictions such as diagrams, images, charts, and matrices is recommended. It is important to explain any depictions included in your written work. This section is written descriptively. This is the only section in the business case that can be written in first person.

Table of Contents: The table of contents outlines the major headings and subheadings throughout

the document.

Executive Summary: In Unit 10, you will write the Executive Summary. This section

should provide a synopsis of all essential elements of the business case being presented. Summarize the vision of the strategy and implementation plan on solving problems and capitalizing on opportunities. Use the abstract guidelines in the writing reference library to guide the development of your abstract. Use the guidelines for using persuasive and expository writing in this section. Your goal is to convince your reader that the solutions proposed in your business case are viable and worthy of a positive judgment to implement.

Case Vignette: This section is where you tell the story of your internship organization

using time tested storytelling abilities to give your internship organization and identity and to make the organization come alive in your writing. Use of depictions such as diagrams, images, charts, and matrices is recommended. It is important to explain any depictions included in your written work. This section is written persuasively using storytelling techniques .

Business Dilemma: This section is where you provide background on the business issues

(problems & opportunities) related to the course outcome topics. This section describes the purpose of the business case. Here, your goal is to identify the symptoms of issues that are perceived as problems or opportunities for the organization. Ultimately, you want to get at the root cause of these problems and opportunities to develop management research questions in the next section. During this discovery process, you will synthesize practice with theory to fully describe the nature of the business dilemma’s you discover. In this section, include information related to the scope of the issues found during your problem and/or opportunity discovery process. Develop a professional discussion using persuasive and expository writing styles by providing perspectives on issues related to goals, objectives, risks, benefits, advantages, features, disadvantages, project feasibility, technical aspects, costs, planning, organizational change, project planning, quality management, security, reliability of systems, strategy, tactics, disruptions, labor issues, training and development, staffing issues, etc. These are just some general ideas for you to consider exploring during your internship practice. Since we do not and will not control your internship experience, it is up to you to identify the business dilemma’s the organization faces with relation to the course outcome topics. Use of depictions such as diagrams, images, charts, and matrices is recommended. It is important to explain any depictions included in your written work.

Management Research Questions: Clearly formulate questions related to actions management might

take to solve the problems or to capitalize on opportunities related to the management dilemma. Each course outcome must be addressed in your management research questions. Since there are 6 course outcomes, you should have at minimum, 6 research questions based on management dilemmas in relation to the course outcome topics. For example, Course outcome 1 topics are about information management, planning and controls. You should have at least one management research question addressing the overall topic of information management, planning, and controls. You may have sub-questions that address each topic individually to help organize and coordinate your research. Refer to the Unit 5 reading material for guidance. Use persuasive and expository writing styles to develop this section.

Literature Review: The purpose of this section is to examine current and historically

significant research studies, company information, industry white papers, and other valid data that provide substance and evidence to help draw conclusions that lead to the strategic development of solutions to problems and/or methods for capitalizing on opportunities. The literature review is the essence of connecting practice with theory, as discussed in the Unit 1 reading material. Use of depictions such as diagrams, images, charts, and matrices is recommended. It is important to explain any depictions included in your written work. Use persuasive and expository writing style techniques to develop this section.

Strategy Development: Evaluate and draw conclusions on the problems and/or

opportunities that you identified and fully researched from the inception of this business case. Based on research, develop solutions to solve problems and/or be creative on how to capitalize on opportunities. Create a vision and mission for your actions. State the objectives of your solutions and justify how they meet the “SMART+C” criteria test. Develop and propose alternative solutions and creative methods to the problems and/or opportunities. Explain possible risks and barriers that pose a threat to the primary solution and explain how to minimize the threats. Clearly explain the features and benefits of each solution presented in the strategy. Use of depictions such as diagrams, images, charts, and matrices is recommended. It is important to explain any depictions included in your written work. Use persuasive and expository writing style techniques to develop this section.

Implementation Plan: Ever hear the old adage “People don’t plan to fail, they fail to

plan”? Planning a strategy is only the first step in curing root cause problems and/or capitalizing on an opportunity with sustainability in mind. The next step is turning your strategy into an action plan. This is all about turning a dream into reality. The purpose of the action planning process is to ensure your proposed strategy is viable. It should explain how each aspect of the strategy will be used to meet the stated objectives. Outline the action steps that are needed to effect change to solve the problem and/or the steps needed to capitalize on the opportunities. Use persuasive and expository writing style techniques to develop this section.

References: Integrate a minimum of 12 peer-reviewed journal articles into your writing.

Use of professional and governmental websites is permitted above and beyond the required 12 Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles.

Appendices: An appendix is a section found at the end of the Business Case that is used

to warehouse additional information or bulky (highly detailed) informational sources that may be of interest to your reader.

Oral Business Case Assignment

In Unit 10, you will make an oral presentation of your Business Case. Using the VoiceThread software, you will narrate your oral presentation using the audio recording tool in the software. To complete this oral presentation, develop PowerPoint presentation to address each of the following topics and upload it to VoiceThread. Record your audio narration by presenting each slide:

· Business Case Vignette

· Business Dilemma

· Research Questions

· Literature Review

· Strategy to solve the 6 business dilemmas

· Action Plan overview for each solution

Tips for success:

· Ensure your presentation is error free before you submit it to the Dropbox (no spelling and/or grammar errors)

· Speak clearly and concisely in your recorded presentation

· Submit your recorder Presentation to the Unit 10: Final Presentation Dropbox.

UNIT 1: GETTING STARTED

Introduction

Welcome to the Academic side of your internship!

Throughout the next 10 weeks, you will have the opportunity to engage in an experiential learning journey that requires you to practice theories and concepts previously learned in the business courses you have taken as you work to meet the required 10 hours per week for your internship employer. You will have the opportunity to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors you have acquired throughout your academic and professional career.

This internship course is made up of two distinctive component parts, which we refer to as: 1) The Practical Side and 2) the Academic side. The practical side of the internship is your theoretical playground, while the academic side is where you will culminate the course outcomes. The practical side of your internship will comprise both positive and negative experiences. Both types of experience offer great opportunity for learning. Embrace the opportunity to evaluate problems and opportunities; to create solutions to problems or methods for capitalizing on opportunities; to analyze systems, processes, policies, and procedures; all with relation to the positive and negative experiences you may have. It is important to note that you are in control of your internship experience on the practical side of the course. This is an unstructured practical experience and circumstances will vary by individual. We will help to guide you to gain control over your practical experiences, but it will be up to you to make it happen. Faculty and administrators will not interfere in your practical experiences.

MT490: Internship

Course Outcomes

Practice to Theory

Theory to Practice

Once you practice and experience theories and concepts on the practical side of your internship, you will connect your practical experiences with the theories and concepts derived from further research while developing a Business Case based on the Course Outcome topics on the academic side of your internship. When working on the academic side of your experience, it is essential for you to disengage from the practical side of your internship in order to view your experiences from an outside-in perspective.

This may sound a bit confusing at first, but it is quite simple really. Let’s take you on a step-by-step journey through the process of connecting theory to practice with relation to the course outcomes on the practical side of your internship, and practice to theory with relation to the course outcomes on the academic side of your internship.

Course Outcomes

When conducting research, and while working for your internship employer, it is imperative that the course outcomes are always on your mind. The purpose of this course is to have you culminate the course outcomes through the development of a Business Case report. The course outcomes are:

MT490-1: Evaluate information management, planning, and control in business environments.

MT490-2: Analyze organizational processes and procedures in a variety of business settings.

MT490-3: Synthesize appropriate principles, concepts, and frameworks for making ethical decisions.

MT490-4: Assess the roles that structure, management, and leadership play in organizational

performance.

MT490-5: Evaluate how economics, government, and law affect value creation in the global context.

MT490-6: Evaluate career skills in the field of business and management.

By the end of this course, you must culminate each course outcome. Notice that each course outcome contains a variety of topics. Additionally, each outcome starts with a particular action verb. Your goal in this course is to culminate each of the course outcomes. Within each course outcome, you must address each of the respective outcome topics by developing deliverables that demonstrate your ability to perform the action verb found as the first word in the outcome. For instance:

Course Outcome One (1) is:

MT490-1: Evaluate information management, planning, and control in business environments.

This outcome can be broken down into fours topics:

· Evaluate information management in business environments

· Evaluate Information planning in business environments

· Evaluate Information Controls in business environments

· Evaluate how information management, planning, and controls work together in business environments

To culminate course outcome one (1), you will evaluate each of these topics using approaches to connecting theory to practice and practice to theory as discussed later in this handbook. Evaluation of these topics means that you will develop an educated opinion using higher order thinking skills (critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, creative thinking, reflective thinking) based on inductive reasoning abilities . This ultimately results in making judgments or decisions based on the value of research. This is all accomplished through connecting your experiences with objective critical thinking, researching and communication techniques. After making a judgment, you will provide recommendations, solutions, and an action plan on how to implement your recommendations and solutions.

Course Outcome Two (2) is:

MT490-2: Analyze organizational processes and procedures in a variety of business settings.

To culminate course outcome two (2), this outcome can be broken down into three topics:

· Analyze organizational processes in a variety of business settings

· Analyze organizational procedures in a variety of business settings

· Analyze how organizational processes and procedures work together in a variety of business settings

To culminate course outcome two (2), you will analyze each of these topics using approaches to connecting theory to practice and practice to theory as discussed later in this handbook. Analysis of these topics means that you will break down, into component parts, the steps in business processes and procedures employed by your internship organization. You will than explain the significance of each component part the process and procedure. The next step would be to explain how each component contributes to the whole process and procedure. In the analysis of these outcome topics, you will analyze and make a determination on whether the existing process or procedure adds value to the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization. After making such determination, you will provide recommendations, solutions, and an action plan on how to implement your recommendations and solutions.

