- Eligibility
- Protocol & Procedures
- Funding
- Application & Selection Criteria
- Completing an I-CUREUS Project & Sharing Your Work
- Ready to Apply to I-CUREUS?
The Internship-Carleton University Research Experience for Undergraduate Students, or I-CUREUS, provides a meaningful way to engage undergraduate students in discipline-specific research projects. Subject-based research and inquiry can be an immensely valuable experiential learning opportunity for students.
I-CUREUS projects can be a maximum of 150 hours, for which students are compensated at minimum wage. The Future Learning Lab provides 50% of the wages, with the faculty supervisor providing the other 50% from an appropriate research fund.
I-CUREUS Students may be interested in many aspects of the research process like leading their own research project, completing an element of a larger ongoing project, gaining experience in data analysis, contributing to their field, to build their resume, for part time employment, or because they enjoy research!
Involving students in research is a fantastic learning experience for the students, and can be a meaningful experience for Faculty supervisors as well. In the past, internships have led to early career publications for students, presentation opportunities, and strong supervisor-student relationships!
Eligibility
Please read through the eligibility criteria closely. I-CUREUS is not available to contract instructors.
Faculty supervisors:
- Must belong to an academic unit at Carleton University; and
- Must also hold a research grant at the time of application; and
- May supervise no more than 2 I-CUREUS projects in an academic year.
- Priority will be given to Faculty who have not yet supervised an I-CUREUS project in the academic year (May – April).
Student interns must:
- Be undergraduate students enrolled in a Carleton degree program (part-time or full time);
- Be in good academic standing upon application, and throughout the project;
- Not be graduating during the term of their I-CUREUS project;
- Not be completing a SaPP concurrently with I-CUREUS project;
- Not be completing a co-op work term during the term of their internship;
Applications from new students, who have not yet participated in I-CUREUS will be prioritized over applications from students who have completed I-CUREUS previously.
Please note: There are limited Internships available, and applications are not guaranteed to be accepted. Do not begin work on a project that has not yet been approved.
Protocol & Procedures
Students interested in I-CUREUS are encouraged to approach Faculty members with whom they are interested in working. Teaching and Learning Services, and the Future Learning Lab does not vet or select students – this is the sole responsibility of the Faculty Supervisors.
Once a student and Faculty supervisor have agreed to work together, the Faculty member should discuss expectations and project scope with the student intern. Responsibilities, goals, and communication methods should be established by both the student and supervisor.
When both have a clear understanding of the project, the supervisor should complete the online application form with their proposed student intern.
Interested supervisors/interns may apply for I-CUREUS projects in the Summer, Fall, or Winter terms, or may apply for a Fall-Winter project. Approved projects will not be extended into subsequent terms, work must be completed within the time frame specified on the application.
After their applications are approved, student interns will be added to a SaPP and I-CUREUS Brightspace course and will be required to complete one FUSION module of their choice. Details about payment, project timing, and capstones is shared with student partners through the Brightspace course. Students are responsible for submitting their partnership’s capstone through the Brightspace Dropbox.
Funding
Teaching and Learning Services (TLS) and the faculty supervisor will equally fund student interns for up to 150 hours of work at minimum wage. As of October 1, 2023 the Minimum wage in Ontario is $16.55/hr. Minimum wage in Ontario increases to $17.20, effective October 1, 2024. Faculty Supervisors must ensure availability of appropriate funds to cover their portion of student wages.
Administration of payment to the intern will be completed by the Future Learning Lab, and Research Accounting. At the time of application, Supervisors will need to identify start date, end date, total hours, and approximate hours per week, and the research fund from which their portion of the wages should be drawn. The work must be completed within the term defined on the application.
It is the responsibility of the Supervisor to inform the FLL Program Coordinator of any changes to hours.
I-CUREUS students will be paid biweekly, by the Future Learning Lab and Research Accounting. Pay is split 50/50 between the Future Learning Lab and the Supervisor and as such, students’ initial payments may be delayed and subject to payroll deadlines.
Students are responsible for ensuring their information is up to date in Human Resources and Payroll.
Application & Selection Criteria
Faculty members should complete the online application form with their student intern when possible. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to lead the submission of the application. Only one application form per project is required. Applications will be made available before the beginning of each term for which funding is available. Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Work Plan & Project Team: The strength of working relationship between supervisor and intern:
- How will the student be supported in their research?
- Has a work plan/strategy been discussed? What will indicate success in the proposed project?
- The scope and appropriateness of the proposed research project:
- Is the subject of this research relevant to the student’s goals?
- Can the proposed project be completed in the proposed timeline?
- What is the intern’s role in the research?
- The opportunities for learning:
- Is this a meaningful learning opportunity? What methodologies and activities will the student employ?
- What new skills or competencies will be developed?
- Will the student intern have additional opportunities from this research?
- Potential output:
- Is the proposed project detailed enough to be translated into a capstone?
- Will the student intern feel some ownership of their contributions to this work?
Applications are not guaranteed to be accepted. Do not begin work on a project that has not been approved.
When the number of applications submitted exceeds the number of available internships, the proposal will be evaluated based on whether the project is in the scope of I-CUREUS, whether the student has participated in I-CUREUS previously, the merits of the 4 above criteria, whether there is balance across faculties, and whether the supervisor has participated in I-CUREUS in the past.
Completing an I-CUREUS Project & Sharing Your Work
To complete an I-CUREUS internship, students are required to produce a Capstone project that showcases the work completed through their participation in the program. These must be submitted by the intern, through Brightspace before the end of the term in which they are completing their project in the form of a written research report or conference poster.
Students and supervisors should work together to determine an appropriate capstone. Partnerships are welcome to suggest new or alternative ways of reporting on the research (ie. Podcast, summary report, handbook, etc.). Partners are encouraged to reach out to the Future Learning Lab Program Coordinator with their ideas. Most often, students submit one of:
- I-CUREUS Conference Poster
- Written I-CUREUS Research Report
Partners interested in presenting at the Annual SaPP & I-CUREUS Showcase are encouraged to complete a Conference Poster.
The Annual SaPP & I-CUREUS Showcase generally takes place in the beginning of April each year. Conference posters are generally printed at least a week prior to the conference. Expressions of interest to participate in the Showcase will be made available early in the Winter term.
Check out previously completed capstones and check out the highlights of the 2024 SaPP & I-CUREUS Showcase here!
For more information, please see our FAQ below or email icureus@carleton.ca.
Please note: your submission may be shown publicly or used for public purposes including but not limited to, displayed on Carleton University and Future Learning Lab websites, TLS newsletters, and social media.
You can have a look at some of our past Capstone submissions, and hear from past participants here.