Syllabus and Course RequirementsDisney’s College Program is a unique opportunity open to all The College at Brockport students in good academic standing (2.0 GPA or above). All participating students must enroll in the Brockport Career Exploration Course (BCEC) for six upper division, elective credits. Additional credit arrangements (depending on your academic department) may also be negotiated. Please note, Disney will not allow you to participate unless you are part of a college sponsored program, which for us is the Brockport Career Exploration Course. For those students in the Advantage Program (Fall or Spring) may elect to receive internship credit for both semesters for a total of 12 credits. In addition, Advantage Program participants may also take up to 4 Disney courses for additional credit.
The Brockport Career Exploration Course, although experiential in nature, is treated the same as every other academic course offered at The College at Brockport. You must register and pay for the course as well as complete all necessary course requirements to receive a passing grade. One of the goals of the program is to teach you important life and work related skills such as time management and handling multiple tasks. *** All the information to successfully complete the course is contained in this handout and your student packet.
Please note: It is your responsibility to meet these requirements. You will not be called with reminders regarding workshops, journal due dates and other student responsibilities. Failure to meet the outlined requirements will result in either an unsatisfactory or incomplete grade.
If you are dismissed from the Disney program, you will be required to withdraw from the internship course and any other courses associated with the internship. Disney has very strict policies that must be followed or you run the risk of jeopardizing your internship. To date, we have only had one student dismissed from the program. Let’s keep it that way!
Disney Requirements
§ Attend orientation workshop with Career Services staff
§ Weekly reflective journals (refer to handout “Guide to Reflective Journals”)
§ Alternate assignments in place of skill assessment and work environment workshops
§ Program evaluation form (turned in at completion of internship)
§ Successfully complete two Disney courses (refer to section on Disney courses)
Meeting Dates / Work Due DatesAll workshops and meetings are held in the Career Services Workshop area (Rakov Center).
Orientation Workshop (call 585-395-2392 to register)
Résumé AssignmentDisney Program participants must put together an up-to-date résumé that includes your internship experience. You may e-mail (rdicarlo@brockport.edu) or mail your resume for a critique.
Skill Assessment Paper (refer to the handout “Skill Assessment Workshop”)
For this assignment, you are to write a six-page (typed) paper on your work experiences and skills acquired. Refer to the skill inventory on pages two and three of the Skill Assessment Workshop Handout and complete. Describe in the paper your three strongest skills as they relate to your current work experiences. Also describe your three weakest skills and describe tangible ways in which you will attempt to make improvements. I would also like you to include in the paper a summary of the overall learning you gained from participating in the Disney program and what you gained from the two Disney courses you were in.
In your paper you should also address the following questions:
1. How did this internship experience relate to / enhance your academic program?
2. What did you enjoy the most / the least about your internship?
3. Which skills did you use the most / the least during your internship (refer to handout)?
This paper is an excellent opportunity for you to review your journal and reflect on the experience. Be creative.
Journals (refer to journal handout)Journals are to be turned in at the end of each month while you are in the program. Journals must be typed, dated and may be e-mailed (rdicarlo@brockport.edu) or mailed. We will e-mail you a template to follow for your journals. You may also download the template from http://www.brockport.edu/career/forms/ At this link, open the Journal Template.doc and save it to your hard drive.
Meetings
Since students enrolled in the Disney College Program live and work in Florida, our meetings will be infrequent. I will make arrangements to come down once during the semester (Fall and Spring only) to make a site visit. You will be notified by myself as well as by the Disney Education Team as to when to expect my visit. As part of the visit, I will make a point to try to attend some of your education classes as well as visit you at your work site. In addition, I will schedule a group meeting to visit with all of the The College at Brockport students. Attendance at the group meeting is mandatory. The group meeting will be scheduled around your work schedule and be held on-site at Vista Way.
Grading / Transfer Credits
The internship credits you receive for participating in the Walt Disney World College Program are graded on a pass/fail basis. I base the final evaluation on your successful completion of the requirements outlined in this syllabus, your final evaluation and also on the feedback I receive from the education staff at Disney. The six internship credits are considered upper division elective credit and do not satisfy any major or minor requirements. If you have negotiated additional credits through your academic department, depending on the arrangement they may be graded on a letter grade or pass/fail basis and may or may not count towards your major.
The courses you take with Disney are accredited by the American Council on Education (refer to handout). Upon successful completion of the courses, you will receive transfer credit at no additional cost. To receive the transfer credit, you must bring to me an original certificate of completion and your portfolio of work from the courses. Failure to complete the courses will result in forfeiting the transfer credit. Each course is described in detail in the handout with the credit recommendations. It makes no difference to me which two courses you select. However, to receive the maximum number of credits, I would suggest enrolling in courses worth three credits versus one or two credit courses. Students in the Advantage Program may take up to four courses (which I highly recommend).
Questions / Problems
If you have any questions or concerns about the course requirements, please call or e-mail as soon as possible. I generally try and call the Disney students every few weeks to check on your progress and to help you feel connected with The College at Brockport.
Rob DiCarlo
Assistant Director for Career Services
Rakov Center
Phone: (585) 395-5422 – direct line
or (585) 395-2392 - secretary
Fax: (585) 395-2708
E-mail: rdicarlo@brockport.edu