Course Outcome Three (3) is:

MT490-3: Synthesize appropriate principles, concepts, and frameworks for making ethical decisions.

To culminate course outcome three (3), this outcome can be broken down into four topics:

· Synthesize principles for making ethical decisions

· Synthesize concepts for making ethical decisions

· Synthesize frameworks for making ethical decisions

· Synthesize principles, concepts, and frameworks for making ethical decisions.

To culminate course outcome three (3), you will synthesize, which means to create, build, design, develop, or construct a deliverable that enables managers and employees to make a decision. To determine what type of ethics based deliverable your internship employer needs, you will make observations through the connection of theory to practice and practice to theory throughout your internship experience. Once you determine the type of ethics based deliverable that the organization needs, you will use best practices to outline and produce the deliverable. Once the deliverable is produced, you will provide recommendations, solutions, and an action plan on how to implement your recommendations and solutions.

Course Outcome Four (4) is:

MT490-4: Assess the roles that structure, management, and leadership play in organizational performance.

To culminate course outcome four (4), this outcome can be broken down into four topics:

· Assess the role that structure plays in organizational performance

· Assess the role that management plays in organizational performance

· Assess the role that leadership plays in organizational performance

· Assess the role that structure, management, and leadership play collectively in organizational performance

To culminate course outcome four (4), you will assess each of these topics using approaches to connecting theory to practice and practice to theory as discussed later in this handbook. Assessing these topics means that you will develop an educated opinion using critical thinking based on inductive, deductive, and/or abductive reasoning abilities in order to make a judgment or decision based on the value of research in connection with your experiences by using an objective and critical thinking, researching and communication techniques. After making a judgment, you will provide recommendations, solutions, and an action plan on how to implement your recommendations and solutions.

Course Outcome Five (5) is:

MT490-5: Evaluate how economics, government, and law affect value creation in the global context.

To culminate course outcome five (5), this outcome can be broken down into four topics:

· Evaluate how economics affects value creation in the global context

· Evaluate how law affects value creation in the global context

· Evaluate how government affects value creation in the global context

· Evaluate how government, law and economics collectively affect value creation in the global context

To culminate course outcome five (5), you will evaluate each of these topics using approaches to connecting theory to practice and practice to theory as discussed later in this handbook. Evaluation of these topics means that you will develop an educated opinion using critical thinking based on inductive, deductive, and/or abductive reasoning abilities . This ultimately results in making a judgment or decision based on the value of research. This is all accomplished through connecting your experiences with objective critical thinking, researching and communication techniques. After making a judgment, you will provide recommendations, solutions, and an action plan on how to implement your recommendations and solutions.

Course Outcome Six (6) is:

MT490-6: Evaluate career skills in the field of business and management.

To culminate course outcome six (6), this outcome can be broken down into one main topic area, made up of many different subtopics:

· Evaluate what professional competencies are essential for you to develop for success in the field of business and management.

· Knowledge

· Skills

· Abilities

· Behaviors

To culminate course outcome six (6), you will evaluate each of these topics using approaches to connecting theory to practice and practice to theory as discussed later in this handbook. Evaluation of these topics means that you will develop an educated opinion using critical thinking based on inductive, deductive, and/or abductive reasoning abilities . This ultimately results in making a judgment or decision based on the value of research. This is all accomplished through connecting your experiences with objective critical thinking, researching and communication techniques. After making a judgment, you will provide recommendations, solutions, and an action plan on how to implement your recommendations and solutions. Examples of professional competencies include topics like leadership, time management, self-efficacy, analytic abilities, critical thinking, decision making, etc…

Now that you know the course outcomes, it is imperative for you to actualize the definition of objectivity versus subjectivity in the context of experience, research and communication to grasp the concept behind Theory to Practice and Practice to Theory.

The Professional Competency Outcome is:

PC-2.2: Formulate innovative solutions for identified initiatives.

To culminate this competency outcome, you will develop viable and well justified solutions to problems and opportunities within your internship organization in the final Business Case deliverable due in unit 10.

What is Experiential Learning?

The process of experiential learning requires an intern to put the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors learned in a formal educational setting, into practice. This is called putting "Theory to Practice." In the courses you completed throughout your degree plan, you learned many theories and concepts and attained knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors at various levels of rigor. Now, it is time for you to put what you know and can do into action for your intern organization. Upon application of the theoretical and conceptual knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors, you will return to the academic setting to reflect on your experiences, thoughts, ideas, observations, emotions, etc. by putting "Practice to Theory." Your ability to put "Theory to Practice" and "Practice to Theory" is the essence of your experiential learning journey here at Kaplan University. However, it is important to consider both Theory and Practice individually before connecting the two concepts.

Theory

As stated by Dunmade (2013), theories are verified empirical truths that may be used in application, by practitioners, as a point of reference when making decisions and thinking critically about a topic. When considering sources of Theory or Concepts you will put to use during your internship experiences, both on the practical and academic side of your internship, you should consider the idea of Objectivity as the focal point of your understanding. Objectivity means having valid, factual, and logical evidence and viewpoints on a subject. Application of objectivity is intended to be free from bias and considers various points of view from scholarly and/or professional resources. In academia, the key to using objective information that is valid, factual, logical and free from bias is dependent upon the type of research sources one uses in the development of deliverables.

In this course, you will use theories and concepts extracted from academic and professional resources that have been objectively verified. Such resources include peer-reviewed journal articles, textbooks, books, trade magazines, information found in industry based professional organizations, and published government information. These resources are heavily reviewed and scrutinized by public, academic, and professional interest groups to confirm objectivity. These are the only acceptable research resources you may consider in the development of your deliverables in this course.

Examples of search tools you can use to find objective research resources

· Using the Kaplan University library is a must. The endless resources found in the library are all useable in your deliverables.

· Textbooks from your courses are excellent resources.

· Nonfiction Books are excellent resources

· Trade Magazines

· Websites: Please note, the only websites permitted for use in this course include the following:

· Professional Association websites

· Professional Organization websites

· Any websites provided by and/or approved by your Professor

Note: In academia, we prefer that you refrain from using any websites other than professional and government websites, as research sources. You should not use blogs, wiki’s, social media, or any other website that can be perceived as invalid.

The best research resource to use in this course is the ABI/INFORM database found within the Kaplan University Library.

Please remember, using objectively valid, factual, and logical research resources while developing your Business Case is required.

Practice

Internships offer students an opportunity to literally experience learning by practicing course outcomes in a reality based setting. While you are immersed in the workplace setting, whether working onsite or virtually, it is imperative that the course outcomes are always on your mind. During the practice component of your internship, you will want to apply theory from an objective perspective as much as possible Connecting theory to practice based activities will be discussed in a future section. You will also want to collect primary data based on your experiences throughout the 10 hours of work per week.

While working for your internship employer, you will be collecting primary data using a number of field research techniques. This qualitative approach requires you to critically think, observe and experience using a qualitative mindset to collect data that you will use to develop a Business Case on the academic side of your internship course.

From a methodological perspective, you will use time tested qualitative techniques to extract the essence of your experiences, observations, and interactions with professionals that you work with or encounter in your internship.

The field research methodological techniques you will employ while experiencing and practicing learning on the practical side of your internship are all related to the practice of field research. The practice of field research involves direct observation (like shadowing a manager), indirect observation, participant observation, executing tasks, reviewing documentation, interviews, and self-evaluation.

The goal of field research, no matter the type of primary data collection method, is to identify and capture the essence of who, what, why, when, where, and how the data being collected is related to the course outcome topics.

Field Research: An approach to collecting qualitative data to understand and interpret the psychological and or social reality of an individual, groups of people, or systems (such as organizations) by accessing and assessing the lived experiences from a formal and/or informal perspective. The types of field research you will engage in, include:

Direct Observation: This type of observation takes place when the field researcher is physically present and is able to personally experience and take note of occurrences, transactions, behaviors, conversations, processes, procedures, systems, structures, and events. Under such circumstances, the field researcher is immersed in the practical work setting and is able to extract the essence of the lived experiences. The researcher uses conventional means of recording data, such as using journaling and note taking techniques while in use of the five senses. However, unless the field researcher is conducting a self-analysis related to experiences, it is essential for the researcher to maintain an unbiased perspective by eliminating personal perceptions. In communications, such as written or oral deliverables, it is essential to always maintain a third person narrative perspective to disseminate direct observations.

Indirect Observation: This type of observation relies on digital, mechanical, photographic, or other electronic means of recording occurrences, transactions, behaviors, conversations, processes, procedures, systems, structures, and events. Indirect observation typically requires the field researcher to use technological devices or software to record the primary data. This type of data collection results in a permanent record of data and offers the field researcher an opportunity to review, upon demand, the primary data recordings. Upon use, the field researcher should maintain an unbiased perspective by eliminating personal perceptions. In communications, such as written or oral deliverables, it is essential to always maintain a third person narrative perspective to disseminate direct observations.

Participant Observation: This type of observation helps the field research develop and record an understanding of the setting, environment, psychological, and societal aspects of occurrences, transactions, behaviors, conversations, processes, procedures, systems, structures, cultures, and events inside and out of the internship organization. The goal of participant observation is to develop an understanding of the organizational culture and design, including everyday rituals and routines, policies, procedures, systems, and processes.

Executing Tasks: Working for your internship employer, actively journal, record, and/or take notes about the experiences you have, such as occurrences, transactions, behaviors, conversations, processes, procedures, systems, structures, and events. Take note that although you will be executing everyday tasks and responsibilities, they may or may not be directly related to the course outcome topics. Sometimes, the purpose of you executing everyday tasks and responsibilities is to give you access to the organization and its culture and operations in order to learn about it in the context of the course outcome topics.

