As internships draw to an end, the intern’s learning team participates in a process of evaluation within their ministry contexts. The purpose of evaluation is to facilitate the intern’s own learning in context and is designed to empower the intern in this process of formation for ministry. The method of evaluation is primarily one of reflection and conversation among the intern and the intern’s two learning partners. Each member of the learning team completes the evaluation. In congregational settings, the lay and clergy partners will separately evaluate the intern. In nonprofit settings, the site and mentoring partners will separately evaluate the intern. Prior to the last colloquy meeting, the entire learning team meets to talk about their individual evaluations. Afterwards, interns continue to reflect upon the evaluations and note takeaways from this discussion to share, discuss in colloquy, and inform for future growth.
The steps below describe the process in detail. As you prepare for the internship and for the seminarian evaluation process, please preview the evaluations. For the learning partners, view Learning Partners Intern Evaluation Preview and the intern, view Seminarian’s Self Evaluation Preview.
#1:Completing the evaluations
Final evaluations for the 9-month fall/spring term internships are due several weeks prior to the final colloquy session (see syllabus or ask your intern for the evaluation letter). For 9-week summer internship term, the final evaluations and discussion meetings are due by the last Friday of the internship.
Interns and each learning partner complete the evaluation using the online form. Interns will find directions and links to the evaluation form under the “Final Evaluation Process” content module on Blackboard. The Blackboard instructions include an invitation and link for interns to copy and paste into emails to send to both learning partners so each can access the form.
When the form is complete and submitted, the questions and answers are automatically formatted into a report that is emailed to the evaluator’s provided email address and to the PM&M office. Persons who do not see the report in their mailboxes within a few hours should check the spam or junk folder for an email sent from no-reply@wufoo.com. If it is not there, they should send a message to the PM&M office at PMMAssistant@WesleySeminary.edu, including their first and last name and the name of the intern and placement site.
#2:Reviewing the evaluations
Once the learning partners and intern have received their respective evaluation reports, each is to share the report with the rest of the learning team and then meet to read over and discuss them as a team before the last colloquy meeting. This meeting should provide helpful suggestions and insights, discussion on points of agreement and disagreement, and whatever feedback may be conducive to professional growth. An optional downloadable worksheet may be found on Handbook & Forms (under Internship Evaluation Forms, middle column).
#3:Posting Evaluation Meeting Takeaways to Blackboard
#4:Discussion with Colloquy Group
#5:Assessments by Colloquy Leaders
#6:Future Use of Evaluation Records
The seminarian are encourage to retain copies of evaluations as some denominations require receipt of them for the ordination process. Evaluations are retained on file by the PM&M office, where they are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). This information will be made available after the complete official file copy form, found in the “Graduate and Post PM&M Forms” section under Handbooks & Forms, is received.
The PM&M faculty and staff are available to advise and assist you with all aspects of the PM&M program. The PM&M office is located at Wesley’s main campus in the Kresge building, office suite K-107. Please feel free to contact us.
Rev. Dr. Jonathan Page PM&M Director JPage@WesleySeminary.edu
Rev. Dr. Nick Works PM&M Advisor NWorks@WesleySeminary.edu
Dr. Emily Peck & Dr. Nick Works Support to match vocational goals to placement types PMMDiscernment@WesleySeminary.edu.
Rev. Debra M. Whitten PM&M Program Administrator PMMAssistant@WesleySeminary.edu