Managing virtual internships during the covid-19 pandemic era: Implications for academic instructors and business leaders

Abstract

During the beginning phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic in late March of 2020 in the United States, two academic instructors at a mid-sized, public university in the Midwest were involved in converting a traditional human resource development internship course into a virtual internship course that they would be teaching in May of 2020. This paper shares the lessons learned by the two instructors along with a summary of a relevant theoretical leadership framework that provides useful insights for academic instructors and business leaders who are or will be managing virtual academic internships in the future. This paper concludes by offering insights and recommendations for academic instructors, business leaders, and students interested in virtual internships.