Reviewing Documentation: Gain permission from management to attain and evaluate organizational documentation. Reviewing documentation, you should extract value from its content and context, as related to the course outcome topics. Use the information extracted from the documentation to aid in development of your course deliverables.

Interviews: Field researchers may formally or informally interview individuals or groups of people by asking questions and taking notes of answers and reactions to the answers. There are three types of interviews:

· Informal (Conversational) Interviews: This type of interview normally occurs during or after direct and participant observations. The field researcher can converse with fellow employees, leaders, managers, or any other stakeholder (interviewee) deemed relevant to the business case. As the conversation occurs, the researcher develops pertinent questions and spontaneously and informally asks the interviewee. This is an appropriate interview approach when the field researcher desires flexibility to address topics and ideas that may emerge throughout the conversational exchange.

· Unstructured Interviews: This type of interview requires the field researcher to formally gain access to an interviewee or group of interviewees in order to conduct the interview. The purpose of this type of interview is to systematically capture data throughout a series of interviews for the purpose of identifying trends. Prior to conducting interviews, the field researcher must develop open-ended interview questions and inquiries so that all interviewees will answer similar questions during the quest to extract deep meaning and as much detail as possible from the interviewee.

· Structured Interviews: This type of interview requires the field researcher to formally gain access to an interviewee or group of interviewees in order to conduct the interview. The interview questions are carefully written prior to the interview for the purpose of consistency. The field researcher conducts the interview by asking a series of questions in the same order and manner to all interviewees. To preserve consistency. The questions may be open or closed ended, depending on the purpose of the interview. This type of interview enables the field researcher to compare and contrast data across interviewees.

Self-Evaluation: Depending on the circumstances, the field researcher may

choose to evaluate him/her at a given time during the 10-hour internship workweek. Self-evaluation may consist of reflective exercises, personality tests, professional development activities, and other methods of actualizing professional competencies.

It’s important to record your experiences observations, and interactions. You should take great care and diligence in recording viable data for analysis, synthesis, and evaluation based on the course outcome topics throughout your ten (10) hours of work per week.

Practical Side of Internship: Theory to Practice

Figure 2. Applying Theory to Practice in the Work Setting

Theory to Practice is the process of practically applying learned knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors in a real world setting. Each week, you will be required to work a minimum of 10 hours on the practical side of your experiential learning journey. During this time, you will apply theories and concepts learned throughout your degree plan, using viable and current research sources to ensure you are practicing relevant business theories and concepts related to the course outcome topics. Examples of applying theory to practice during your internship practical experience can help you understand how this works:

Examples of Applying Theory to Practice in Your Internship:

1. During the first week of the internship, you experience an onboarding process that introduces you to the organizational design and culture, management controls, systems and processes, policies and standard operating procedures. What you experience may be positive or negative with relation to how you are treated, how effective and efficient you perceive communications to be, and how information is disseminated. There may be too much information, or there may not be enough. Either way, it is up to you to decide based on your very own perceptions from a professional perspective. In week one, it is understood that you will not go into your experience armed with theories and concepts you would like to test, observe, experience, etc… So, week one is a naturally occurring experience that requires great attention and awareness so that you may identify theories and concepts you have previously learned in prior courses.

This situation is related to all of the course outcomes in one way or another. Here are some ideas on how to analyze and evaluate the course outcome topics related to this situation:

· With regard to course outcome 1, you have an opportunity to evaluate the information provided about Management Information Systems used throughout the organization. You should be curious and find out as much as you possibly can about the information systems used throughout the organization. Ask questions, such as 1) What type of Enterprise Resource Planning software does the organization use, if any? 2) What business and functional level information systems are used, if any? 3) How does the organization control information flow? 4) What type of information planning occurs to plan for the future? There are so many questions related to Information Management, Planning, and Controls you can ask and explore. During the onboarding process, you should be inquisitive and explore these topics as much as possible to prepare for your deliverables on outcome one. Use research resources to identify Information Management, Planning, and Controls theories that can be used to help improve the organizations. Conduct research on how to effectively design an onboarding process. Take notes on how to improve problems or capitalize on opportunities.

· With regard to course outcome 2, you are directly immersed in the onboarding process as a new intern during week one. No matter the organization, there are procedures used to indoctrinate you into the organizational culture, and to acclimate you into your role and responsibilities. You have an opportunity to analyze the onboarding process you experience. Although this process is likely designed to indoctrinate all new interns consistently into the organization, roles and responsibilities, it is possible that individual experiences will differ greatly due to human nature, human error, or circumstance. During the onboarding process, you should be inquisitive and explore these topics as much as possible to prepare for your deliverables on outcome one. Conduct research on how to effectively design an onboarding process. Take notes on how to improve problems or capitalize on opportunities.

· With regard to course outcome 3, you have an opportunity to experience how organizational, managerial, and leadership employs its principles, concepts, and frameworks with regard to ethics. Evaluating how a new intern is indoctrinated into the organization based on these ethics based topics is an important inquiry. However, that’s not the only perspective to explore. You can also look at the psychological aspects of ethics with relation to how individual leaders demonstrate the ethical principles and concepts you learned about in the orientation training. Do some research on ethical theories and concepts that relate to your experiences! Take notes on how to improve problems or capitalize on opportunities.

· With regard to course outcome 4, you have an opportunity to learn about the organizational structure, its managerial hierarchy, and whom the leaders are running the organization. There are great opportunities for you to evaluate topics like power, controls, communications, and much more. Truly, the sky's the limit with regard to this course outcome. Do some research on organizational design, management, and leadership theories and concepts that relate to your experiences! Take notes on how to improve problems or capitalize on opportunities.

· With regard to course outcome 5, you have an opportunity to experience legal compliance processes and procedures employed by the organization. Although the compliance issues you will experience have more to do with the United States legal system requirements, you will have a basis to compare and contrast these experiences with research on international legal systems compliance issues for the deliverables related to outcome 5. Do some research on legal compliance issues with relation to new hire procedures to identify theories and concepts that relate to your experiences! Take notes on how to improve problems or capitalize on opportunities.

· With regard to outcome 6, there is an opportunity to evaluate who you may be as a professional. There are a plethora of professional competencies you can apply and reflect on during week one, including your very own communication, emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, agility, leadership knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors. Truly, the sky's the limit when it comes to evaluating your professional competencies. Do some research on professional competencies to identify theories and concepts that relate to your experiences and to help you self-actualize! Take notes on how to improve problems or capitalize on opportunities.

2. This is an example of how to practice Course Outcome 6 by addressing stress management from a "Theory to Practice" perspective in your internship experiences:

Early in your course work here at Kaplan University, you might have learned about the Transactional Stress Theory. The transactional stress theory suggests that individuals may react differently to stressful situations because of the different ways information is processed. This is particularly the case when considering differences in how individuals perceive, experience, and manage feelings under stressful conditions and deadlines (Yuntao, 2014). This theory is relevant to your professional development process in this course. Your experiences in week 5 of the course could have triggered your interest in this topic. Due to the high stress environment at your place of employment, your might find it essential to assess the way you react under stress situations, especially when receiving spontaneous demands from your managers. Over the next 10 hours of work next week, you will monitor and take notes of your reactions to stress and deadlines to identify how you might improve your behaviors (such as your temper), body language, and verbal responsiveness. This will surely be a valuable learning experience in relation to Outcome 6 which is related to Career Skills in a variety of business settings.

3. This example addresses Time Management in relation to Course Outcome 6, using a concept from a textbook used in a Kaplan University course. Over the next three weeks, you may be assigned to shadow three different supervisors that oversee production in a manufacturing plant. You may observe that all three supervisors hold hour-long meetings with their direct reports on a weekly basis. In all three meetings, each supervisor may cover the same exact safety protocol as a mandatory training exercise. After each meeting, you might decide to discuss the purpose of such training with each supervisor. Each complained that they were unable to cover important issues and topics because of the required training. You might observe several other instances where efforts are being duplicated in the manufacturing plant. Such duplication of efforts can negatively impact efficiency and productiveness in any business, which is the reason for planning and organizing labor and resources as precisely as possible. As indicated by Bateman and Snell (2009), “Within an organization’s structure, differentiation is created through division of labor and job specialization” (pg. 128). In the coming week of work with your externship employer, you might plan to discuss with leadership, several observations where duplication of efforts may be negatively affecting efficiency and productiveness in the business. This can be a valuable experience to document in your field research for connection of practice to theory in your Business Case.

4. Let’s say you have a passion for marketing and you happen to have an internship working in the marketing department of an organization. In this situation, there is great opportunity for you to conduct research on theories and concepts you might be able to apply or observe in the practical setting prior to beginning weeks 2-10 of your internship. With relation to Consider the theory of target marketing, which includes understanding consumer buying behaviors, segmentation strategy, choosing a target marketing strategy that fits your marketing mix, and the position strategy of your product. You can conduct deep research on what it takes to effectively employ target marketing techniques in an organization like your internship company. Then, while working during units 2-10, evaluate the internship organization is using its target marketing strategy, comparing and contrasting your observations and experiences with the research you conducted on the topic. You will ultimately want to identify problems and/or opportunities the company has with relation to the application of target marketing theory. This evaluation process can easily relate to all six (6) of the course outcomes.

Throughout your experiential learning journey, you will put theory to practice while working for your internship employer. However, as part of the learning process, it is also important to reflect on your experiences in connection with research and the course outcomes subsequent to applying theory to practice. This learning process is called going from "practice to theory."

Academic Side of Internship: Practice to Theory

Figure 3. Applying Practice the Theory in the Academic Setting.

