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Yale Divinity School
409 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06515
Assignments Practicum Placement Process Process for Addressing Problems
Financial Arrangements Critical Dates How to Create a Learning Agreement
The Part-Time Internship (Rel. 986)
The Part-time Internship with Practicum (Rel. 986) has as its goal to help students become “reflective practitioners” of ministry. This includes several goals: gaining professional competence, building a framework for raising practical theological issues, acquiring a comprehensive and realistic view of the Church and its ministries, and developing a ministerial identity. Interns work thirteen and a half hours a week in their sites, including travel and one hour of supervision with theological reflection. Specific responsibilities are set out in a Learning Agreement developed by the intern and the supervisor prior to the internship. Interns also spend one and a half hours a week in Practicum, a peer reflection group taught by a practitioner. The internship must be taken for two consecutive semesters, Fall and Spring. It carries 3 credits per semester. These are elective and not Area IV credits. Students are graded on a Credit/No Credit basis. All assignments must be completed for a grade of Credit.
The assignments for the Part-time Internship are organized around three orientations of ministry—knowledge, skills, and habits—because developing in all three areas is necessary to prepare for ministry. This is not an internship program that outlines specific competencies for the interns to meet. Instead, significant room is left for interns to identify their own, in conjunction with experienced supervisors who know what competencies are needed and called forth in that type of ministry context. All interns, however, should learn to “think like a minister,” acquire some concrete skills, and grow as individuals into the qualities and habits needed for ministry today. The assignments are designed to help them do all three. Some of the assignments are tied to the intern’s work in the field and others to Practicum.
Assignments for work in the field:
- a Learning Agreement
- 13.5 hours per week of supervised ministry, including travel
- one hour a week of supervision with theological reflection
- one Observation Report per semester
- Mid-year report
- Final report
Assignments for Practicum:
- weekly attendance in Practicum
- one one-page Case for Practicum per year
- up to 100 pages of reading for Practicum per semester
- two end-of-semester essays
The Learning Agreement is like a roadmap: you can travel without one but it might take longer to get somewhere. Learning Agreements are meant to be revised as necessary but they help keep both intern and supervisor accountable to their own stated goals for the internship. Learning Agreements should be completed in the spring so that internships can begin right away in the fall. For further information, see "How to Create a Learning Agreement" .
The hours requirement includes travel time so that it is possible for students to choose sites at some distance from YDS and not be expected to put in more time. Preparation time is included in the hours, as well as at least one hour a week of supervision.
Supervision with theological reflection is time set apart for one-on-one conversation about the intern’s ministerial work, their learning goals, and their questions and reflections on ministry in that context. It is distinct from staff meeting time. It is also distinct from the time set aside for Observations. Interns and supervisors are free to structure their supervision time as fits their preferred style. Some supervisors ask interns to bring a question for discussion each time; others ask for brief written reflection; still other pairs study books and articles together. We encourage supervisor and intern pairs to reflect on the cases studied in Practicum.
Both the Mid-year and Final Reports have the following purposes:
1) Assessment of how well interns are meeting their learning goals and achieving the tasks identified in their Learning Agreements; and
2) Identification of the intern’s particular aptitudes for ministry as well as recommendations for continued
development. (Supervisors are discouraged, however, from making specific recommendations about
ordination. This is properly left to ecclesial bodies.)
Reporting is done cooperatively between intern and supervisor, in keeping with the assumption that interns largely direct their own learning and therefore nothing written about them should come as a surprise. Discussion between intern and supervisor precedes both reports, and both are co-signed. Reports help the Director monitor the intern’s progress and learning.
Interns and supervisors meet at mid-year to discuss the progress made to date toward the student’s learning goals as well as the working relationship between the two of them. A summary of this discussion, in the form of a report, is drafted by either intern or supervisor and then edited by the other. Once a final draft is prepared, it is signed by both and submitted to the Director. Signatures do not necessarily indicate full agreement with the report’s content, only that the report has been read. The Mid-year Report does not become part of the student’s permanent academic file.
Interns and supervisors meet again at year-end to evaluate the internship. The process is similar to the mid-year report except that it is more focused on the intern’s performance and readiness for professional service. Where there is an intern committee, it is invited to share in the reporting process. The supervisor (and/or intern committee) prepares a final written report which is co-signed by the student. It is placed in the student’s permanent academic file.
Berkeley Divinity School interns’ Mid-Year and Final Reports are shared with the Dean of BDS.
See Mid-Year Report and Final Report for more information.
The Observation Report is designed to help intern and supervisor be more intentional about the skills the intern is learning. For each report, the intern and supervisor choose a skill that the supervisor will observe the intern doing. They meet both before and after an activity (e.g. sermon, meeting, event) where the intern will be performing that skill. Reports are due by October 22 and February 18.
See Observation Report for more information.
