MARA Professional Experience

Overview

MARA – Professional Experience

A Professional Experience is a valuable optional component of the MARA program. You’ll gain experience in your field of study, explore career options, and showcase your talents and skills through completion of an internship assignment, an organizational consulting project, or a special project related to the field of archives, records management and/or information governance.

MARA Students Have Three Options:

  1. MARA 294 – Internship Experience
  2. MARA 295 – Organizational Consulting Project
  3. MARA 295 – Professional Project

Professional Experiences & ICRM Work Requirement

MARA – Professional Experience is a highly recommended course for 3 of the 12 elective units possible. Credit for one year of work experience toward ICRM certification is granted to students who complete one of two types of Professional Experiences: Internship or Organizational Consulting Project.

Completing either is a valuable optional component of the MARA program. You’ll gain experience in your field of study, explore career options, and showcase your talents and skills under professional supervision in an internship position in an archives, records management, or information governance setting.

MARA 294 Internships

Qualifying for the Internship Option

To qualify for the internship option, you must:

  1. Be matriculated in the MARA degree program.
  2. Remain in good academic standing (3.0 CUM GPA or above).
  3. Have completed  19 units including MARA 200, 204.

Completing the Requirements

If you meet the qualifications, you will be allowed to register for MARA 294 and be required to complete 135 hours during one semester at an approved internship site. The internship site must meet criteria outlined in the MARA internship guidelines and be approved by the internship coordinator.

The 135–hour requirement is the equivalent of 9 hours a week, but it is possible to start the internship assignment 2 weeks before the semester begin if this arrangement is approved by the site supervisor and the internship coordinator.

Evaluating the Experience

Several instruments will be used in evaluating your internship performance and experience, some optional and others required. The actual method or combination of methods used for evaluation will depend on your established internship goals, learning outcomes, and assignments. Some or all of the following will be requested upon completion of the internship:

  1. Monthly Status Report: You will prepare a monthly record of activities and an analysis of what was learned, problems encountered, and questions generated. You are required to post your monthly status report to the Canvas course site.
  2. Final report. At the conclusion of the internship, you are required to submit a final report indicating how the learning outcomes established for the course were met. If for some reason the learning outcomes were only partially met, or not met at all, some discussion of what happened will be necessary.
  3. Site evaluation form. The student evaluation of site form allows you to provide feedback on the internship site’s effectiveness in hosting an intern and to recommend the site’s continuance or discontinuance as an internship site.
  4. Site supervisor’s evaluation form. The site supervisor evaluation form will provide formal written feedback by the site supervisor on your internship performance. A portion of your grade will be based on this evaluation.
  5. Additional requirements. In addition to the above, you may also be asked to submit supplemental materials to the faculty supervisor such as written reports, bibliographies or reading lists, portfolios, or samples of professional work.

MARA 295 Organizational Consulting Project

Students who come into the MARA program with at least three years of work experience in archives and/or records management have the option of undertaking an Organizational Consulting Project when enrolled in MARA 295, Professional Experience. See the Organizational Consulting Project Handbook.

Qualifying for the Organizational Consulting Project Option

To qualify for the Organizational Consulting Project option, you must:

  1. Be matriculated in the MARA degree program.
  2. Remain in good academic standing (3.0 CUM GPA or above).
  3. Meet the following Prerequisites: Have completed MARA 200, 204, and six advanced courses.
  4. Submit one letter of recommendation from a MARA instructor to the MARA 295 Instructor.
  5. Receive approval of the MARA 295 Instructor.

Completing the Requirements

If you meet the qualifications, you must self-register for MARA 295 through MySJSU. Through consultation with the MARA 295 Instructor, you will identify an organizational consulting project that you identified on your own or that was submitted by an individual or an organization that will serve as the “client.”

You and the client will agree upon deliverables which can be recommendations, proposals or other products (e.g., training programs and accompanying manuals and podcasts, revision of a records retention schedule based on a corporate merger, and development of a records management policy for a company that has none) that can be implemented or used by the client organization. A copy of or link to the completed project (or other documentation that the project has been completed), a form indicating satisfactory completion signed and dated by the client, and a final report discussing the project and your personal experience are required for satisfactory completion of the course.

You are expected to devote a minimum of 135 hours to this project during the term in which it is taken.

Evaluating the Experience

Several instruments will be used to evaluate your participation in this course. The actual method or combination of methods used for evaluation will depend on the project selected, learning outcomes, and assignments. Some or all of the following will be requested upon completion of the course:

  1. Participation. You will be required to enroll in an online course (MARA 295) and contribute to the online discussion and participate in in-class exercises.
  2. Project log. You will be required to maintain an ongoing record of the hours you’ve worked and your activities. Further information regarding the project log will be available through the online course.
  3. Project Report.You will be required to prepare a professional project final report (based upon the learning outcomes identified for the project) discussing how those outcomes were (or were not) accomplished. A copy of the final report must be submitted to the instructor through the Canvas learning management system along with the final project or, in the case of a project that is not a document (e.g. an electronic records management system or database), along with access information or other documentation so that the instructor can access the final project.

Note: Students with extensive experience can still learn from working in a completely different setting and interacting with other professionals. Therefore, participation in an internship is still recommended. If you are currently employed in an archives or records center, an internship placement that will provide you with a rewarding experience in a new setting could be of value.

MARA 295 Professional Project

Graduates of the MARA program are likely to find themselves in positions where they will be required to conduct a professional project, such as evaluating and selecting an electronic content management system, developing guidelines for records created by or residing in social media, or developing training programs for new hires. The Professional Project option will allow each student to gain experience in completing an archives or records management project that has been submitted by an individual or organization.  

Qualifying for the MARA Professional Projects Option

To qualify for MARA’s Professional Projects option, you must:

  1. Be matriculated in the MARA degree program.
  2. Remain in good academic standing (minimum GPA: 3.0).
  3. Successful completion of 7 required courses: MARA 200, 204, 210, 211, 249, 285, and either MARA 286 or MARA 287.

Completing the Requirements

If you meet the qualifications, you will be registered for MARA 295 Professional Experiences. Through consultation with the MARA Program Coordinator, you will identify a professional project submitted by an individual or an organization and supervised by a professional archivist, records manager, or information governance professional that can be completed during one semester.

You and the client will agree upon deliverables which can be recommendations, proposals or other products (e.g., training manuals, instructional podcasts, and proposals for new services) that can be implemented or used by the client organization. A copy of or link to the completed project (or other documentation that the project has been completed), a form indicating satisfactory completion signed and dated by the client, and a final report discussing the project and your personal experience are required for satisfactory completion of the course.

You are expected to devote a minimum of 135 hours to this project during the term in which it is taken.

Evaluating the Experience

Several instruments will be used to evaluate your participation in this course. The actual method or combination of methods used for evaluation will depend on the project selected, learning outcomes, and assignments. Some or all of the following will be requested upon completion of the course:

  1. Participation. You will be required to enroll in the online course (MARA 294) and contribute to the online discussion and participate in in-class exercises.
  2. Project log. You will be required to maintain an ongoing record of the hours you’ve worked and your activities. Further information regarding the project log will be available through the online course.

Project Report. You will be required to prepare a professional project final report (based upon the learning outcomes identified for the project) discussing how those outcomes were (or were not) accomplished. A copy of the final report must be submitted to the instructor through the Canvas learning management system along with the final project or, in the case of a project that is not a document (e.g. an electronic records management system or database), along with access information or other documentation so that the instructor can access the final project.