On the academic side of your internship course, you will apply practice to theory. This is the process of academically reflecting on experiences related to the application of knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors in connection with research. From an academic standpoint, the process of learning through the application of knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors in a real world setting is not complete without the analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of your experiences in connection with viable research sources. In this reflective exercise, interns/externs are expected to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate practical experiences with research sources found within the Kaplan University library, textbooks, or other sources deemed acceptable. A best practice would be to connect your experiences with research in consideration of the topics contained within the Course Outcomes and Professional Competencies. Below, please find several examples of putting "Practice to Theory" to help you understand how it is accomplished in written communication.

Examples of Applying Practice to Theory on the Academic side of Your Internship:

1. This is an example of how to connect practice with theory in relation to ethical practices (Course Outcome 3) based on experience in your internship place of employment. The goal of this example is to synthesize research with your experiences. This example would be a viable fit for the Business Dilemma section of a business case.

The culture of KapConsulting is influenced by the application of the consequentialist ethical theory by intern leadership. According to Holsinger (2013), “A consequentialist theory judges the rightness or wrongness of an action based on the consequences that action has” (p. 1). For example, KapConsulting leadership has gone through great measures in making all interns aware of the consequences of committing plagiarism by providing information relating to what it is and why it is important not to do it, in the Employee Handbook. They know the importance of doing what’s right from an ethical standpoint, so they continue to encourage all employees to avoid plagiarism in the work environment. One of the company values is integrity. To ensure integrity, an opportunity exists to create a company policy that requires employees to give credit to an author of any original work used in the production of internal or external work. Implementing such a policy will ensure no one has to directly or indirectly suffer the consequences of poor choices or actions.

2. This is an example of how to connect practice with theory in relation to information planning (Outcome 1) efforts of the business. The goal of this example is to synthesize research with your experiences. This example would be a viable fit for the Literature Review section of a business case.

Information planning provides direction and strengthens confidence in understanding where the organization is heading and provides opportunities along the way to analyze alternative courses of actions if needed. By planning how information is organized, coordinated, and consumed over time, an organization reduces uncertainties, minimizes impulsive decision-making and brings about effective integration of the decisions and activities of the managers. Information planning is much more than just forecasting future events and activities. It is a formal, intellectual and standardized process through which management conceives of and prepares for the business’s future (Steiner, 1997).

3. This is an example of how to connect practice with theory in relation to information management (Outcome 1) efforts of the business. The goal of this example is to synthesize research with your experiences. This example would be a viable fit for the Business Dilemma section of a business case.

Information management refers to the methods employed by an organization to maintain, track, and access organizational information (Geczy, Izumi, & Hasida, 2014). This information covers a wide range of areas, such as client/customer information, employee information, and internal business processes. In order to be effective, information management systems must be properly implemented and maintained (Geczy, Izumi, & Hasida, 2014). One of the issues identified as a major information management problem is the lack of a centralized information portal which would make locating and using pertinent information easier. At this time, ABC Company utilizes two central information hubs, including Google Drive and Podio systems. The many inconsistencies and incompatibilities between the two systems causes problems with organization, coordination, and communications across departments and business verticals. Although this problem presents is of consequence to maximizing efficiency, the current systems are operational and enable the company to function. An opportunity exists to evaluate the acquisition or lease of a new management information system to control the flow of information, making for more effective managerial decision making.

Professional Business Communication

Professional Communications

Communication is a two sided transaction that consists of giving and receiving information through various channels of distribution, including oral, written, and visual communication methods. Whether you are giving an oral presentation, speaking informally, speaking in front of an audience, writing a management report, developing a business case, or building an infographic, all three types of professional communication share the same principles:

· Know your audience

· Be concise

· Avoid personal opinion

· Provide educated opinion

· Have a purpose

· Demonstrate understanding of the topic

· Be holistic

· Analyze and evaluate

· Be creative

· Present information using different perspectives

· Anticipate objections

· Attain feedback

As you can tell, professional communication is extremely complex. The following subsections will help you better understand how to develop your professional communication abilities.

Establishing an Educated Opinion

To ensure integrity using an unbiased approach to professional writing, it is essential to use research in your writing to substantiate your opinion. To learn more, read the article entitled: Why Isn’t My Personal Opinion Good Enough? How to Establish an Educated Opinion in Academic Writing .

Storytelling Abilities

“When you tell a story, you are using the mode of narration; you are narrating. Narratives tell about personal experience, observations, and reflections based on past experience. Narratives have a chronological organization and may be short anecdotes (one-time or recurring events) or stories involving a series of events that happen over time. Using narration is a way to exemplify a point, make your writing more personal, add spark to engage readers as you introduce a topic or illustrate a point, and help readers visualize a subject, concept, or issue” (Kaplan University Writing Center, 2016). You may think telling stories may sound trivial, but the use of stories to communicate is a fundamental building block of communication. Here are some tips to help you develop rich storytelling abilities:

1. Plan and craft your story to immerse your reader in the lived experiences of an intern working within your internship organization.

2. Reflect on observations and experiences. Develop a set of ideas that define your internship organization. Identify moments in time that capture the essence of your internship organization, its people, culture, vision and purpose, etc.

3. Relive moments in your mind, allowing yourself to emotionally connect with your observations and experiences.

4. Provide sensory details related to describe your observations and experiences with relation to the internship organization, people within the organization, systems, processes, etc…

5. Use present tense when telling your story to immerse your reader in the action.

6. Avoid he/she/I/me/my in your writing. Narrate the story. Bring the characters to life.

Professional Writing

Professional writing is the most common communications medium used to communicate problems and opportunities within business. Writing skill is one of the most sought after competencies of a business professional. Effectively written material is often the product of great effort, extensive time for preparation, and organization skills. Professional writing is concise. Professional writing should not contain unnecessary word use, sentences, or paragraphs. Concise professional writing requires that every word used has meaning and serves a clear purpose.

Have you read a Peer-Reviewed business journal article that was so compelling that you just couldn’t put down? Do you have any favorite authors of professional writing materials such as books or textbooks? Well, those are the people you should take after to develop your own writing style. Developing your professional business writing style is an important ability to continuously hone throughout the course of your career. "The business writer should strive for an overall tone that is confident, courteous, and sincere; that uses emphasis and subordination appropriately; that contains nondiscriminatory language; that stresses the "you" attitude; and that is written at an appropriate level of difficulty" (Ober, 1988). The more you improve your writing abilities, the more effective communicator you will become. Written communication abilities are among the most desirable professional competencies employers seek in many segments of business and industry. The ability to effectively deliver information and/or a message in your writing will depend on the audience you re targeting in your writing. You will primarily write to colleagues, scholars, academics, and professionals in business. Such writing calls for expository writing style, which is the preferred professional writing style for a business case. In the business case, you will write in third person, which is often the most appropriate tone to take in professional writing. Here is a wonderful resource to learn the difference between formal and informal writing (click here) . The purpose of third person writing is to communicate information and messages without intruding in the plot. However, other types of professional business writing that you will use in your business case include persuasive , descriptive , and storytelling styles.

For more on developing your writing skills, read the Kaplan Guide to Successful Writing.

Expository Writing Style

The Expository writing style is used in professional writing to present research, present other people’s viewpoints, or to explain a situation or event without injecting personal bias. To avoid injecting personal bias into your writing, it is essential to write in third person. Your personal opinion doesn’t matter in this form of writing. This type of writing is technical, concise, informative, and facts based. The goal of expository writing is to present facts and information as fairly and accurately as possible. It is used to convey problems, opportunities, and to explain what may be perceived as difficult to understand. The goal of this type of writing style is to provide an educated opinion from an objective (based on factual and/or observable information rather than abstract interpretations of data) perspective, without giving criticism or argument. Instead, the writer analyzes the topic, synthesizes research, and evaluates experiences in connection with the theories and concepts in the research in order to make a conclusive, facts based decision and/or judgment.

When writing an expository essay, it is important to consider your audience. As a business professional, your audience will be professional colleagues and leaders inside and outside of your organization. Maintaining a formal tone in your writing demonstrates respect, professionalism, and helps to eliminate the perception of bias. The preferred voice in expository writing is third person. An expository essay is objectively written in active voice, which is a formal tone and not a personal tone. This means you do not use “I think”, “We think”, or “My idea is”, etc… Instead use a professional voice that is substantiated in research to connect your experiences with theories and concepts from the literature you read. Best practices suggest that you use phrases like “Research suggests that…”, and “Roberts and Jones (2016) argue that…”, and “According to Smith (2014), …” Be sure to consider the following perspectives in your expository writing:

Purpose: A professionally written expository document concisely disseminates why the document is being written and explains the goals of the document.

Audience: Always consider the readers of your document.

Stakeholders: Always consider what they will do with your information.

Context: Always explain the background of the information in your writing to

inform your reader.

Persuasive Writing Style

The persuasive writing style is thoroughly covered in the writing reference library. If you need assistance learning how to develop persuasive writing abilities, read the samples and instructions: Writing Reference Library- Persuasive Writing . Please note that the final persuasive essay example is written in third person, active voice.

Descriptive Writing Style

The descriptive writing style is thoroughly covered in the writing reference library. If you need assistance learning how to develop descriptive writing abilities, read the samples and instructions: Writing Reference Library- Descriptive Writing .

Professional Oral Communication

Oral communication offers you the opportunity to emphasize, persuade, convince, reduce resistance, change attitudes, and to listen to feedback. When conducting an oral presentation, use the following principles as a guide:

· Refrain from overselling or overstating the purpose of your presentation.

· Be naturally “communicative” in your presentation, speaking distinctly with confidence and expert authority.

· Use a three phase approach: 1) Provide background information to start. 2) Provide a detail in the middle. 3) Summarize concisely to conclude.

· Show enthusiasm. Persuade your audience using clear and simple concepts to explain your topic. Avoid use of jargon or other buzz words.

