‘I didn’t know what I was doing, until I went there’: a case study exploring the range of student STEM internship experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated a transition to flexible remote and hybrid work arrangements. This shift presents a challenge to colleges and universities as they prepare the next generation of STEM professionals in the knowledge economy. This case study of student experiential learning during the time of critical change from the Spring of 2020 through Spring of 2022 focused on how students, typically aged 20–23, contended with their professional development amidst changing patterns in workplace community, culture, and activities. We expected that students would struggle to achieve a greater understanding of situated workplace community practices; however, the data problematised these general assumptions. The findings highlight the variation in student experiences around these themes and are discussed in the context of scaffolding of student internships in intrapersonal, interpersonal, and cognitive domains.