IUPUI CyberLab is a research and entrepreneurship laboratory located on the campus of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). The lab provides research and intellectual support for the design, development, and implementation of innovative educational technology. It allows connections between the university and industries to transfer research outcomes into practice. CourseNetworking is the current project, a social learning platform that offers tools like academic networking, LMS, ePortfolio, etc. The CyberLab has involved student interns from diverse academic backgrounds such as education, marketing, information technology, and computer science and engineering to work on their real-world ed tech innovation projects.
CyberLab participated in the On Campus Internship Program(OCIP) at IUPUI to give their interns the best internship experiences possible. Through OCIP, interns were able to gain valuable internship experience in areas directly related to their academic programs.
As part of OCIP, interns at CyberLab were required to create a final showcase reflecting on their internship experiences to ensure the students’ success through the internship. At the Spring 2022 Showcase presentation, 3 interns from CyberLab: Karen Bonilla, Jordan Booker and Clark Henderson proudly presented their work. Both Jue Wang and Conor Marley as their internship advisors were present as well to show them support and encouragement.
By the end of the internship, all three of them developed a digital portfolio using the CN ePortfolio tool to showcase their experiences and skills developed through their jobs. The very process of developing an ePortfolio prompted students to adopt future-oriented thinking and it was extremely beneficial for students’ future employment. Clark, the UX design intern, mentioned that “This internship allowed me to experience my desired career in a real-world setting and helped me see that this is where I want to be! Using ePortfolio, I learned how to present my work professionally and explain certain methodologies that most non-UX folks may not know too much about.” Consequently, Jordan, the social media intern, reflected that “CN ePortfolio really allows me to display and document my learning experiences with multimedia to show my competencies to potential future employers. The security settings, endorsement, networking features on the platform provide credibility and opportunities which LinkedIn cannot provide.”
All in all, working at CyberLab was a great experience for students to connect with other interns across campus and gain practical skills they cannot typically learn from school. CyberLab will continue to be a part of IUPUI student excellence. CyberLab welcomes the IUPUI students to apply for the internship opportunities to strengthen their skills, collaborate with team members, and be prepared to hit the job market whenever they graduate.
Interns Professional Showcase