· Support statements, opinions, ideas with fact based research.

· Address anticipated objections in your presentation.

· Address all major topic areas using visual aids that depict the primary variables under discussion.

· Although the purpose of your oral presentation is to achieve a grade, it is much more than just a deliverable. Attain meaningful feedback from people of importance that your ideas to solving problems or capitalizing on opportunities can positively impact. Find out what they think about your innovative ideas and change proposals.

There are a variety of oral presentation styles that are appropriate under different circumstances:

1. Friendly Presentation: Usually takes place when an experienced individual that is a peer of most of the audience delivers an informational presentation. Often, the presentation is disorganized and vague. This is not an unacceptable oral presentation style that may result in grade penalties if used.

2. The Performer: The presenter uses jokes and stories to deliver perspective on the topic matter. Use of visual aids are typical of this type of presentation style. The focus of this presentation is on satisfying the audience and little information is disseminated. Using this presentation style is advantageous, just be sure to stick to the topic and effectively present the required information while entertaining the audience.

3. Academic Presentation: A very precise and deliberate presentation of complex factual information that is well organized. Be careful with using a purely academic presentation style! Your presentation can be perceived as boring and irrelevant to the audience.

4. The Reader: This presentation style is boring and mundane. The presenter tends to read material straight from paper or slides in a PowerPoint presentation. Such presentations tend to be technical and difficult to understand, albeit the information covered is typically precise and accurate.

5. The Turtle or The Rabbit: A presenter that is nervous and closed as though they want to crawl into a shell and hide, is known as a turtle. A turtle presenter moves slowly through a presentation, making it seem like it will last forever. A presenter that is hyperactive and speeds through a presentation is known as a rabbit.

6. Playful & Interactive: This presenter uses gimmicks and magic tricks to impress the audience. Visual aids can be overdone and too much interactivity may detract from the presentation, causing the information to get lost within all of the bells and whistles.

Determining what presentation style suits your personality and level of emotional intelligence is essential. It is critical that you are comfortable when delivering an oral presentation, so setting up the components of the presentation can help you create a strong foundation to build on. Ideally, you want to have the rapport of a friendly presentation, the organization and fact based content of an academic presentation, the ability to captivate the audience as a performer using playful and interactive tactics. It is always best to avoid being a turtle or a rabbit type presenter. Using a combination of these presentation styles, you can leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Visual Presentation

Ever hear the expression: “A picture is worth a thousand words”? Well, it is true! Our lives are full of images, paintings, symbols, charts, diagrams, photographs, etc. Visual aids play an important role in communication!

When creating visual aids for your oral presentations using PowerPoint, be sure to consider the following:

· Make sure the lettering on your slides is large enough for your audience to see.

· Be sure to use a professional theme with a conservative color scheme.

· Ensure visual aids properly fit the slide.

· Use visual aids to simplify technical information.

Be sure to take advantage of the Kaplan University Writing Reference Library resources on Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations .

UNIT 2: BUILDING A BUSINESS CASE

Writing a Business Case Vignette

The art of storytelling is an age old communications medium that has powerful implications on culture and society. Within organizations, storytelling can help to enhance the organizational culture, inspire employees, and persuade leaders to make decisions. Stories offer your listeners a shared experience, and if effectively told, they have the potential to set the imagination on fire.

Storytelling is a catalyst in the connection of practice to theory on the academic side of your internship. In your final project, storytelling will be used throughout your entire business case. However, the opening story, known as a business case vignette, sets the stage for the entire business case. The objective of your business case vignette is to describe the internship organization from a holistic perspective, telling a story about intricacies concerning the existence of the organization, including but not limited to the business design, systems, policies, and the people that live and operate within the mechanics of your internship organization. Your goal as the writer is to elicit an emotional response, develop perceptions, garner opinions, and to influence beliefs and attitudes within your reader based on explanation of scenarios and situations. The main objective of your business case vignette is to identify the variables (course outcome topics) that will be covered throughout the entire business case. Using relational thinking techniques, a story is told to set the foundation for the introduction of the business dilemmas later on in the business case. In other words, think of the Business Case Vignette as a conversational “icebreaker.”

Passionate Purpose

Telling a story is what the business case vignette is all about, but you have to do it with passionate purpose. In order to impart passionate purpose into your story, you will want to speak to your audience with the intent of creating a desired effect on them. The idea is to invoke emotional reaction to your presentation. Here is a list of passionate purpose action words that you can use while planning your business case vignette:

Admit	Condemn	Inspire
Accuse	Confront	Plead
Alarm	Defend	Punish
Amuse	Deny	Shame
Apologize	Dismiss	Surprise
Argue	Excite	Vindicate
Challenge	Forgive	Warn
Clarify	Impress	Win over

This is just a starter list of passionate purpose action words to consider using when planning your business case vignette. Feel free to consider invoking other emotions within your reader through the persuasive storytelling you will conduct in this section of your final project. Use the following questions to help develop your business case vignette in essay format (Note: A business vignette is not a question/answer dialogue, it is written in essay format and stands alone without questions/answers):

In the development of your business case vignette, you can frame it to address the following topics. These are only suggestions. You may expand your business case vignette to discuss anything you feel is pertinent to the story of your internship organization.

· What is the business case about?

Explain the background of the internship organization and tell the story about its existence, its health, and its stability. Explain the organizational design, and identify key decision makers within the organization as managers and/or leaders. Explain how the systems and policies structure the organization from a mechanistic and organic perspective. Briefly describe scenarios that are intended to provoke a response in your reader.

Remember, this story is about the organization! It is not about you or your direct experiences or thoughts. You are narrating this story.

· What is the purpose of the business case?

Explain the reasoning behind the business case you are developing. What is the objective of the business case? How will the business case help the internship organization? Provide concrete examples of the people and their behaviors within your internship organization that led to the purpose behind the development of your business case.

· Introduce the Protagonist Situation

The central character of your business case is the internship organization as a living entity within business, industry, society, and the world over. The central character is known as a Protagonist within the business case. The business case should explain the state of the internship organization from the perspective of the protagonist, and the challenges, constraints, and opportunities the protagonist faces in its current state. In your business case, you must be able to evaluate and make judgments about the protagonist from the perspective of a leader and decision maker from the perspective of the protagonist. Be sure that your stories related to the protagonist (internship organization) is real and plausible to the reader. Your reader should be able to relate to your stories. Contextually, ensure your stories describe the scenarios, circumstances and situations being told. However, leave enough room to allow your reader to participate in the interpretation of the business case. Your goal is to influence and persuade the reader’s interpretation. Just be sure that the context of the stories told are easily understood, consistent, and interesting.

IMPORTANT: Most often, this is the first time a student/intern will ever be required to write a business case vignette. Your first instinct will be to contact your instructor for an example business case vignette. This is not the purpose of this written communication exercise. You are required to develop a unique and original business case vignette. Examples of case study vignettes exist all over the internet, but BEWARE! If you look to copy the format or context of an existing case vignette, you miss out on the real opportunity to develop your persuasive writing and storytelling skills. A business case vignette should be personal and should come from the heart of the writer. Your perception is your reality! This is an opportunity for you to share your perception and your reality as a narrator of the protagonist situation with your reader. Develop and hone your writing skills. Do not look for examples! Allow this piece of written communication to demonstrate your abilities as an individual.

UNIT 3: IDENTIFYING PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES

The purpose of this unit is to identify problems and opportunities within your internship organization through the process of discovery. The problems and opportunities for which you will seek to discover must be in relation to the 6 course outcomes. Use the following step-by-step approach to complete this assignment:

1. Conduct field research: It is highly advantageous to evaluate successes and failures of organizations through real world business experiences. Conducting field research is one of the best ways of extracting value and unearthing information from internship experiences. Field research activities will require you to interface and communicate with people, systems, policies, and procedures within your internship organization. By engaging in discovery based activities, you can attain firsthand knowledge and understanding of problems and opportunities your internship organization is experiencing. Don’t hesitate to engage in the discovery of problems and opportunities. You can begin by asking questions, reflecting on experiences, and making observations.

a. Ask questions: Talk to leaders and colleagues within your internship organization about the course outcome topics. Take note of their concerns, ideas, opinions, statements, etc… Use this information to identify problems and opportunities.

b. Reflect & Observe: Based on your experiences and observations (including reading organizational documents), take note of problems and opportunities.

2. Conduct a situational analysis: To identify problems and opportunities in association with the course outcome topics, it is necessary to understand the state of the internship organization. Use the following situation analysis guidelines to identify problems and/or opportunities within your internship organization:

Business Problem: Assess the environment and conditions of your internship organization to identify core business problems per course outcome using the following criteria:

· Write a generic description of some symptoms that may be related to a core problem at hand within the business.

· Brainstorm to identify as many reasons why the symptoms exists

· Determine the elements that act as a catalyst for the symptoms to the problem (human, process, technology, etc.)

· Describe the impact the symptoms to the problem is having on the business (financial, cultural, operational)

Business Opportunity: Assess the environment and conditions of your internship organization to identify business opportunities per course outcome using the following criteria:

· Write a generic description of the symptoms that may be related to an opportunity the business has, and should possibly strategize to capitalize on the opportunity.

· Identify supporting evidence that proves the opportunity exists.

· Determine the lifespan of the opportunity.

· Describe the impact the opportunity will have on the business.

3. Determine the root of the problem or opportunity: You have identified symptoms to the problem or opportunity and understand some of the variables that cause the problem or establish a need for the opportunity within your internship organization. Now it is time to determine the root cause of the problem or opportunity.