The Case is designed to help interns develop the habit of reflecting on their ministry with their peers. The Case places a particular ministry practice within the context of the broad themes discussed in Practicum about the meaning(s) of ministry. Case discussions also help interns learn how to participate in and lead discussions with peers and thus to become ministers practiced in the habit of mutually critical collegiality.
See Case for more information.
The second way that learning is built into the program is through Practicum, the weekly peer reflection group for interns taught by experienced practitioners. Practicum complements the individual supervision interns receive by focusing on themes embedded in the work of ministry that are shared across ministry settings (e.g., authority, resiliency in the face of conflict, interpreting context, the theological meaning(s) of ministry). Through Practicum, interns have access to a group of peers with which to ask questions and share experiences in a confidential space, and to a teacher who will help them turn their reactions to the challenges of ministry into critical reflections upon it. It also models the sort of peer group many ministry professionals participate in. Practicum groups practice confidentiality within the group, with the Director considered a confidant in all of them.
Practicum meets weekly throughout the academic year on Thursday from 4:00 to 5:30pm.
The Practicum portion of the intern’s grade is based on attendance, submission of at least one case for discussion, and reading. The attendance policy is: no more than two absences per semester will be allowed for credit, and they will only be allowed when students explain their absences in advance to their group. This models professionalism.
Click here for the Practicum Syllabus.
2009-2010 Schedule of class meetings
9/3 Practicum Plenary 1/21 Practicum
9/10 Practicum Plenary 1/28 Practicum
9/17 Practicum 2/4 Practicum
9/24 Practicum 2/11 Reading week; no Practicum
10/1 Practicum 2/18 Practicum
10/8 Practicum 2/25 Practicum
10/15 Reading week; no Practicum 3/4 Practicum
10/22 Practicum 3/11 Spring Recess; no Practicum
10/29 Practicum 3/18 Spring Recess; no Practicum
11/5 Practicum 3/25 Practicum
11/12 Practicum 4/1 Practicum
11/19 Practicum 4/8 Practicum
11/26 Thanksgiving; no Practicum 4/15 Practicum
12/3 Practicum 4/22 Practicum
1/14 Practicum
Internship sites are developed by invitation from the OSM and/or by request from a site or student. Potential supervisors complete an application that describes their site and general expectations. Completed applications are due by no later than February 1 for internships beginning the following fall. The Director gives final approval of all sites and all new supervisors must be trained. (See the Supervision section, above.) Sites that do not make the February 1 deadline may participate in the individualized process but not the match process.
The OSM ordinarily prohibits students from interning in sites where they already work, in their home churches, or in the church sponsoring them for ordination. Experience has shown that interns receive more objective and helpful feedback on their professional and personal development if they are placed in sites that offer a new mentor and a new context for ministry. It can also be difficult for students to intern in sites where dual roles can create conflicts. Finally, if the goals of an internship include learning to think, act, and be like a minister, a student needs a new setting and context in which to test these out.
Likewise, students are not placed with supervisors who are their spouses, partners, family members, or close personal friends, in order to avoid potential conflicts from being in dual roles.
There are two placement processes. While the majority of students and sites will gravitate toward the match process, some will prefer the individualized process. Some sites and students will participate in both.
Briefly, the two processes are the match process, and the individualized process. The match process is one during whcih students interview at more than one site (typically three) and rank their preferences afterward. Sites may receive up to three candidates; supervisors also rank candidates. Bearing both sets of interest in mind, students and sites are matched up. The individualized process is a "one at a time" process. It takes place after the match process, and allows students to interview at just one site, after which both site and supervisor determine if it's a good match. If it is, the process ends. If it is not, it continues. The individualized process is preferred for students seeking very unique denominational, vocational or geographical settings. for sites where interviewing three students is impractical, and for those that simply prefer to take their time with decisions.
MATCH PROCESS
The Match Placement Process Step-by-Step
- OSM Orientation Session
- Application
- Placement Meeting
- Interviews
- Match Day
- Preparing the Learning Agreement
- In the fall or winter, the OSM offers an Orientation session in which students obtain an application for a part-time internship.
- Upon completing the application, students schedule placement meetings with the Acting Director of Supervised Ministries, Susan Olson, in early February. Placement meetings are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis via a signup sheet outside the Acting Director’s office. Between the orientation and Match Day, students will have six weeks for interviewing; early appointments are encouraged.
- At the placement meeting, the Director reviews the student’s application and the student reviews several site applications. They decide on several sites with which the student will interview. The OSM currently has more potential sites than it does potential interns, so students who meet with the Director early have many options. The student’s application is sent to the sites they selected for interviews, and the student calls within one week to schedule interviews. If supervisors do not hear from students within one week of receiving the students’ applications, the supervisors are not obligated to interview those students.
