University of Maryland Department of Communication COMM386: Experiential Learning Fall, 2013 POINT PAPER TRAINING WEEK

Rebecca Wells August 30, 2013

Subject. During the first week of my internship, my fellow interns and I went through several training days. Each day covered various different aspects of the internship and were designed to prepare us for what is to come these next three months. Background. During this week, we had around five to seven seminars a day, each taught by a different instructor. These instructors included the Internship Coordinator, different Staff Attorneys, members of the IT department, and even Staff Investigators. We had days dedicated specifically to navigating through DC, taking statements from witnesses, and different defense theories our Staff Attorneys commonly used. Each seminar contained information that was vital for our success in this internship. Discussion. While this first week did not involve completion of any real tasks, it required immense concentration and participation throughout the lectures to ensure comprehension of the material. This training week was great because not only did I get a chance to learn about the dayto-day tasks called for by the internship, but I also got to meet many different staff members and got to hear several real stories and experiences from on the job. Throughout the week I also got a chance to get accustomed with Steve, our Internship Coordinator, and to get familiar with my fellow interns. We also got a tour of the facility, the DC Court House, and the Metropolitan Police Department, which are places I will frequent these next three months. The best part of the week, in my opinion, was Wednesday afternoon. We got to go see one of the Staff Attorneys deliver a closing argument in her case at the DC Court House. It was really great to get to see how all of my hard work will contribute to a case and how important my job as investigator is. The week finished with a quiz and an intern examination to make sure all of the interns fully understood what was expected of us and how to go about the job. Everyone passed the exam and it was a great learning experience. Recommendations. The only problem I had regarding training week was the length of the seminars. Each training day went from 9:30am to around 6:30pm. There was a lot of information and it was hard to retain all of it. It was also difficult to envision how we would be using all of the information during our internship. Because this training week is essential to our success, I do not believe a change would be possible.