Most times, it is easy to fix symptoms and ignore the core problem because it is too time consuming or expensive to address it directly. Sometimes, you may know there are symptoms to a core problem, but it is too difficult to determine what the core problem really is. However, it is important to realize that if you only fix symptoms of a problem, the symptoms are bound to return time and again since the core problem remains. If you take the time to evaluate the symptoms to really determine what is causing the problem at hand, it is possible to fix the people issues, policies, systems, processes, and procedures that enable the problem so that the problem is eliminated forever.

The same goes for capitalizing on opportunities. Great ideas are easy! Being a visionary is a common trait amongst business professionals today. Knowing and fully understanding the opportunity as a result of great ideas is difficult for most. If you take the time to fully evaluate the symptoms that lead to opportunity, it is possible to identify the people, policies, systems, processes, and procedures that can enable the business to capitalize on the opportunity.

Evaluating symptoms to determine the root cause of a problem or opportunity is no easy task. In medicine, doctors may immediately treat pain as a result of a broken foot with pain killers, but they will quickly work to solve the root cause of the problem, which is the broken foot. However, diagnosing a series of symptoms and the root cause of the symptoms in medicine can be much more complex than one could wish. Just ask Dr. Gregory House.

In business, sometimes it can be just as easy. But just as in medicine, symptoms can be the result of a much deeper problem or opportunity that requires diagnosis. If you only fix the symptoms, you will find that the root cause of the problem never disappears and the symptoms of a problem are bound to recur. If it pertains to an opportunity, you may find that your competitors were able to capitalize on your companies lost opportunity.

4. Root Cause Analysis: Do some research on conducting a root cause analysis . You will find that there are many resources for you to consider. This type of analysis will help you dig deep into a problem or opportunity to figure out the primary cause of the problem and opportunity. You will find some useful tools on the “ Experiential Learning Reference Library ” website.

5. The recommended assignment format is shown in the table below. Now that you have identified the symptoms to a problem/opportunity the organization is experiencing per course outcome, create a table to document the symptoms to the problems and opportunities you have identified. Support your problem/opportunity statement by explaining the background of the symptoms leading to the root cause of the problem/opportunity. Use a minimum of one peer-reviewed research resource to substantiate your explanation. Be sure to write in third person using expository writing guidelines. These problems/opportunities are about the organization, not you.

Course Outcome	Problem/Opportunity	Explanation
MT490-1: Evaluate information management, planning, and control in business environments.	Opportunity: Make a statement about the opportunity here. Or Problem: Make a statement about the problem here.	Explain the symptoms of the problem or opportunity. Explain the root cause of the problem or opportunity. Support the findings of the root cause with a minimum of one research resource to connect practice with theory.
MT490-2: Analyze organizational processes and procedures in a variety of business settings.	Opportunity: Describe the opportunity here. Or Problem: Describe the problem here.	Explain the symptoms of the problem or opportunity. Explain the root cause of the problem or opportunity. Support the findings of the root cause with a minimum of one research resource to connect practice with theory.
MT490-3: Synthesize appropriate principles, concepts, and frameworks for making ethical decisions.	Opportunity: Describe the opportunity here. Or Problem: Describe the problem here.	Explain the symptoms of the problem or opportunity. Explain the root cause of the problem or opportunity. Support the findings of the root cause with a minimum of one research resource to connect practice with theory.
MT490-4: Assess the roles that structure, management, and leadership play in organizational performance.	Opportunity: Describe the opportunity here. Or Problem: Describe the problem here.	Explain the symptoms of the problem or opportunity. Explain the root cause of the problem or opportunity. Support the findings of the root cause with a minimum of one research resource to connect practice with theory.
MT490-5: Evaluate how economics, government, and law affect value creation in the global context.	Opportunity: Describe the opportunity here. Or Problem: Describe the problem here.	Explain the symptoms of the problem or opportunity. Explain the root cause of the problem or opportunity. Support the findings of the root cause with a minimum of one research resource to connect practice with theory.
MT490-6: Evaluate career skills in the field of business and management.	Opportunity: Describe the opportunity here. Or Problem: Describe the problem here.	Explain the symptoms of the problem or opportunity. Explain the root cause of the problem or opportunity. Support the findings of the root cause with a minimum of one research resource to connect practice with theory.

6. When you diagnose the root of the problem, you have to figure out how to fix it! Continue to the next unit to continue building a business case to fix the problems and opportunities you have identified. In the next assignment, you will write a business dilemma to examine the background of the root cause of the problem/opportunity.

UNIT 4: EXAMINING THE BUSINESS DILEMMA

Writing the business dilemma section of your business case is challenging, but happens to be the most important task in developing a business case. This expository piece of writing requires you to demonstrate an ability to immerse your reader into the plot of the story that behind all of the business problems and opportunities you identified in relation to each of the course outcomes. You want justify the need to further investigate and solve the problems and opportunities you identified through a concise and persuasive approach that contextually details the situations and circumstances of the protagonist in your business case. To successfully develop the business dilemma section of your business case, ensure you include the following information:

1. Be sure that the narrative of your business dilemma section is written in third person and is consistent with the protagonist situation discussed in your business case vignette. Remember, the protagonist may be the organization or department within the organization. The protagonist is not you or any one individual within the organization. The protagonist, in your business case, is always the collective organization, or a part/entity within the organizational collective. You are the narrator of the story behind the protagonist situation related to the problems and/or opportunities you identified. To address the protagonist situation, you may wish to discuss the following topics:

a. What is known/unknown about the problem or opportunity?

b. Is there urgency in solving the problem/opportunity? Why?

c. What are the assumptions being made if the problem/opportunity is not solved?

d. What actions must the protagonist take to mitigate risk of the problem or to capitalize on the opportunity?

e. Describe the internal/external context of the problem/opportunity situation and set of circumstances.

f. What happens of the problem/opportunity is not resolved?

2. Continue and complete the root cause analysis for the problems and/or opportunities you identified per course outcome. Upon completion of the root cause analysis, explain the business dilemma for each course outcome. An explanation of the business dilemma for each course outcome may include the following topics:

a. Situational analysis

b. Systems and policy analysis

c. Process and procedure analysis

d. Organizational culture considerations

e. Labor considerations

f. Impact on organizational efficiency

g. Impact on organizational effectiveness

h. Impact on quality

i. Social impact

j. Legal implications

k. Risk assessment and mitigation

l. Etc.

3. Ensure that extensive use of peer-reviewed research is used throughout your business dilemma to substantiate the investigation of each problem and/or opportunity related to each course outcome. Your business dilemma should demonstrate higher order thinking abilities, such as Critical thinking and Relational thinking .

UNIT 5: WRITING MANAGEMENT RESEARCH QUESTIONS

To ensure your success in the creation of management research questions, be sure to include the following information in your deliverable:

· Introductory paragraph: This paragraph should be written expository style with the intention of persuading the reader. Introduce the concept of developing management research questions and what they intend to do for your business case. Be sure to use a minimum of one research resource to substantiate the reasoning behind to importance of management research questions in your business case.

· Major Management Research Question- Course Outcome 1: Create a management research question in relation to the problem/opportunity found on Planning, Managing, and Controlling Information in your internship organization. Ensure the management research question is an inquisitive statement that will require extensive primary and secondary research.

a. Minor Investigative Question 1- Course Outcome 1: Create an investigative question related to the major management research question that will be used to develop alternative solutions to the course outcome 1 problem/opportunity.

b. Minor Investigative Question 2- Course Outcome 1: Create a second investigative question related to the major management research question that will be used to develop alternative solutions to the course outcome 1 problem/opportunity.

· Major Management Research Question- Course Outcome 2: Create a management research question in relation to the problem/opportunity found on Business Processes and Procedures in your internship organization. Ensure the management research question is an inquisitive statement that will require extensive primary and secondary research.

a. Minor Investigative Question 1- Course Outcome 2: Create an investigative question related to the major management research question that will be used to develop alternative solutions to the course outcome 2 problem/opportunity.

b. Minor Investigative Question 2- Course Outcome 2: Create a second investigative question related to the major management research question that will be used to develop alternative solutions to the course outcome 2 problem/opportunity.

· Major Management Research Question- Course Outcome 3: Create a management research question in relation to the problem/opportunity found on business ethics in your internship organization. Ensure the management research question is an inquisitive statement that will require extensive primary and secondary research.

a. Minor Investigative Question 1- Course Outcome 3: Create an investigative question related to the major management research question that will be used to develop alternative solutions to the course outcome 3 problem/opportunity.

b. Minor Investigative Question 2- Course Outcome 3: Create a second investigative question related to the major management research question that will be used to develop alternative solutions to the course outcome 3 problem/opportunity.

· Major Management Research Question- Course Outcome 4: Create a management research question in relation to the problem/opportunity found on organizational structure, leadership, and management in your internship organization. Ensure the management research question is an inquisitive statement that will require extensive primary and secondary research.

a. Minor Investigative Question 1- Course Outcome 4: Create an investigative question related to the major management research question that will be used to develop alternative solutions to the course outcome 4 problem/opportunity.

b. Minor Investigative Question 2- Course Outcome 4: Create a second investigative question related to the major management research question that will be used to develop alternative solutions to the course outcome 4 problem/opportunity.

· Major Management Research Question- Course Outcome 5: Create a management research question in relation to the problem/opportunity found on how economics, law, and government impact value creation from a global perspective in your internship organization. Ensure the management research question is an inquisitive statement that will require extensive primary and secondary research.

a. Minor Investigative Question 1- Course Outcome 5: Create an investigative question related to the major management research question that will be used to develop alternative solutions to the course outcome 5 problem/opportunity.

b. Minor Investigative Question 2- Course Outcome 5: Create a second investigative question related to the major management research question that will be used to develop alternative solutions to the course outcome 5 problem/opportunity.

