In today's increasingly competitive business landscape, the value of internships remains; in fact, their value has perhaps increased, because they are one way to differentiate worthy job candidates. To further enhance the educational benefit students reap from such experiences, the College's Internship for Credit program includes an online component. This "virtual classroom" supplements the real-world experience students gain at their internships by providing opportunities for them to participate in weekly discussions—with other SVA interns and Career Development counselors—to deepen their understanding of professional behavior.

Career Development initially worked with the College's instructional technologist to identify appropriate tools to connect SVA interns online. The goal was not to add technology for technology's sake, but to create a private online environment that would facilitate convenient and private conversationsamong students. The online forum gives interns an opportunity to learn from and grow with one another and also gives Career Development a tool to better gauge the quality of internships being provided by participating companies.

The online component is a private discussion board that includes relevant resources for the students to download and a secure area for them to post questions and comments (log-in required). Each week a Career Development counselor poses questions for the interns to respond to, a link to an article for them to read and reflect on, or a request that the interns share some observations on the professional environments in which they are working. A primary goal is to inspire students to consider work habits most suitable for professional settings— and get them talking about these ideas with one another. Some online discussions have focused on sensitive topics, such as "How to advocate for yourself in the workplace" and "How to respond to criticism from your supervisor." And since the new system gives Career Development a regular means of checking in with its interns, students can now undertake summer internships with approved employers from almost any corner of the globe. Since 2009, SVA students have completed internships for credit in China, Italy, the Netherlands, South Korea and Spain.

In addition to assisting interns in becoming more observant, self-aware and better communicators, the online discussions often reveal interns' shared experiences and give them the opportunity to both give and receive advice. Additionally, the discussions allow interns to learn about different types of employment and how staff size, clientele and distinct company cultures may affect the work experience. Clearly, it is very different to work for a corporate giant such as, say, MTV Networks, than for a small studio of a dozen or so designers. In their online contacts with one another, interns not only reflect on their own experiences, but learn some of the pros and cons of other work environments. And word quickly spreads among interns about which organizations offer the most worthwhile learning opportunities.

Through the weekly discussions, Career Development is often able to assess potential problems before hearing about them directly from interns or employers. In a few cases, students have run into trouble communicating with their supervisors or managing the responsibilities of their internships. In each of these cases, Career Development was able to identify the problem early on and mediate between the intern and his or her supervisor; in each instance, the end result was far more than conflict resolution: students received added support in digesting their supervisors' criticisms and then transforming that feedback into opportunities for meaningful professional development.

At the other end of the spectrum, the discussion board gives Career Development greater awareness of the quality of guidance and work experience students are receiving from their internship sponsors. Hearing weekly from students about their internships allows Career Development a means to verify that employers are fulfilling their side of the partnership. Career Development has maintained complete transparency with employers about the weekly discussion board so they understand that they may be the next hot topic of student discussion—for better or worse.

Through services such as the Internship for Credit program, the Office of Career Development strives to ensure that SVA students graduate as well-rounded creative professionals. Any employers interested in participating in the program are encouraged to call 212.592.2370 or cd@sva.edu for information on enrollment.