Canada's top experiential education organization has awarded Brock's Communication, Popular Culture and Film (CPCF) internship with a new certification that recognizes excellent work-integrated learning (WIL) experiences.
The CPCF 4F00 internship now holds a Quality Work-Integrated Learning Certification from Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada.
Business Communication major Nadine Bongers (left) reflected on how the in-depth combination of classroom learning and placement experience in CPCF 4F00 prepared her for her future career during a recent campus meet-up with Assistant Professor Kate Cassidy, who instructs the course.
Over the past year, Assistant Professor Kate Cassidy took part in a CEWIL Canada pilot program to help develop the certification's criteria.
Cassidy says she relished the opportunity to learn from others and share insights on how 4F00 has grown into a research- and industry-informed learning experience.
"Students approach the workplace as a laboratory for the content we discuss in class related to power, ethics, organizational culture, collaborative work and agency in the workplace," she says.
Recognizing how expectations in the field of WIL are evolving, Cassidy believes the pilot was "a great opportunity."
"Asking very specific questions about how we engage in reflection, prepare students for the workplace, involve partners and engage as an institution made for a layered approach that was really valuable," she says.
Following the pilot, programs were invited to apply for certification. Brock's application included an extensive assessment covering student success, partnerships and the role of its Co-op, Career and Experiential Education (CCEE) unit and expert experiential education support staff.
The reviewers awarding the certification acknowledged the strong student experience, institutional support, exceptional learning design and continuous improvement of the CPCF internship.
"As the nature of work continues to evolve, quality work-integrated learning has never been more important. Brock University and specifically Professor Cassidy's leadership in this pilot reflects a deep commitment to student success, community engagement and workforce readiness," says Charlene Marion, Executive Director at CEWIL Canada. "CEWIL Canada is proud to recognize COMM 4F00 as an early example of the excellence we hope to see reflected in WIL across Canada."
Business Communication major Nadine Bongers recently completed her two-term placement as a communications intern with Ontario Business Improvement Area Association, where she supported an annual conference and award program.
"The weekly class sessions gave us the opportunity to discuss organizational culture and other communication topics explored throughout my Business Communications degree in a practical, real-world sense," says Bongers. "The course also supported our career preparation by encouraging us to update and refine relevant professional materials, including our LinkedIn profiles, resumes and career stories, helping us better articulate our experiences and strengths as we transition into the workforce."
Vanessa Cecchini, also a Business Communication student, completed an internship with Crimestoppers Niagara, where she has also been hired to work over the summer. She says the full-year course built a bridge between being a student and her goal of becoming a crisis communications specialist.
"It's a perfect ending," she says. "I felt like the jump from school to career was going to be massive, but doing this program, I've been prepared over the last year so starting my career is not going to be this big drastic change in my life."
CPCF Chair Derek Foster says the development of the course since it was introduced in 2012 has resulted in "a flexible, customizable, supportive and student-centred model that contributes to students' social, academic and professional networks."
"Years ago, the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film responded to student demand to provide high-quality experiential education," he says. "This certification distinguishes COMM 4F00 as a trailblazer of work-integrated learning that fully integrates students' reflective coursework and the valuable experiences they gain outside the classroom in a capstone experience."
CCEE Director Julia Zhu says what stands out about this internship course is "the intentional integration of academic learning with real-world experience."
"Students are not only applying their knowledge in professional contexts, but also engaging in structured reflection that deepens their understanding of themselves, their discipline and their future pathways," says Zhu. "That kind of integrated curricular-based experiential learning is where we see the most meaningful student growth."
For Cassidy, helping students recognize their own moments of growth and understanding is fundamental to the course.
"In education, we aspire to transformational learning, where people not only understand content but actually understand their own worldview as it relates to content, and can then better use that understanding as a vehicle to question their assumptions and evolve," she says. "I see year after year that students actually do that in our class, arriving at a place that allows them to question what a career means and what kind of professional they want to be in the future."