· Major Management Research Question- Course Outcome 6: Create a management research question in relation to the problem/opportunity found on career skills in your internship organization. Ensure the management research question is an inquisitive statement that will require extensive primary and secondary research.

a. Minor Investigative Question 1- Course Outcome 6: Create an investigative question related to the major management research question that will be used to develop alternative solutions to the course outcome 6 problem/opportunity.

b. Minor Investigative Question 2- Course Outcome 6: Create a second investigative question related to the major management research question that will be used to develop alternative solutions to the course outcome 6 problem/opportunity.

UNIT 6: BUILDING THE LITERATURE REVIEW- OUTCOMES 1, 2, & 3

Developing a literature review is time consuming and tedious. When developing your annotated bibliographies, you were beginning the process. The literature review section of your business case examines the contemporary and historical literature, organizational data, whitepapers, and industry related information that are relative to the topics of the study. In this deliverable you want to focus attention on developing a literature review on the management research questions for course outcomes 1, 2, and 3.

Use the following resources to help you understand best practices in developing a viable literature review.

· Access the following Kaplan University Writing Reference Library to learn how to write a literature review. Be sure to create an outline to address each management research question topic. Access the following Kaplan University Writing Reference Library to learn how to create an outline .

· The Experiential Learning Research Library contains resources that may interest you.

UNIT 7: BUILDING THE LITERATURE REVIEW- OUTCOMES 4, 5, & 6

Continue developing the literature review section of your business case to inform decision making related to the management research questions for course outcomes 4, 5, and 6. Continue to rely on the resources below to understand best practices in developing a viable literature review.

· Access the following Kaplan University Writing Reference Library to learn how to write a literature review. Access the following Kaplan University Writing Reference Library to learn how to create an outline .

· The Experiential Learning Research Library contains resources that may interest you.

UNIT 8: STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN: OUTCOME 1, 2, & 3

At this point in your business case, it is time to create a strategy to solve the problems and/or capitalize on the opportunities identified in the business dilemma and management research questions for course outcomes 1, 2, and 3 explained in the business dilemma section of your business case. Based on the information derived from your literature review, and additional primary and secondary research that you may wish to conduct for inspiration, answer the management research questions. Then, develop a strategy for each course outcome business dilemma. It is important to keep your strategy concise and direct. Complex problems and opportunities may require more work, but ensuring your strategy is simple, agile, and realistic is important to the success of any initiatives you will propose. To develop this section, provide the following information to outline a strategy to solve the business dilemmas:

1. Primary Solution: Draw conclusions from the literature review. Concisely answer the management research questions for course outcomes 1, 2, and 3 using Critical thinking and Relational thinking abilities. Be sure to address each course outcome business dilemma independently in your deliverable.

2. Purpose Statement: A concise explanation, connecting practice with theory, on the conclusive findings that will help solve the business dilemmas. Under this heading, you want to explain the scope of the solution to the business dilemma for course outcomes 1, 2, and 3. Be sure to highlight the features and benefits of the primary solution. Use persuasive and expository writing abilities to deliver the message. Consider researching how to develop a positioning strategy in the marketing planning process to help you understand the tone and context of this section of the strategy. Ensure this section explains how the solution will resolve the root problem / opportunity.

3. Strategic Objectives: Using the SMART+C methodology in the creation of strategic business objectives for your solution to the business dilemmas.

· S pecific: The objective must express how much (e.g., 60%) of what is expected to be achieved (e.g., what is the outcome or behavior) and by when it should be accomplished (e.g., by 2018).

· M easurable: The information pertinent to achieving the objective is identifiable, can be ascertained, is detectable, or may be extracted from records or repositories.

· A chievable: It is essential that the objectives are feasible to achieve, and it is likely that the organization is able to implement without expending exorbitant resources.

· R elevant: The objectives must be clearly aligned with the overall vision and mission of the organization.

· Timed: A timeline is developed to implement and realize results of the objective (should be made clear in the objective itself).

· C hallenging: The objective puts the organization to the test using continuous improvement methods to ensure growth and success.

4. Risk Analysis: Explain potential risks and barriers that pose a threat to the primary solution to course outcome business dilemmas, and explain how to minimize the threats.

5. Alternative Solution: As a contingency plan, propose 1 alternative solution to the business dilemma for course outcomes 1, 2, and 3 based on the findings in the literature review.

6. Strategic Alignment: Explain how the primary and alternative solutions to course outcome one (1) business dilemma is aligned with your internship organization's vision, mission, and values.

7. Action Plan: The last step requires you to prepare an implementation plan for each solution to the business dilemmas for course outcomes 1, 2, and 3. This step involves the explanation of each step required to implement the primary solution, along with a monitoring plan to ensure the solution is viable and successfully solving the business dilemma. Create a step-by-step action plan addressing policy, system, process, and procedure changes needed to implement the primary solution to the business dilemma for course outcome one (1). Determine what functional areas of the business will be affected.

UNIT 9: STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN: OUTCOME 4, 5, & 6

Continue developing strategies to solve the business dilemmas for course outcomes 4, 5, and 6. Follow the same guidelines to propose the primary and secondary solutions concisely and persuasively by employing expository writing abilities. Use the seven component framework as presented above to in Unit 8 to complete this deliverable.

UNIT 10: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY & TESTIMONY

To complete your business case, you will develop the executive summary and a testimony about your experiential learning journey. Use the following guidelines to finalize your business case:

Executive Summary: An executive summary is a synopsis of the business case and should be no longer than one page long. Its purpose is simple. It summarizes the problems/opportunities, explains the purpose of the business case, and summarizes the recommended strategies and actions needed to solve the problems/opportunities. When writing an executive summary, use non-technical language, short and concise paragraphs, and be sure to include a summary at the end.

Testimony: Writing a testimony is seemingly easy, but when you sit down to embark on the reflective journey, sometimes it is hard to figure out where to start. You should consider the different testimony styles to help determine the path you will take in explaining your experiential learning journey. Here are some testimony styles to consider:

· Personal Experience Approach: Sincerely conveys your feelings using straightforward language about your experiences and observations.

· Just Providing the Facts: A professional and technical account of your experiences and observations, sometimes using a timeline to discuss facts, figures, historical data, expert advice, and usually uses research to substantiate your opinions.

· Expert Approach: this approach is used when you are the expert in your experiences and observations. This is a highly technical testimony, usually reserved for legal proceedings.

CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

A Story about Leadership Presence:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8SvP9q2Lt6taUhqSDFPMkhub00/view?usp=sharing

Personal Branding Presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8SvP9q2Lt6tejB3YU1zZGxhelU/view?usp=sharing

GLOSSARY

1. The premise of experiential learning is to bridge the gap between academic theories and concepts in relation to practically based professional competencies that are desirable in the career marketplace. Experiential learning is carried out by immersing students into a reality-based professional setting where they gain exposure to industry related problems and opportunities and are able to apply and hone professional knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors. During these practical experiences and encounters, students are encouraged to connect and apply theories and concepts from prior learning with practically based problems and opportunities faced in the reality-based setting (theory to practice). To ensure learning, the student engages in activities and develops deliverables in the online course room related to the course outcomes and professional competencies identified in the course curriculum. The student is required to reflect and actualize experiences gained from the practical setting in relation to research on theories and concepts connected with the course outcomes and professional competencies (practice to theory), resulting in higher forms of learning through demonstrated deep learning.

2. Connecting theory to practice refers to the practical side of your experiential learning journey. This is the application of previously learned theories and concepts put to practice in a real-world context, where learning occurs through experience, decision making, problem solving, appreciative inquiry, and critical thinking. During an internship or externship, a learner is expected to use practical judgment to apply the academic theories and concepts related to the course outcomes, resulting in a discernable positive or negative outcome to the business. Learners should consider how professional competencies might be used to apply theory to practice in a real-world context, such as written and verbal communication skills, leadership, teamwork, personal presentation, and multiculturalism and diversity. This process requires research of theories and concepts prior to the planning and implementation of the theories and concepts in the practical work setting.

3. Connecting practice to theory refers to the academic side of your experiential learning journey. This is a reflection exercise requiring a learner to actualize the effect of experiences, decisions, problems, appreciative inquiries, and critical thinking done during the practical work experience. This actualization exercise is based on your practical experiences working for your internship or externship employer, and should result in lessons learned through the connection of theories and concepts related to the course outcomes and professional competencies. This process requires research of theories and concepts subsequent to the practical experiences one has working for an internship or externship employer. During this reflection exercise, in connection with the course outcomes and professional competencies, learners should consider what was observed, emotions sensed, ideas developed, arguments for improvement, policies needed, systems required, and how to make policies and systems actionable through procedures and processes.

4. A learning theory developed in 1956 by educational psychologist Dr. Benjamin Bloom, Blooms Taxonomy, is used to engage students in higher levels of thinking. This hierarchical order of thinking theory includes the following six cognitive learning domain levels: 1) Knowledge, 2) Comprehension, 3) Application, 4) Analysis, 5) Synthesis, and 6) Evaluation. The cognitive learning theory domain is used in the design of Kaplan course curriculum and can be identified by the first word used in the development of a professional competency or program learning outcome. Students are required to perform the actions or demonstrate the understanding of the cognitive learning level associated with topic of the learning outcome or professional competency (Clark, 2015).

5. Knowledge Level of Bloom's Taxonomy: Knowledge is defined as the theoretical or experiential understanding of a subject matter. This is a suitable definition of knowledge from the perspective of experiential learning where the connection of theory to practice and practice to theory is of great importance. According to Clark (2015), knowledge is the action of recalling or retrieving previously learned information about a subject area, topic, or competency when necessary (p. 9). The acquisition of knowledge is derived from reading materials, audio lectures, videos, and note taking. Evidence of knowledge acquisition is demonstrated through exams and various other forms of assessment that test your ability to recall or define learned information, terminology, rules, or conventions associated with a topic. Keywords used in the construction of program or course learning outcomes and professional competencies associated with knowledge include the following: defines, describes, identifies, knows, labels, lists, matches, names, outlines, recalls, recognizes, reproduces, selects, and states.

