Faculty Syllabus

This course offers a hands-on internship experience where students work under the close guidance of a mentor, applying entry-level biotechnology knowledge and skills in a professional laboratory setting. Placement may be:

• Internal - within ACC, assisting with laboratory preparation, protocol development, or independent projects under an instructor’s supervision.

• External - at an industry site, with oversight and mentorship from a workplace professional.
  Internships may be either paid or unpaid.

Grading and Assessments

There are no exams in this course. Your grade will be determined entirely by evaluations, required assignments, and project deliverables.
Final Grade Calculation:

• Add the total points earned

• Divide by 10 to determine your percentage

• Letter grades:

  • 90–100% = A

  • 80–89% = B

  • 70–79% = C

  • 60–69% = D

  • Below 60% = F

Mentor Evaluations of Student (200 points)

You will provide your mentor with an evaluation form (or the mentor’s company form, if applicable). Ideally, feedback should be shared in a face-to-face meeting. You will be assessed at least twice during the semester, with the final evaluation uploaded to Blackboard. The emphasis is on your response to feedback — areas needing improvement will not lower your grade unless you fail to address them.

Updated Resume (100 points)

Revise your resume to include your internship experience. Submit the final, polished version as a PDF to Blackboard.

Attendance Logs (100 points)

Keep a daily record of your internship hours. Logs should include dates and times of hours worked, and your mentor’s signature each week (or copies of official timesheets). Only hours completed during the semester count toward your internship requirement. Unfortunately, hours cannot be “banked.” This is an entire semester commitment; you may not quit or resign without discussing with your instructor first. Scan and upload attendance logs to blackboard.

Final Paper, Presentation, or Poster (600 points)

Work with your mentor and instructor to determine the most suitable final deliverable:

• A written report or research paper (possibly prepared for publication)

• A scientific poster (conference or class presentation)

• An oral presentation (e.g., at a departmental meeting)
  Finalize your project type by mid-semester during your midpoint evaluation.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) Use Policy You may use approved GAI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) for brainstorming, drafting, editing, coding help, and language support, as long as you verify all information, acknowledge AI use, and ensure the final work reflects your own thinking. Do not use GAI to create work for graded assignments without permission, fabricate data or sources, or enter confidential information. You are responsible for the accuracy and ethical use of all AI-assisted work.

There is no required textbook or independent reading source. You may need to refer to materials from prior biotechnology coursework and apply them to workplace scenarios.

Instructional Methodology

This is an informal internship experience where the student may apply both soft skills and technical skills in a biosciences workplace. The student may work in a biosciences lab at ACC or outside of ACC. During the first week of the class the interns will meet in the classroom to discuss course policies and review the syllabus. There is one additional meeting at the end of the semester for final presentation and poster session. The remaining meeting times and places will be determined by the student and mentor.

Course Rationale

This course is designed to help you to apply the entry-level academic and technical competencies that you have learned in the classroom to real world problems. This may be in a research project, or a technical job such as sample testing, or general lab maintenance. You will also develop the employability skills that will assist you in your chosen field such as team work, research, dependability and resourcefulness. 

Course Objectives & Outcomes BITC 2486 Internships

By the end of the course the student should be able to:

• Demonstrate employability skills; including safely and competently working in a biosciences lab
• Demonstrate the academic and technical competencies of the position
• Maintain positive relations with others through teamwork
• Maintain a work notebook, and/or prepare a presentation or poster describing the internship

The competency outcomes for this course reflect skills necessary in the biotechnology workforce, which emphasize communication skills, punctuality, and teamwork in addition to biotechnology skills. The State of Texas has adopted the Washington Skill Standards for Biotechnology. The ACC Biotechnology Program has formally adopted these standards and is recognized by the Texas Skill Standards Board. Our TSSB certification is posted here: http://www.tssb.org/ctc/acc.  Each core course in the Biotechnology Program fulfills a specific set of skill standards. BITC 2486 (Internal internship) or BITC 1471 Undergraduate Research are not core courses, however, based on the required activities in those courses, they both help the student master the following skill standards.