Virtual Internships During the COVID‐19 Pandemic and Beyond

Abstract

Weeks into higher education’s forced shift into a virtual mode around March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, popular and practitioner media started being flooded with predictions that the situation will permanently alter the learning landscape in colleges toward a more virtual mode. (Kim, 2020; Chronicle of Higher Education, 2020). While much attention has been given to the shift of formal classes to delivery over Zoom and similar platforms, the field of Adult Education & Human Resource Development (AEHRD) should not ignore the concurrent shift of internships to a virtual mode. Many practitioners in the field work with internships, whether in a university career services role, the talent development team of an employer, or third-party roles such as placement services and reskilling programs.