6. Comprehension Level of Bloom's Taxonomy: According to Clark (2015b), comprehension means to demonstrate the ability to successfully solve problems using unique language and appropriate skills and techniques to prove comprehension and understanding of a subject, topic, competency, or subject area. Actions performed to demonstrate comprehension include translating information from one format to another (e.g., graphical to verbal), interpretation, summarization, determining cause and effect based on information and by following guidelines, restating or reorganizing material to communicate in layman’s terms, solving problems using knowledge, documenting processes, and clearly describing solutions and processes. Research is used to substantiate understanding of a topic, subject, competency, or subject area. Keywords used in the construction of program or course learning outcomes and professional competencies associated with comprehension include the following: comprehends, converts, defends, distinguishes, estimates, explains, extends, generalizes, gives an example, infers, interprets, paraphrases, predicts, rewrites, summarizes, and translates.

7. Application Level of Bloom's Taxonomy: According to Clark (2015c), application means to use theories, concepts, principles, solution methods, techniques, procedures, ideas, etc. to solve a problem, capitalize on an opportunity in a new situation, or when spontaneous circumstances demand attention. Application is the essence of using theory in practice within the workplace, with one demonstrating the ability to work independently. One is able to solve problems or to capitalize on opportunities without the need for guidance, examples, or specific cues that easily reveal a problem or opportunity. A thorough knowledge and comprehension of theories, concepts, principles, solution methods, techniques, procedures, ideas, etc. is required to apply them to real-world situations. An important characteristic of application is for one to use deep thinking in order to recognize her/his abilities to accomplish or not accomplish a task or feat. To establish evidence of application, one must connect theories and concepts from viable research sources with practical experiences in the execution and completion of tasks, activities, or projects. Keywords used in the construction of program or course learning outcomes and professional competencies associated with application include the following: analyzes, breaks down, compares, contrasts, diagrams, deconstructs, differentiates, discriminates, distinguishes, identifies, illustrates, infers, outlines, relates, selects, and separates.

8. Analysis Level of Bloom's Taxonomy: According to Clark (2015d), analysis means to demonstrate the ability of breaking ideas, concepts, theories, principles, procedures, processes, systems, policies, techniques, reports, etc. into component parts or foundational elements. This level requires the demonstration of deep knowledge and comprehension of the topic matter and the ability to logically explain the interconnection of component parts or foundational elements of the topic matter, explaining the causal relationships between parts and elements, leading up to how the whole functions. This level of high-order thinking requires sound reasoning, explaining why the entirety of the whole does or does not work, from the perspective of each of the component parts or elements. Substantial research is required to establish factual information, to substantiate opinions, and to explain the results of the analysis. To establish evidence of analysis in the application of theory and practice, evidence connecting theories and concepts from viable research sources with practical experiences is required. Keywords used in the construction of program or course learning outcomes and professional competencies associated with analysis include the following: analyzes, breaks down, compares, contrasts, diagrams, deconstructs, differentiates, discriminates, distinguishes, identifies, illustrates, infers, outlines, relates, selects, and separates.

9. Synthesis Level of Bloom's Taxonomy: According to Clark (2015e), synthesis means to demonstrate the ability to assemble parts or elements into a whole or uniformly organized structure that requires unique, original, and creative thinking to develop. Synthesis involves the recognition of new or existing problems, and the development or design of new or adapted tools to solve the problem. Synthesis also involves the identification of opportunities, and the development or design of methods or tools used to capitalize on the opportunity. Examples that demonstrate synthesis include the creation, design, and/or development of hypotheses, diagrams, models, project plans, templates, systems, processes, design methods, physical objects, prototypes, etc. that aid in the resolution to a problem or provides the means of capitalizing on an opportunity. This level of high order thinking requires sound reasoning to explain each component part or element in combination to form the unique whole or organized structure resulting in a comprehensive analysis, with the demonstration of knowledge, comprehension, and application of the topic matter as a critical means of ensuring reliability and validity in the deliverable. Substantial research is required to establish factual information, to substantiate opinions, and to explain and provide evidence of the synthesis deliverable used to problem solve or in capitalizing on an opportunity. To establish evidence of synthesis between theory and practice, deep connection of theories and concepts from viable research sources with practical experiences is required. Keywords used in the construction of program or course learning outcomes and professional competencies associated with synthesis include the following: builds, categorizes, combines, compiles, composes, creates, constructs, devises, designs, explains, generates, modifies, organizes, plans, rearranges, reconstructs, relates, reorganizes, revises, and rewrites.

10. Evaluation Level of Bloom's Taxonomy: According to Clark (2015f), evaluation means to demonstrate the ability to make sound judgments and to recognize the value of theories, concepts, foundational principles, ideas, techniques, procedures, processes, policies, and systems with regard to a set of prescribed criteria such as relevance, usefulness, effectiveness, efficiency, and contribution to an existing or new body of knowledge, a system, a policy, or a strategy, which may be related to course outcomes and professional competencies. This level of high-order thinking requires sound reasoning acquired through the application, analysis, and synthesis of practical and research based activities. Evaluation of a topic, theory, etc. requires strict adherence to standards of consistency, protocols to ensure quality, and logic that considers and explains ethical considerations such as bias, validity, reliability, etc. Evaluation requires the full review and verification of all methods, processes, designs, models, plans, ideas, techniques, etc., prior to the selection process or drawing of conclusions that may be generalized from the connection of practice to theories and concepts from the research. The use of rational thinking to select appropriate methods, processes, designs, models, plans, ideas, techniques, etc. from a set of possibilities is also a critical step in the process of evaluation. Substantial research is required to establish factual information that support judgments and aid in making decisions, to substantiate educated opinions, and to explain and provide evidence of the evaluated topic matter. To establish evidence of evaluation between theory and practice, deep connection of theories and concepts from viable research sources with practical experiences is required to determine feasibility. Keywords used in the construction of program or course learning outcomes and professional competencies associates with synthesis include the following: appraises, assesses, compares, concludes, contrasts, criticizes, critiques, defends, describes, discriminates, evaluates, explains, interprets, justifies, relates, summarizes, and supports.

11. Skill: Aptitude that is acquired or developed through learning or experience.

12. Abilities: The combination of applied knowledge, skills, and behaviors that influences performance.

13. Behaviors: The observable actions, emotions, and attitudes with which a student responds to a specific set of conditions.

14. Professional competency A written statement that describes the knowledge, skills, abilities, or behaviors required to be competent in the professional areas of Communication, Teamwork, Leadership, Problem Solving and Critical Thinking, Personal Presentation, and Multiculturalism and Diversity throughout a degree program.

15. Deep learning is the act of developing critical thinking skills in relation to theories and concepts that connect with reality-based ideas, problems, and opportunities, linking depth of understanding to existing and new cognitive structures through the synthesis of research and execution of evidence-based deliverables (Atherton, 2013).

16. Appreciative Inquiry “is a way of being and seeing. It is both a worldview and a process for facilitating positive change in human systems, e.g., organizations, groups, and communities. Its assumption is simple: Every human system has something that works right–things that give it life when it is vital, effective, and successful” (The Center for Appreciative Inquiry, 2015, p. 2).

17. The Oxford Dictionary (2015) defines experience as “the knowledge or skill acquired by a period of practical experience of something, especially that gained in a particular profession” (p. 1).

18. Decision-making is the use of judgment to make an educated choice.

19. Problem solving is “the process of working through details of a problem to reach a solution. Problem solving may include mathematical or systematic operations and can be a gauge of an individual's critical thinking skills” (Web Finance, Inc., 2015a, p. 1).

20. Critical thinking is “objective examination of assumptions (adopted rules of thumb) underlying current beliefs to assess their correctness and legitimacy, and thus to validate or invalidate the beliefs” (Web Finance, Inc., 2015b, p. 1).

21. Found in the syllabus of a course, the course outcomes are written statements that describe the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors a student is expected to master upon completion of a course.

22. According to the Free Management Library (2015), “action planning typically includes deciding who is going to do what and by when and in what order for the organization to reach its strategic goals. The design and implementation of the action planning depend on the nature and needs of the organization.”

23. Ringelmann Effect: A theory developed by Max Ringelmann, a French Agricultural Engineer. The Ringelmann Effect is a phenomenon that results in organizational inefficiencies, ineffectiveness, and loss of production stemming from a combination of confusion, laziness, and loss of coordination within a group. The confusion result in a lack of synchronization of efforts within a group and the laziness is largely attributed to an individual’s fear of doing something wrong to make him/her seem professionally inadequate. Individuals that fear they are professionally inadequate fail to contribute to organizational efforts and productivity suffers.

REFERENCES

Atherton, J. (2013). Approaches to study deep and surface learning. Retrieved

from: http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/deepsurf.htm

Business Dictionary. (2015). Problem Solving. Retrieved from

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/problem-solving.html#ixz

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Clark, D. (2015). Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains. Retrieved from

http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html

Dunmade, I. (2013). Effectiveness of Term Projects in Helping Students to Connect

Theory with Practice: an Evaluation of Students’ Perspectives. Retrieved from http://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.edu.20130201.11.pdf

National Center for O*NET Development. Abilities. O*NET OnLine. Retrieved

from http://www.onetonline.org/find/descriptor/browse/Abilities

National Center for O*NET Development. Skills. O*NET OnLine. Retrieved from http://www.onetonline.org/find/descriptor/browse/Skills

Oxford University Press (2015). Definition of experience. Retrieved from

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/experience