- Students and supervisors submit their ranked choices to the Acting Director by Monday, March 15, 2009 (“Match Day”), and she notifies everybody of the matches by Wednesday, March 17.
- After the matches have been determined, interns and supervisors begin the process of preparing a Learning Agreement in April. The intern submits a final copy of the Learning Agreement to the OSM for the Director’s approval.
INDIVIDUALIZED PROCESS
Individualized Process Step-by-Step
1. OSM orientation--students should attend the same orientation as match-process students
2. Application
3. Meet with the Acting Director of OSM
4. Interview
5. Discernment
6. Learning Agreement
Some students and sites will choose this individualized process intentionally. Others will be in it due to late applications or busy schedules during the match process time. Some students and sites will not have matched during the match process and choose to continue on to the individualized process.
The first few steps of the individualized process are similar to those of the match process. Students attend the same information session and complete the same application.During the meeting with the Acting Director of OSM, students choose one site at which to interview. After that one interview, both the student and the site are asked to discern whether or not the pairing is a good match. This decision must be made within two weeks of the interview. If both parties are in agreement, the process ends. If one or both disagrees, the process continues.
While the method is more relaxed, it does still need to be completed in a timely manner. Budgets and staffing are all set based on the number of students participating. June 15, 2010 is the absolute deadline for completion of an individualized match.
Process for Addressing Problems
If during the course of an internship the intern, supervisor, or Director of Supervised Ministries feels that a problem has arisen and the Learning Agreement is not being honored, the following steps are taken:
1) The intern, supervisor, and Director meet at YDS to discuss the problem and attempt to identify a solution that will ensure learning on the part of the student while retaining the integrity of the internship.
2) If necessary, a second meeting takes place within two weeks, involving other persons as applicable and appropriate.
3) If a resolution is reached that involves continuing the internship, the Learning Agreement is modified as necessary and signed by all three.
4) If the resolution involves terminating the internship, the Director writes an explanation and provides it to all parties, including the Dean of Academic Affairs and/or the Dean of Berkeley.
5) In the case of disagreement, the Director makes a final decision about continuing or terminating the internship.
6) In the event that an internship is terminated after the deadline for withdrawal, the student receives a No Credit grade and the Director’s written statement is placed in the student’s permanent academic file.
7) If the Director determines that the supervisor or site primarily caused the problem leading to the termination, the site will be reevaluated with respect to participating again in the part-time internship program. If the Director determines that the student primarily caused the problem, he or she will receive a notation on his or her transcript indicating a failure of supervised ministry.
In the event of illness or other serious problems that prevent the intern from fulfilling the Learning Agreement, the intern and/or supervisor notify the Director of Supervised Ministries. If possible, the three arrange a leave of absence, after which the student works additional hours to compensate for lost time. If this is determined not possible, the student may withdraw from the internship (see # 6 above).
Deadlines and fees for terminating or withdrawing from an internship follow the same calendar and policies set by the Registrar, as for all courses.
All internships are subject to Yale Divinity School's policy on sexual harassment. See http://www.yale.edu/divinity/sm/YDS_SexualHarassment.shtml
The Office of Financial Aid gives interns extra aid, in the form of a grant credited to the Bursar Account. Students should contact that office for further information. In 2009-2010, the amount is $3,100.
In the past, sites were asked to make a contribution toward this aid when applying to have an intern. We have changed that practice and now, having an intern is no longer contingent upon a site's ability to make a contribution.
Sites are asked, however, to reimburse interns directly for travel to and from internships and travel done for internship work.We suggest the reimbursement rate set by the IRS each year. If sites cannot meet this, they are encouraged to indicate on their application the amount they can afford
