P.W. Sims Business Program

St. Lawrence P.W. Sims Business Program graduate should be

• professional,
• enterprising,
• open to learning,
• versatile and autonomous,
• creative and innovative,
• discerning, and
• conscientious.

They should be able to apply appropriate principles and methods to support

• the accounting function,
• the management of human, financial and material resources, and
• other areas of business, including marketing, information and communication technologies, international business and entrepreneurship.

Graduates should also be able to

• plan, organize, implement and control projects,
• identify problems and find, analyse and synthesize relevant information for their solution,
• adapt to various and changing work environments induced by globalization, technological changes and work environment changes including work mobility,
• use appropriate technologies to complete work-related requirements and to communicate,
• communicate both orally and in writing in English and French,
• organize their time efficiently and work with others as a team member, leader or liaison person,
• manage professional and personal responsibilities and development in the context of a healthy lifestyle, and
• demonstrate ethical behavior in both professional and personal situations.

What will be assessed?

You must complete a comprehensive assessment after the Internship II course, in order to qualify for graduation. Internship II is a practical work-experience course designed to help students integrate into the job market. The course is

• In the winter semester at the end of the program
• To be taken by students who will have graduated no later than December of the same calendar year
• Not to be taken at the same time as any 15-week course on campus

Internship II students are on campus eleven (11) weeks for other Business courses and evaluations, work six weeks and then return for the comprehensive assessment.

The comprehensive assessment has two components.

1)   The first component is a portfolio. The portfolio is to be prepared by you individually and is due before the assessment interview (component 2 described below). The portfolio will be assessed by the two members of the business faculty who conduct the assessment interview. The portfolio is to include the elements below.

• a) An up-to-date résumé in English and French
• b) Work samples, from all years and a variety of areas of the program, demonstrating your achievements and progress
• c) Your evaluation from your Internship I employer and a statement by you on actions resulting from the evaluation
• d) Your evaluation from your Internship II employer - The employer evaluation will be based on the graduate profile, but some areas may not be applicable for some internships. This evaluation will not be used to determine whether you receive a grade of pass or fail in the comprehensive assessment. However, any weaknesses identified by the employer can be further assessed in the assessment interview (component 2 below).
• e) A report on skills needed in the workplace, as seen during the Internship II experience - The report should identify the relevant skills, give examples of how they were applied in the work place and explain when (or whether) you learned these skills in the program. You should find out how the employer handles any areas in the P.W. Sims Business Graduate Profile that were not involved in your duties. You should also include specific reference to relevant skills from each general education discipline, based on the General Education Graduate Profile. The report should be written in English in a professional manner and be approximately 1000 words in length.
• f) A report with constructive comments on how the time spent in the program could be made more enjoyable and productive - The report must be written in French in a professional manner and be approximately 250 words in length.

2)   The second component is an interview with two members of the business faculty. The faculty members will use a discussion of the portfolio in order to assess whether you demonstrate comprehension and attainment of the program objectives outlined in the graduate profile. As noted earlier, any weaknesses identified by employers can be further evaluated during the assessment interview. Discussion of the first report (1 e) is to be carried out in English and discussion of the second report (1 f) is to be carried out in French. You must display a comportment that reflects the maturity expected of an individual leaving college for the next step in his or her career. 

How will it be assessed?

Each component will be assessed as pass or fail by two faculty members. The portfolio must be complete before it is assessed. The assessment will reflect how you have demonstrated comprehension and attainment of the areas in the graduate profile.

You must pass both components to pass the assessment. If you are not successful, you will be required to redo the portfolio, the interview or both.

The first component, the portfolio, prepared individually over recent semesters, will have been last updated at the start of the prior semester. Its final version, submitted for the comprehensive assessment, must be up to date with recent Internship II information. The portfolio will be assessed by the two members of the business faculty who conduct the assessment interview.

The interview will take approximately 30 minutes and will be held during the week following the internship period.

If you are not graduating immediately after Internship II, credit for the comprehensive assessment will not be given until you complete the portfolio with an up-to-date résumé prepared at the end of the program.