Universities usually release their students for internship during the long holidays between the months of April and September, the time most students are having up to 4 months away from school. University supervisors expect us to fill a certain log book at the internship place. These books are usually pink in color like for Makerere University or the Business School or others. They have pages that the students are expected to fill on a daily, like a diary, showing the activities, you will have done during the course of the week and the lessons learnt. There is a lot of significance to be attached to the content these books.
These books also need a field supervisor (the person whose place you work), to append his signature on every activity you will have done every day. That means you will need to have as many signatures as the days you will be interning to validate the work.
It also makes it easier for the supervisor attached to you from school to confirm that you have been actively engaged in your internship work. This supervisor will pass by your work place, usually once towards the end of the internship period to look at your work for the holiday and append his signature too who will confirm that you are indeed interning.
These log books contribute to the internship marks that the university will give you. Some schools give 30% as the highest. If you worked hard during your internship holiday, why not garner the whole 30 and credit your results at the end of the day with these free marks.
Having an updated log book makes it easy for you to compile a report. These books normally take a span of 60 days, or 2 months. At the end of the internship, you are expected to have a report for all the work you have been doing. This book is your first source of data that you will use to come up with a complete report for your university supervisor to sign.
You will not forget what you will have done during the holiday on that particular day. You will be engaged in so many activities every day. Keeping these in a record book will help you remember what you did on a particular day and what lessons you have learnt that day and also be able to apply them to what you are learning.
Making these records also helps you to be able to relate what you will have done to your course. The books are designed in that the activities you are to record in them are part of what you are learning at school. You will be able to relate how interviewing a client at the firm will be applicable to your law or human resource degree once you graduate because these will be reflected in your log book for your future reference.
You will find a very hard challenge, when your supervisor makes an abrupt appearance 30 days later and you do not have any records in your book. It will cost you a lot not being able to remember what you did on a certain day. Take charge of your internship.