September 2009
2 Wed Fall classes begin; Interns register for Rel. 986
3 Th First Practicum Meeting
7 Mon Part-time Internships begin
October 2009
12 Mon Reading Week at YDS begins; Internships continue.
16 Friday Reading Week at YDS ends
22 Th First Observation Report Due
November 2009
-- Mid-program Check-in Meetings with Students--
20 Fri Internships suspend for Thanksgiving recess
30 Mon Internships resume
December 2009
6 Sun Last day of Internship for Fall
18 Fri Mid-year Reports due; Essay due.
January 2010
11 Mon Internships resume; Interns register again for Rel. 986
February 2010
--Interview Process for 2010-2011 interns begins--
1 Mon Deadline for new site Match Process applications to the OSM
3 Wed Deadline for returning site Match Process applications due to the OSM
8 Mon Reading Week at YDS begins; Internships continue.
12 Fri Reading Week at YDS ends
March 2010
4 Th Individualized Process Site Applications due to the OSM
5 Fri Spring break at YDS begins; Interns are oon vacation for 14 days.
15 Mon Preferences for Match Day are due to the OSM by 3 p.m.
17 Wed Match Day for 2010- 2011
18 Th New Supervisor Training and Orientatio, 9-4 p.m.
22 Mon Internships resume; Individualized Process Interviews begin
April 2010
25 Sun Internships conclude
May 2010
7 Fri Senior Final Reports Due; senior essays due
24 Mon Final reports due for non-seniors
June 2010
How to Create a Learning Agreement
THINKING
DOING BEING
Internships are designed for you to acquire three things—the skills, knowledge, and habits of ministry. These three learning goals correspond to three orientations toward ministry—thinking, doing, and being—all of which are necessary to prepare for it. Your Learning Agreement is a vehicle for identifying your skill, knowledge, and habit goals and matching them to your internship activities. It becomes your roadmap for the experience. By the end of the internship, you should be able to say how the activities you were engaged in improved your skills, knowledge, and habits of ministry.
1. Establishing learning goals
Begin by assessing the skills, knowledge, and habits of ministry you already possess. This might be called your learning “baseline,” and you might even bring evidence of it to your supervisor, e.g. in the form of sermons you have written, programs you have developed, or training you have already received. Next, identify what areas you need to develop. What do you need to understand to do this sort of ministry? What do you need to work on to improve your practice? In what ways do you want to grow as a professional who ministers to others? This assessment, done in conjunction with a supervisor--who will also have ideas about what you need to learn and what your ministry in that site will teach you--is the beginning of the process of establishing a Learning Agreement.
Growing in knowledge is the intellectual work of ministry. All ministers are theologians. All must be able to reflect critically not only on the realities of their specific communities and contexts but also on the meaning(s) of their work in them. Ministers must develop imagination and vision for their ministries and also be able to identify the theological assumptions, issues, and questions underlying their practice. Some specific knowledge goals might include, for example, learning what refugees go through upon entering this country; how ministry in small churches differs from large churches; or how multifaith worship is done with integrity.
Developing skills represents the performative work of ministry. All ministers are practitioners. All must strive for excellence in their work, developing the competencies that will enable them to minister effectively in their contexts. A skill goal might include, for example, becoming practiced in fielding questions about the bible, effectively designing age appropriate experiences, or learning to speak more slowly and clearly.
Cultivating habits is the formative work of ministry. All ministers must know who they are and who they are not, as ministers, and work toward developing an appropriate ministerial identity. They must strive to be comfortable in their skins as leaders of others and proclaimers of the Gospel. Some habits of ministry might include practicing the art of non-anxious presence, cultivating spiritual and ethical disciplines to prevent burnout, or developing an authentic leadership style with people who are older than you are.
Ultimately, you will probably discover that skills, knowledge, and habits are inseparable within the practice of ministry. We are what we do and what we know. It is nevertheless wise to attend to these goals separately, if only to counteract the tendencies of our culture to make education into a checklist of required tasks (and not the formation of a person) and ministry into a mere assortment of skills (lacking critical direction and reflection).
Note: Sometimes we cannot fully discern our goals until we begin working toward them! Your learning goals may well crystallize and even change as you proceed with your internship. That is fine; they can always be modified or amended. Do not use this as an excuse to be random, but simply remember that goals are goals.
2. Meet with your supervisor
Make an appointment with your supervisor to discuss the learning goals you have in mind. Solicit your supervisor’s opinion as to whether they are realistic and appropriate to the internship. She or he will have additional ideas. Together, you will identify several learning goals in each area. They will not all be about skill acquisition (“I want to learn how to do x”). They will also represent intellectual and formation work. A learning goal is just that – a goal toward which you aspire over time. Sometimes learning goals take a lifetime to achieve, but it is good even in such cases to make yourself write them down anyway because they give shape and meaning to your activities.
3. Match learning goals with learning activities
The next step is to match activities to your goals. The first set is already structured for you because the skills you have identified form the basis for the Observations that are required by the program. Four times throughout the internship, your supervisor (or a substitute) will observe you practicing one of your skills and will give you feedback on it. In similar fashion you will match your knowledge and habit goals to the projects or responsibilities you will undertake throughout the year.
It is important at this step to be as concrete and specific as possible. Even though you are creating your Learning Agreement well before your start date, it will behoove you to hammer out your plans with as much specificity as possible. E.g. “Plan and lead a five-week Lenten series” is better than “run occasional programs.”
5. Look ahead
Finally, think about whether there are any particular resources you will need for your tasks–from people to materials. It would be helpful to identify these with your supervisor sooner rather than later. You will also want to determine whether there will be an intern committee (a group of lay people or staff) who will participate in offering you feedback.
6. Make it official
Complete the Learning Agreement form either electronically or by handwriting, cosign it along with your supervisor, make a copy for yourself, and turn it in to the Office of Supervised Ministries by the end of May. You will need to submit your Learning Agreement in order to register for Part-time Internship with Practicum (Rel. 986).
Last Updated 08/11/09