Internship Testimonials
Meet the OSPIE Interns
Andrea, Director of Assessment and Accreditation
I am Andrea Perkins and I am currently in the Masters in Research Methods in Education program. I will begin the PhD program in the fall for Ed Sciences with Educational Evaluation & Policy being my emphasis. I have lived in Simpsonville, KY for the past 17 years with my husband and two kids. I am currently the Director of Accreditation and Assessment in the College of Public Health at UK and I am excited to further my knowledge on program evaluation processes and tools to enhance my career.
Heather, Media & Research Coordinator
My name is Heather Cowherd. I am pursuing a Masters in Instructional Systems Design and a PhD in Higher Education at the University of Kentucky. For my internship, I will be reviewing PSLO assessment plans, analyzing UK data from NSSE, reviewing learning outcomes reports from 2015-2016 and 2017-2018, and improving the user experience on the department's website. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, writing, and watching movies. My favorite movie genre is Gothic Horror and one of my favorite books is The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. I am hoping to travel to Spain and Ireland within the next 2-3 years.
Moses, Doctoral Student
I am Olumuyiwa Moses Desmennu, fondly called Moses here for the ease. I am on my 2nd semester in UKY and my interest is in the area of assessment and Evaluation. I am sponsored by my employer on a full time doctoral study meaning I have academic position back home at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
I consider this internship as a great learning opportunity in the area of accreditation and higher education management. I am quite optimistic I will need this in the future seeing my career is in HE.
Samer Jan, Doctoral Student
My name is Samer Jan, I am from Saudi Arabia. I am approaching my second year of the EdD program at the EPE department.
I am currently sponsored by my employer to complete my full-time doctoral studies at UK. After completing my studies, I will return back to my country and resume my career in the area of evaluation and assessment.
I am interested in the area of program accreditation and student learning outcomes. I hope I will be able to learn about these two areas during the summer internship. I am also interested in learning how accreditation is practiced in a US higher education sitting and some of the challenges that higher education institutions face in their efforts to comply with accreditation requirements.
I am sure my studies at UK and the summer internship at the OSPIE will provide me with good knowledge and experience.
Sativa, First Grade Teacher
I'm Sativa, a student in the RME program, and Lexington resident (though I'm originally from Berea). I'll be graduating this fall, and will begin pursuits in a policy related doctoral program shortly thereafter. Ideally, I would love to eventually work in administration at the district level. I'm very enthusiastic about this internship and the opportunity to delve deeper into assessment evaluation, as I feel practice in this area will be valuable as an administrator.
Yan, Education Researcher
Previous OSPIE Interns
Moses Desmennu
Doctoral Student, Department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation, College of Education
Volunteering at OSPIE was for me a remarkable experience as it offered me opportunities to make little step differences in the operations of the University of Kentucky. During my internship at OSPIE, I was assigned to develop the "Provost standard procedures on specialized accreditation requests", SACSCOC Standard 11 on Library resources in preparation for the Reaffirmation Report due in Fall 2022 and the PSLO Assessment. The high points are the regular weekly meetings of interns with Mike and John-Eric which were laden with varied learning experiences ranging from regular studentship in UK, discipline-based exposure to research methodologies and career development post -studentship. Of note is the warm work environment that prod you to want to do more that characterizes OSPIE. It’s a place you aspire to work with.
Samer Jan
Doctoral Student, Department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation, College of Education
My summer internship involved looking closely at various standards that UK needs to meet for the upcoming SACS Fall 2022 comprehensive review. Among the standards that I worked on under the supervision of the Director of Institutional Effectiveness Dr. Mike Rudolph were: Standard 12.6 Student Debt, Standard 9.4 Institutional Credits for Undergraduate Degrees, Standard 9.5 Institutional Credits for Graduate/Professional Degrees, 9.7 Program Requirements and 10.8 Evaluating and Awarding Academic Credit. Working on these standards allowed me the opportunity to meet with various UK administrators and personnel. My work also included reviewing and providing feedback for a number of program assessment plans.
My internship was a rewarding and enriching experience. The work I encountered at OSPIE provided me with practical hands on experience on SACS accreditation. Students interested in assessment and accreditation or those planning to work in higher education with particular interest in assessment and evaluation would benefit from the practical experience OSPIE internship offers.
Andrea Perkins
Director of Assessment and Accreditation, College of Public Health
Doctoral Student, Department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation, College of Education
During my internship experience over the summer, I was able to get a "behind the scenes" view of what the assessment world consists of at the University level. This was a great experience and just deepened my desire to work with assessment on a higher level. While working with OSPIE, I felt complete ownership of the projects I was assigned to and felt my contributions were valued and will be used after the internship is completed. Overall this was a great experience and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about the assessment process and procedures at the University level.
Sativa Thompson
First Grade Teacher, Paris Elementary School, Paris Independent Schools (KY)
Masters Student, Department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation, College of Education
I had an excellent time working with the OSPIE office. I was able to start on a project collecting and analyzing qualitative data regarding the PSLO reporting process at the University. I was given very helpful feedback and guidance throughout the project that further developed my understanding of qualitative methods, thematic analysis, and interview design. As well, I was able to work on PSLO reviews providing feedback to departments regarding student learning outcomes and assessments. Being able to apply the knowledge I gained in my courses to do something meaningful for the University was a wonderful experience. I know that the experiences I had interning for OSPIE will help advance my career, as I have gained both helpful guidance in applying what I have learned and professional connections to some wonderful individuals. I would highly recommend pursuing an internship for others interested in assessment and educational research!